Top 5 Favorite Payback Matches

Like I said last time, I'm very excited to attend Payback live in a few weeks. With that in mind, a Top 8 would be weird for the Payback PPV, simply because there's only been 3 Payback shows so far. I might as well review them all individually, and I don't have time for that. So instead, I'm going to lower the list down to a Top 5. Like Backlash, the Payback gimmick should be about resolving issues and rivalries in some quality wrestling matches. So let's see what makes the list of my Top 5 Payback Matches.


Number 5: John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (Payback 2014)

After WWE really mishandled the booking of the Bray Wyatt/John Cena feud, a lot were waiting to see what would play out in their Last Man Standing match. A win between each man in back to back PPVs, this match brought finality to their rivalry. Getting The Usos in on the action to help take out Harper and Rowan was also a creative way to kickstart their rivalry, which lead to some great PPV matches between the two teams. The spots in this match were very clever and this was the best way you could have salvaged anything featuring two top performers of this caliber.

Number 4: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho (Payback 2013)

Punk and Jericho had a handful of matches around this point, all of which were of high quality. This, however, is probably the weakest of their trilogy of PPV matches. The story here was Punk's return after a short hiatus after WrestleMania 29. Returning in his hometown of Chicago, there was never really any doubt who would win this match. Jericho put forth a good effort, but this moment and match was all for Punk. Kind of a waste, considering he'd be gone in less than a year, but that's beside the point. This was a well-wrestled match between two of my all-time favorites, and the moment of Punk returning home was certainly one of the last great moments in his tenure with WWE.

Number 3: Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose (Payback 2015)

Seth Rollins quickly became my favorite superstar of 2015 with his rise to the occasion mentality. While the booking of his championship reign might have been questionable at best, this Fatal 4-Way brought together all the major people he had pissed off in his rise to power. Squaring off against his former Shield partners and a former member of The Authority, it was obvious Rollins would have to bring his best in order to walk away champion. This is certainly a good Fatal 4-Way formula on its own, but let's be honest and mention the only real reason this is on here is because of that one moment when The Shield reunited for a minute. The chills that happened during that moment is still one of WWE's biggest highlights in 2015.

Number 2: Sheamus vs. Cesaro (Payback 2014)

At the time this opening match took place, I was really interested in what Cesaro could bring to the table within the midcard. Add the fact that I'd been a fan of Sheamus for years and we have a winner for a rough and rugged opener for the United States Championship. There was a lot of slams and stiff shots, but it really worked for these two and the crowd absolutely ate it up. For my money's worth, no match that night could deliver the right amount of action and pacing that this match was able to, so they were very successful in their mission to steal the show.

Number 1: Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler (Payback 2013)

Only a city like Chicago could host a match like this and deliver the best double-turn since Steve Austin and Bret Hart's match at WrestleMania 13. Ziggler, that heel most fans love to hate, was World Heavyweight Champion and just came off a concussion injury. Del Rio, who was having a pretty successful run as a babyface, wanted to win his championship back by any means necessary. The match, for the most part, was a one-sided beatdown with Del Rio targeting Ziggler's head with brutal kicks, with Ziggler refusing to give up. You can see in both those performances how the crowd was able to turn on Del Rio and root for Ziggler. It's absolutely spectacular to watch and a prime example of why I love the Chicago crowds for WWE events. And in a week, I'll be part of that crowd when I attend Payback 2016.

Are there any that I'm forgetting? Is there one on this list that you think isn't deserving of a top spot? Well, let me know in the comments and also suggest what type of wrestling countdown you'd like to see me do next.


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