WWE Payback 2023

By Steve Ward

The WWE emanated from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA this evening as they presented Payback. Tonight’s card featured six matches with four titles contested and was headlined by Seth Rollins defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. The World Heavyweight Championship was of course brought back earlier this summer because Roman Reigns is essentially a part-timer, despite holding the Undisputed Universal Heavyweight Championship, and WWE needs to have a major title to defend on each Premium Live Event. In addition to the headlining title bout, the show also boasted a grudge match between Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch inside an unforgiving steel cage.

Steel Cage Match

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch

Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall

Tonight’s card opened with a rare women’s steel cage match pitting “The Man” Becky Lynch against Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus, who made a rather surprising full-time return earlier this year. Initially aligned with each other, Trish became tired of the “sidekick” role and turned her back on Lynch igniting a bitter rivalry between the two. Following an encounter that left Trish Stratus covered in welts and bruises, Zoey Stark decided to become involved in the match. Stark attempted to hold The Man at bay as Trish scaled the cage. Lynch delivered a Manhandle Slam to Stark and then ascended the cage to intercept Trish. Lynch then pulled Trish back down the side of the cage and delivered a Manhandle Slam from the top turnbuckle to solidify the victory. 

The Miz vs. LA Knight 

w/ Special Guest Referee John Cena

Winner: LA Knight

Prior to this match, John Cena made his way to the ring as the host of Payback and decided to announce that he was naming himself the special guest referee for the next match. In the closing moments of the match, The Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale, however, it wasn’t enough to secure the pinfall. Moments later, LA Knight was able to rebound and hit the elbow drop before the Blunt Force Trauma to put away The Miz.

United States Championship

Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Austin Theory

Winner: Rey Mysterio via pinfall

Theory was recently set to defend his title against Santos Escobar until he unleashed a vicious attack on his knee and took him out of the bout. Fellow LWO member Rey Mysterio then stepped in and was able to bring the title home. Tonight, Theory attempted to regain his title as he again squared off with the Hall of Famer, Rey Mysterio. In a rather abrupt match, Mysterio found himself up on the shoulders of Theory in a rather precarious position but turned it to his favor as he rolled up Austin for the pinfall victory.

Undisputed Tag Team Championship Pittsburgh Steel City Street Fight

Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) vs. Finn Balor & Damian Priest

Winners: Finn Balor & Damian Priest via pinfall

Sami Zayn and his tag team partner Kevin Owens, who made his recent return from injury, defended their titles against the Judgement Day’s Finn Balor and Mr. Money In The Bank, Damian Priest, in a no holds barred Pittsburgh Steel City Street Fight where victory could only be attained by pinfall or submission. It appeared that Zayn and Owens were poised to defend their titles late in the match as Balor was the recipient of a Helluva Kick from Sami. As Balor was covered for a pinfall attempt, Dominik Mysterio stormed the ring with Priest’s Money In The Bank briefcase and cracked Zayn over the back. Mysterio then rolled Balor on top of Zayn to secure the pinfall and crown new tag team champions.

Following this match, there was another filler segment on the show as there was an installment of The Grayson Waller Effect with guest Cody Rhodes. Instead of Rhodes making any substantial announcement regarding himself, he introduced “Main Event” Jey Uso as the newest member of the Monday Night RAW roster. Uso came out, received a few insults from Waller, and reciprocated with a Superkick to the face.

RAW Women’s Championship

Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall

Rhea Ripley had her most physically imposing opponent to date in Raquel Rodriguez set to go toe to toe with her this evening with her coveted championship gold on the line. This match came to it’s merciful conclusion following interference once again by Dominik Mysterio which opened the door for Ripley to execute the Riptide and retain her title.

World Heavyweight Championship

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall

Nakamura has had the World Heavyweight Champion in his crosshairs for the past month, following a shocking surprise attack on him on Monday Night RAW, which culminated in their title bout this evening. Shinsuke Nakamura controlled the tempo for a vast majority of this match as he continued to target Rollins’ back. Late in the match, Rollins surprised Shinsuke with a Pedigree and quickly followed up with The Stomp to retain his title.

