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Payback 2017 Recap

In which we witnessed Roman Reigns dying amidst rapturous applause, Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton fighting in a f***ing house, Bayley's hometown return and some really great wrestling. So yeah, it was a packed 3 hours.

Also, I've been doing these reviews for a long time man. My first official recap was Night of Champions 2015, and I've covered a lot of shows since then. So for any event I'm covering that I've reviewed in the past, I'll now include the previous score, to compare. Let's get to it.



Payback 2016 Score: 7/10



- If there's one thing I've learned as a fan over the past few years, it's never to let other wrestling fan's pre-judgment of an event cloud my own perception. I've learned to ignore a lot of opinions, and I was pleased to see this show deliver as well as it did. 


- Count me as shocked with Chris Jericho regaining the United States Championship, but I totally didn't mind. I kind of feel he should have retained at 'Mania, then lost it here, but that's just me. I love to be surprised, plus this was a great match.


- Neville and Austin Aries had a great match on WrestleMania's pre-show, and this time they got a nice spot on the card to try and steal the show. While they didn't quite do that, in fairness that would be pretty difficult, they delivered a nice bout, and I loved the storytelling in the finish.


- I couldn't be prouder to see Cesaro and Sheamus put on a great match with the Hardy Boyz. Both of these teams are great acts, and they put on a MOTN. Plus, heels I can cheer for!


- Man, I was waiting all night for Bayley's hometown pop, and I wasn't disappointed. This was perhaps the best match I've seen out of Alexa, who continues to improve. Intrigued on where the story goes from here, as I assume Bayley-Sasha is still the endgame. 


- You know, I think we all knew what we were getting into with the House of Horrors match. Ultimately, I wouldn't say it was egregiously bad, not nearly as dull as their 'Mania match, but it really wasn't eye-opening. Also, I really hope we never see Bray and Randy wrestle each other again. This is three terrible matches, counting No Mercy, and I don't want to see a fourth.


- Samoa Joe had very little chance of winning in San Jose, so there were no surprises here. The finish did involve some controversy, as Joe's shoulder was definitely up before the three count. Solid match.


- If you were to tell me in my first review, NOC 2015, that Braun Strowman would be the most over guy on the roster, I would've laughed you out of the building. Then again, I couldn't have called the Hardy Boyz as tag champs either. But I digress. Braun and Roman put on a great match at Fastlane, but I think I liked this one more. Roman's turned into a really good seller, and he put Braun over huge tonight. I did like the beatdown after the match, but not sure I can support the crowd's actions. I get they want to send a message, but their chants overshadowed everything that was happening.


8/10


A really quality show turned out by the Raw brand. But try as you might, I'm still counting down the days to Great Balls of Fire 2017. 

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