John Cena Endorses LA Knight and Biggest Takeaways from WWE Payback 2023 Results
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LA Knight got the John Cena stamp of approval at Payback. Credit: WWE.com
A mainly uninspired construct didn’t stop WWE from producing a favored Payback 2023, continuing the business’s streak of strong provings on pay-per-view this year.
Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus set the tone for the night with a hot Steel Cage clash, culminating in The Man emerging triumphant and lastly offering the WWE Hall of Famer her comeuppance.
Lynch lost no time at all in revealing her objectives to challenge for champion gold, however not a title lots of would anticipate.
Payback host John Cena likewise made his existence felt in a significant method by working as unique visitor referee for The Miz vs. LA Knight and backing the latter following his win. Whether it was implied to plant the seeds for something larger in between the 2 stays to be seen.
The Judgment Day unseating Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens as undeniable WWE tag group champs was a considerable surprise and shakes things up both within the tag group department and the faction itself.
From the endgame for the United States Championship to what’s next for Lynch, these are the leading takeaways from this year’s Payback.
John Cena Must Endorse and Elevate LA Knight in Remainder of SmackDown Run
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John Cena being back in WWE through completion of October develops numerous possibilities, however his participation in The Miz vs. LA Knight match at Payback might be an indication of what’s to come for him.
One area throughout the contest saw Knight and Cena go in person when The Megastar almost got himself disqualified. After he scored the success, the 2 shook hands on the phase and lionized towards one another.
It was the supreme recommendation of Knight by the 16- time world champ, however there ought to be more to come in between them.
While an individually affair appears to be the most apparent instructions to go in, having them group up would work simply. Knight is currently being fast-tracked to the top of the card, and having Cena be a little part of his climb might do marvels for his profession.
As for their challengers, Austin Theory and Grayson Waller just recently signed up with forces on SmackDown and would be the ideal foils for the 2 fan favorites.
That program can play out over the next month and lead to an enormous momentum-building win for Knight at Fastlane on October 7.
Becky Lynch, Your Next NXT Women’s Champion
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Becky Lynch putting her competition to rest with Trish Stratus and triumphing was unavoidable, however how WWE would act on her big win over the WWE Hall of Famer was unidentified.
However, her backstage conflict with NXT females’s champ Tiffany Stratton might have addressed that concern.
Stratton and Lynch currently teased stress with their interaction on social networks last month, and now all indications indicate The Man setting her sights on her NXT Women’s Championship.
It’s the one title Lynch has yet to hold, and a momentary program with the NXT standout would keep her hectic for the foreseeable future, specifically if the concept is to hold back on her tough Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship up until later on down the line.
Even if Lynch’s go back to NXT is temporary, it would provide a great deal of reliability to Stratton and its ladies’s department to have her around. It would likewise offer The Man a possibility to refurbish her character after being a routine on Raw this previous year.
Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar Is United States Championship Endgame
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Rey Mysterio keeping his United States Championship versus Austin Theory at Payback was crucial. The previous titleholder had absolutely nothing to get from getting the belt back, and the veteran’s reign has actually only simply started.
The long-lasting story WWE seems informing is with Mysterio and LWO mate Santos Escobar. And if performed effectively, it might be a WrestleMania-worthy destination.
Of course, the style in which he caught the title was suspect. He substituted an “hurt” Escobar and has yet to approve him a rightful chance at the title.
There will come a time when Escobar’s disappointment boils over and he betrays Mysterio. Pitting the 2 versus each other with the star-spangled reward on the line need to be the endgame, particularly with Escobar discussing and taking the belt.
It’s an angle WWE would be sensible not to hurry into. Escobar will benefit huge time from dealing with Mysterio through WrestleMania season and beating him for his very first taste of gold on the primary lineup.
Tag Team Title Win Breathes New Life into The Judgment Day
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The stress being teased within The Judgment Day has actually been Raw’s leading story for months, and it was anticipated another loss for them versus Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens at Payback would trigger them to go their different method.
Instead, Finn Bálor and Damian Priest showed to be a cohesive system with the disturbance from Dominik Mysterio, Rhea Ripley and JD McDonagh paying dividends. The turmoil was excessive for Zayn and Owens to get rid of, and The Judgment Day were crowned the brand-new champs.
Owens and Zayn still had a lot of fresh competitors to resist and might ultimately restore the gold, however the secret is refurbishing the faction and postponing their death for another day.
Coming out of the occasion, all members are holding hardware and as soon as again the most dominant force on not just Raw however likewise the entire of WWE. Owens and Zayn will once again flourish in chase mode while Priest and Bálor can return to being on the exact same page.
If WWE is determined about lengthening the service life of The Judgment Day, providing the tag titles in a stunning turn of occasions was the method to achieve that.
Jey Uso Primed for Continued Singles Success on Raw
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Jey Uso “giving up” SmackDown days eliminated from Jimmy Uso costing him the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam appeared to recommend the business was waiting till WrestleMania 40 to shoot on the 2 lastly feuding.
Less than a month later on, he’s currently reemerged as a member of the Raw lineup, a minimum of according to Cody Rhodes at Payback.
In an unanticipated advancement, The American Nightmare declared he had the ability to pull some strings and get the precious Uso far from his household on Friday nights. This opens the door for a brilliant songs future for him on the red brand name, a minimum of up until the time comes for him and Jimmy to revive their competition en path to WrestleMania 40.
WWE did something comparable practically a year ago with Rey Mysterio relocating to SmackDown after Dominik turned his back on him in order to pass the time ahead of their unavoidable ‘Mania match.
Jey presently has a lot excitement that it’s sensible WWE would not desire it to go to squander by sidelining him for the rest of the year. On Raw, he can challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship, make an opponent out of The Judgment Day or possibly go into the World Heavyweight Championship scene.
Regardless of what he does on the red brand name, he’s primed for an effective songs run if his current competition with Roman Reigns is any indicator of what he’s capable of on his own.
Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura Falls Flat Due to Predictable Outcome
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Despite the good task WWE has actually carried out in repackaging Shinsuke Nakamura as an enormous heel given that SummerSlam, a bulk of the audience didn’t see him as a genuine risk to take the World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins.
Consequently, that was the prominent reason that their Payback centerpiece failed.
From an in-ring viewpoint, there was absolutely nothing technically incorrect with their bout. They worked incredibly well together and informed a strong story throughout, with The Artist targeting Rollins’ hurt back.
There was a small opportunity of WWE swerving the world with a shock win for Nakamura, however it merely made more sense for The Visionary to keep. The King of Strong Style has actually been marginalized for so long that it was naturally hard for fans to see him as being on Rollins’ level.
With the titleholder winning in tidy style, WWE needs to head into a various instructions for Fastlane and begin developing reputable competitors for Rollins to prevent. That consists of Cody Rhodes, who meant challenging him coming out of SummerSlam.