Unfinished Business with the Pittsburgh Kid

By Mike I.

Unless you are a very casual boxing fan or a huge fan of Logan Paul’s, no one was shocked Floyd Mayweather beat him easily in their recent bout. However, any hardcore boxing enthusiast, loyal to boxing was shocked he didn’t knock him out in two or three rounds.

It can be debated that Floyd is getting older, or Paul was so much bigger and younger, despite being completely out matched experience wise. No matter the circumstance, there is no other reason Floyd did not destroy Paul other than he just carried him for multiple rounds. Many could say there are all kinds of reasons for that, but in the end, that seems to be what he happened in this bout.

There is literally video of Mayweather hitting Paul and holding him up to keep him from hitting the canvas. What may be the real reason that Floyd looked like a king cobra playing with a little mouse instead of looking like a Jack Russell Terrier viciously nipping away at an awkward and confused St. Bernard is simple:  Paul was just no challenge for the greatness of Floyd.

This bout looked more like a glorified sparring session than a bout of any quality. Although it looked like a sparring match with Paul, there was an actual sparring match years ago with another Paul. That Paul is Paul Spadafora. Known as “The Pittsburgh Kid,” his roots in the tough fight city of Pittsburgh was where Spadafora became one of the purest boxers of Floyd’s time.

Spadafora is the one fighter who would be a challenge for Floyd. Spadafora was one of the true greats of Floyd’s time, and whipped him handily in a sparring session some time back. That sparring session was recorded and the footage leaked on the internet. This footage made the boxing world curious, as it was rumored the Floyd camp was even interested in giving Paul a shot at him to set the record straight about who the better fighter was.

Unfortunately, Spadafora had multiple problems outside the ring, and to promoters and matchmakers, the fight must have seemed like too much of a risk as the contest never happened. Now Spadafora is in boxing exile.

For anyone saying, “Well that was just a sparring session,” or, “Floyd was out of shape for that session,” I respond with this: Floyd is never out of shape, and there was a rumor that Floyd said this sparring session made him commit to never be out of shape again. So, if there is nothing to fear now and he is always in shape, what does he have to worry about now?

Some may ask why Floyd would risk his undefeated record for a guy who blew his chance with Floyd years ago because of his bad behavior outside of the ring. The simple answer is it is not worth it. Yet, Floyd is a special athlete, and I think for him there can be special rules in place for a potential matchup between Spadafora and Mayweather. Seeing how Floyd breaks the rules all the time with these crossover fights, who is to say what the rules need to be right?

My proposed rule for a decision in a potential showdown with Spadafora is if by some chance Floyd loses to Spadafora, the loss will be expunged from his record. This would make it worth Floyd’s time to even consider a guy who is a risk in more ways than one. I’m confident Floyd would have his hands full with Spadafora. The main thing that makes this interesting is the footage of Spadafora beating Mayweather up round after round in that sparring session years ago.

To be clear, I am not mad that Floyd is making a mockery or circus out of boxing. Boxing has always been a bit of a circus and has always had crazy circumstances around it. Jack Dempsey, arguably one of the most famous boxers in history, went around the country to bars and asked owners to let him fight the troublemakers in the bar simply for a steak dinner and some whiskey in return. It is hard to think Floyd is doing something to diminish the respectability of boxing. As Mike Tyson said about the bout on Logan Paul’s podcast, “How low could boxing go? Boxing can only go up. You can’t take it any lower.”

I agree with Mr. Tyson. Boxing can only go up, and one way for that to happen would be a fight between Floyd and a respectable fighter who Roy Jones started fighting after a comeback to the ring, Paul Spadafora. To paraphrase Mr. Tyson in that same Logan Paul podcast interview, he said things like crossover matches can broaden the public’s horizons about boxing, and it can show the sport as a skillful art form.

Now that Floyd has maybe done that with this last bout, maybe he could take it even one step further and show people the real art boxing is and bring the guy who is the other true pure boxer of his time to the main stage with him, so they can show the world in style the real beauty of the craft. However, if he continues to literally carry opponents like he did with Logan Paul, then I don’t see how he is showing the public the beautiful side of boxing. Maybe that is just me though.

