5 Thoughts: WWE Payback 6.1.14 (Evolution vs The Shield, John Cena vs Bray Wyatt)

PPVs, Reviews, Shows, Top Story

WWE Payback 2014

 

{Thanks to Oetzi92 for the header image.}

#1~ I’m glad they got Paul Heyman, and by extension CM Punk, out-of-the-way before the first match. The obvious elephant in the room was going to dampen the crowd’s enjoyment of the night if they kept waiting for Punk to show up. Now that’s over and out-of-the-way. Great match to kick off Payback as well. We’ve gotten a taste of what Cesaro and Sheamus could do and I think this match was just the tip of the iceberg for them.

#2~ I’m a bit surprised at the reaction that Bad News Barrett and Rob Van Dam in Chicago. You’d think that RVD would still be a golden boy in Chicago but the crowd was definitely split and leaning more towards Barrett. Definitely not the best match but steady enough for RVD & Barrett with the right guy walking out with the belt.

#3~ I don’t know if Stephanie thought up that CM Punk line on the spot or it was written for her just in case but either way it doesn’t matter. It was the perfect line in the perfect situation. And that whole World Title segment was exactly what it needed to be. We all knew how it would play out but it was still fun to watch. I did love that McMahon ran away after the slap from Brie Bella. You never see a McMahon truly embarrassed and it makes me wonder if she’ll reinstate Brie just to have a match with her.

#4~ God Lord that was one hell of a match between Wyatt and Cena. The first thing I noticed was that there was no doctor stoppage when Wyatt was cut from the insane steel stairs spot. That alone kept you into the match and didn’t take you out of the story of the match. The intensity and spots performed in this match were incredible, I have no idea how the No Holds Barred, Evolution/Shield match is going to top this.

#5~ I really didn’t think they could top Cena/Wyatt (and in some instances didn’t) but my God that was a fantastic match. The Shield went 3-0 against three future Hall Of Famers, that’s incredible. The spots weren’t as frequent as Wyatt/Cena but each were spectacular and were perfectly placed. It was safe to say before tonight that The Shield were the future main eventers of the company but tonight just solidified it. Every member came out looking like a star and they will be.

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