A Live Fan Report From Last Night’s WWE Payback PPV Event

Credit: Kyle Durbin and Prowrestling.net

I’m thirty years old and have watched wrestling literally my whole life, yet I had never attended a live event until yesterday, when my wife surprised me with tickets to WWE Payback. She knows nothing about wrestling, but has been wonderfully supportive of my enthusiasm ever since WrestleMania, so this was pretty incredible, and the show didn’t disappoint.

Stardust vs. R-Truth: Why is Truth still getting PPV time? If rather have seen someone from NXT here. The crowd was surprisingly into the match, and were clearly in Startdust’s corner. The “Lets Go Cody” chants sounded like they really wanted Cody Rhodes to succeed. Still, R-Truth got a decent pop when he pulled out the victory.

The Mega Powers vs. The Ascension: Nobody likes the Ascension. I don’t even think they take themselves seriously at this point. The place literally erupted for Sandow’s entrance, and it was even bigger for Curtis Axel’s. The cheap pops with the throwback moves from each was a fun touch. Hopefully their loss means imitation Sandow is done and we can get Damien back.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus: My wife liked Dolph’s sequins. Sheamus was the first heel to really egg the audience on. Ziggler’s injury looked absolutely nasty live. You would have thought Ric Flair was in the ring bleeding.

New Day vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro: The crowd LOVES chanting “New Day Sucks.” New Day picking on a Baltimore Orioles player was even better, and earned the “O’s” rally cry chant in response. Some of the spots looked incredible live. Quality match that needed more time. I forgot it was a two out of three falls match and got really excited when Kidd and Cesaro scored the first pin out of nowhere. Kidd spent a lot of time getting punished and deserves credit. Note: Cesaro botched a pump handle on Big-E, and the crowd started too boo but he covered quickly with a taunt and his charging uppercut. Well done.

Bray Wyatt vs. Ryback: Ryback received a little heat and Wyatt was clearly favored by the crowd. Fireflies are fun (my wife made us take a picture with them in the background…she also thinks Bray Wyatt is disgusting).

Rusev vs. John Cena: Rusev was booed out of the building. Lana was absolutely showered with chants through the match. Before Cena’s entrance, you could literally feel the anticipation rising in the crowd, whether they wanted to boo or cheer him. As far as volume, he clearly received the pop of the night. This match was incredible. Keeping the brawling within the ringside seats and not going backstage was the right decision. It kept the crowd invested. Silly spots like slamming Rusev onto pyro are really fun live, and kept the audience into the action. Plenty of “USA” chants capped off by the U.S. Flag dropping as ace a raised his title. Match of the night contender. Also, Cena is now my wife’s favorite…sigh…

The Bella Twins vs. Naomi and Tamina: This was the right match for post-Cena. The crowd was emotionally drained from the last match and, though no fault of the Diva’s, nobody cared about this match. Here’s to improved storytelling in the future.

Neville vs. King Barret: Again, no title and a network-only King of the Ring left the crowd with little vested interest in this match. Everyone wanted to see the Red Arrow. We got to see it. That move looks unbelievable live. My wife’s jaw dropped.

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns: I’m not sure who got the biggest pop between Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose. They were the loudest of the night. Seth Rollins got a loud, mixed reaction. No don’t care what WWE wants you to think, it might be mixed, but the majority of the crowd really doesn’t like Reigns. This match was pure chaos, with the added benefit on Kane and J&J Security, basically a Fatal Seven Way. Randy Orton’s RKO’s were like a spectacle in and of themselves when he performed them. Hands down, the moment of the night, and the biggest crowd reaction, was the “Shield Reunion” to powerbomb Orton through the table. The powerbomb of Kane through Seth Rollins was equally well received, and the fact that the table didn’t break only made the place cheer louder. As a lifelong fan, even if I’m not always happy when they’re on TV, there’s something special about seeing people like Kane and Triple H out there too.

This PPV exceeded not only my expectations, but also those of my wife, who purchased the tickets for me as a gift and knew little about WWE beforehand. She is already planning on purchasing tickets for the September Raw. That’s gotta be the biggest seal of approval right there!

100% DIRECT LINK (PHOTOS): Tyson Kidd & Natalya Wedding Pic!