Another point for a Mayweather vs. Spadafora fight is that it would be a dream come true Spadafora, and Floyd would be giving the mainstream public and hardcore boxing fans alike a great show. Spadafora, who has the potential to be a modern-day “Cinderella Man” with a victory, has a history worth looking into. After losing his father at a young age, having a mother who really wasn’t able to support him, and having multiple alleged problems with drugs alcohol and with the law, Spadafora was still one of the most talented, yet unrecognized fighters of Floyd’s time. If there is one thing boxing fans love more than a great match up between two greats, they love a great comeback story. That comeback story potential is there for Spadafora, who is a walking, talking comeback story.

That being stated, if there is nothing to fear now that Floyd is always in shape, and we have this special rule for Floyd remaining officially undefeated despite the outcome, what does he have to worry about?

Boxing fans just want to see the guy who may have quite literally whipped Floyd into shape for the rest of his career, and they want to see how much of a fluke that really was. I will tell you this:  Even if it wasn’t a fluke, Floyd adjusts in the middle of rounds and throughout fights. He has one of the highest ring IQs of all-time, so no matter what, Spadafora will have the fight of his life on his hands against Floyd.

In closing, I urge Floyd to give boxing fans one last show in a fight against the one guy of his era who needs a shot more than ever. That will give us the type of fight worth paying the money people put out for the Logan Paul fight. 

Paul Spadafora (Photo Courtesy of BoxRec)

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WWE Extreme Rules 2018 Recap

This evening WWE presented Extreme Rules from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.  The card boasted ten matches with seven titles on the line. On a personal note, I understand that this is the “PG Era” of WWE but if you’re going to call a pay-per-view Extreme Rules then at least give us a TV-14 rating and a match or two that would pay homage to hardcore legends like Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Tommy Dreamer, and Raven. Nonetheless, this was an entertaining pay per view that saw some shocking title changes.  Without further ado, here’s the rundown of the card:

RAW Tag Team Championship
The Deleters of Worlds (Woken Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt) ( c ) vs. The B-Team (Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel)
Winners: The B-Team via Pinfall

After several weeks of The B-Team impersonating the Deleters of Worlds and engaging in numerous singles matches, the rivalry finally came to a peak at Exreme Rules. This bout also presented us with the interesting dynamic of pitting real life brothers Bo Dallas and Bray Wyatt against each other. In the end, Hardy was shoved into Wyatt knocking him off the ring apron and leaving the disoriented Hardy susceptible. Bo Dallas hit the DDT as Matt Hardy’s feet were suspended on the ropes for the victory.

Finn Balor vs. Constable Baron Corbin
Winner: Finn Balor
Baron Corbin, sporting his new bald look, brutalized Balor for the majority of this match with several power moves and strikes. The match concluded with Corbin attempting the End of Days only to be rolled up in an inside cradle to lose by pinfall.

Smackdown Women’s Championship
Carmella ( c ) vs. Asuka
Winner: Carmella

This contest was a rematch of their meeting at Money In the Bank that ended with Asuka being distracted by the shocking return of James Ellsworth. To help eliminate the possibility of any outside interference, Ellsworth was suspended above the ring for this bout in a shark cage. Late in the match, Ellsworth picked the lock of the shark cage but when he attempted to climb down, his foot got caught leaving him hilariously hanging from the cage. In an attempt to free Ellsworth, the ring crew lowered the cage leaving Ellsworth exposed to several strikes from an unmerciful Asuka. While Asuka was distracted, Carmella snuck up behind her and shoved her headfirst into the steel cage allowing her to score the pinfall. After the match, Asuka not only assaulted the ring crew but also took her frustrations out on Ellsworth which culminated with him being placed in the Asuka Lock until he frantically tapped out.

United States Championship
Jeff Hardy ( c ) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Before the match even started, Nakamura nailed Hardy with a low blow as the referee handed the title to the ringside attendant. After the referee confirmed that Hardy wished to continue, he rang the bell. Nakamura wasted no time hitting the Kinshasa and quickly scored the pinfall victory to become new champion!

