Opening Segment

This was one of the better and more entertaining opening segments in recent memory. It was also nearly half as long as most of them, and that is always an advantage. Each of the five participant in the segment seemed to be having fun and enjoying their time which clearly had a positive effect on their work. Building face-face (or tweener-face) heat between Reigns and Orton preceding their match at Payback is basic booking. Allowing the new tag team champions to mix up with the big names is a welcomed decision.

Highlight of the segment :

” Not only does Seth Rollins have your number, he has it on speed dial ” – Big E to Orton

New Day def. Orton & Reigns

This match was decent-to-good to me. It was a bit slow and nearly no cool spots. The finish felt much more staged then similar finishes feel. Regardless of the handicap stipulation, New Day winning is good for their legitimacy and for the tag division as a whole.

Highlight of the segment :

Randy Orton powerslams mid-air Kofi

Ryback/Wyatt Promos

The Big Guy delivered quite well considering the overwhelming negative chants he was receiving. At some point, he turned the “Booooring” chants into “Feed me more” chants which is quite good for a guy with his experience. The only problem was that this promo felt too similar to a promo he cut on another episode of RAW not long ago. Wyatt promo was great and all in terms of delivering quality but, which part of it exactly was about Ryback ? This is starting to be a problem with Wyatt promos, they have no trace of whom he is facing. When it wasn’t the case, like against Taker & John Cena, The Eater of World’s promos were top notch. Now, and despite the undeniable great mic skills of Wyatt, his mic-work ultimately lacking meaning is hurting him a lot. We should also point out that putting him against Ryback coming out of his five-star work during his ‘Mania feud wasn’t the best decision.

Kidd & Cesaro def. The Ascension

The match was just okay. The two most important takeaways from the match are :

1- The Ascension are having no reaction and going nowhere. That’s what happens with replica teams.

2- Cesaro and Kidd are working extremely well, which shouldn’t be a surprise given their wrestling style and how much fans are behind them as individuals, especially Cesaro.

Highlight of the segment :

Cesaro’s sequence of corner European uppercuts.

Ambrose vs Rollins

I wouldn’t go as far as many did calling this match a match of the year candidate. However, I can go as far as this being the non-PPV match of the year, or at least a very strong candidate. The two former Shield brothers always give top-class matches. The chemistry they have together is off the charts, probably the best chemistry between any 2 wrestlers on the roster. The high stakes added even more value to it. Dean Ambrose addition to the Payback main-event is definitely an excellent decision, The Lunatic Fringe finally gets his very well-deserved push.

Highlight of the segment :

Dean Ambrose victory and the pop that followed.

Cena def. Zayn – US Title Match

I wasn’t as hyped for Zayn appearance as most fans were. I knew he is 100% losing and I knew it wasn’t a prominent promotion. But, it was still a great moment. Zayn loss didn’t harm him by any means. He was treated like a star in every way possible. Being introduced by Bret Hart and kicking out of an AA in your first RAW singles match is something others can only dream of.

Highlight of the segment :

Bret Hart introducing Sami Zayn.

Barret & Sheamus def. Neville & Ziggler

The King persona fits Barret more than anybody in the roster, they just need to give him a slightly better gear. The match the four had on Smackdown was better than this one but, this another set of wrestlers which can not make a bad match. This match was more to confirm the continuation of the rivalries than to showcase the four’ wrestling skills. We’re still waiting WWE to vacate the IC title and officially start a Barret-Neville feud over it. It seems they are delaying it until Payback PPV to draw comparisons with what happened last year.

Highlight of the segment :

Wade Barret mid-air Bull Hammer to Neville.

Reigns vs Orton – No Contest

This match was lethally slow while it lasted. These two need a large amount of time, like what they had at SS ’14, to deliver a good match. What followed was a standard ending with all four participants of the main event in the ring together.

Highlight of the segment :

Dean Ambrose standing tall over everybody after months of random booking. Such a great moment.

Extra Notes

Everything New Day did backstage was great and hilarious, they are your new backstage kings.

Stardust vs R-Truth. What was that ?

I wonder what each of Rusev and Lana do after they part ways.

WWE has to book Rollins as a strong legitimate champion at Payback, he needs it a lot.

Overall Show

This show was excellent and entertaining. It had a lot of high-quality wrestling and good story-line progression. Ambrose finally got his long-awaited push (let’s hope he isn’t there to take the pin) after an incredible match with Rollins. Sami Zayn surprise appearance was such a great moment for him and for everybody watching around the globe. Of course, the show had its low points but they were minimal compared to other shows. This show is at least the second best of the year. Take the Lesnar part away from RAW after ‘Mania and this will be the best weekly show of the year.