After being awarded the title, Randy Orton’s music echoed through the arena! The Viper came to the ring causing Nakamura to flee. After they engaged in a stare-down for a few moments, Orton turned to Hardy as he lay in the ring, grabbed his feet, and stomped him between the uprights!

Steel Cage Match
Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
Winner: Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens thought he had the upper hand after he handcuffed Strowman to the ropes. As Owens began to climb the cage, Strowman broke free and chased him to the top. Strowman then choke slammed KO from the top of the cage and through the announce table!!! KO may have been rolled out on a gurney in a neck brace but he hit the floor first and won the match!

Smackdown Tag Team Championship
Bludgeon Brothers ( c ) vs. Team Hell No
Winners: Bludgeon Brothers

Following a backstage attack earlier in the evening at the hands of the Bludgeon Brothers that left Kane with an injured ankle, Daniel Bryan came to the ring by himself. After valiantly taking the fight to the Bludgeons for half of the match, Kane came to the ring in a walking boot. He was able to manage a couple choke slams but it wasn’t enough as in the end the Bludgeon Brothers were too much for Team Hell No.

Bobby Lashley vs. Roman Reigns
Winner: Bobby Lashley

Despite a Superman punch, Lashley turned the tides on Reigns to counter his spear with one of his own to earn the pinfall victory!

RAW Women’s Championship
Alexa Bliss ( c ) vs. Nia Jax
Winner: Alexa Bliss

Ronda Rousey was seated at ringside for this bout and unable to compete as a result of her “suspension” due to her actions the night after Money In the Bank. This match was contested under extreme rules which meant there were no rules. While Rousey did make her presence known late in the match, it wasn’t enough. The pinnacle of the match came as Nia Jax had Alexa positioned for the Samoan Drop only to have Mickie James come to the rescue with a chair shot to the back of Jax. Bliss then hit the DDT on Jax driving her head into a steel chair to set up the pinfall victory.

WWE Championship Match
A.J. Styles ( c ) vs. Rusev
Winner: A.J. Styles

Both combatants utilized an array of their signature moves-Rusev the Machka Kick and Accolade and A.J. the calf crusher and springboard 450 splash. Aiden English also did his best to try and ensure Pittsburgh would be celebrating Rusev Day, however, amongst his actions was the removal of the turnbuckle cover which eventually brought about Rusev’s demise. After Rusev was launched head first into the exposed metal turnbuckle and left in a daze, the match concluded as Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm to earn the 1-2-3.

Intercontinental Championship
Dolph Ziggler ( c ) vs. Seth Rollins
Winner: Dolph Ziggler

This match was a 30-minute Iron Man match where the participant who scored the most pinfalls would leave victorious. The odds were stacked against Monday Night Rollins from the start as Ziggler was accompanied to the ring by Drew McIntyre. The first pinfall came after Rollins hit a Buckle Bomb on Ziggler. It didn’t take long for the second pinfall to come after Rollins took Ziggler out with a Curb Stomp. This was more than McIntyre could handle and he assaulted Rollins to make it 3-0 Rollins after a DQ. McIntyre was then ejected by the official, but before he left the ring, he unceremoniously hit Rollins with a Claymore Kick. In less than two minutes, Ziggler proceeded to tie Rollins at three with a series of super kicks and a Zig Zag. Pinfall seven was scored by Ziggler after he thwarted Rollins suicide dive attempt with a shot to the face followed by a pinfall with his feet on the ropes to make the score 4-3 in his favor. Rollins then won the next fall to tie the match at four with less than three minutes to go. Just before time ran out, Rollins landed another Curb Stomp, however, the clock expired before the referee could initiate his count. As Ziggler began to depart the ring, he was interrupted by RAW GM, and Pittsburgh’s own, Kurt Angle, who ordered the match be restarted under sudden death rules. After the match was restarted, McIntyre returned through the crowd to distract Rollins as Ziggler was able to finish him off with another Zig Zag to retain his Intercontinental Title.

-The Buckle Bomb with Steve Ward

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