Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
PPV Kickoff
There was a CM Punk chant almost immediately after the Kickoff went on the air. Kofi Kingston is with the panel this week. He said he wants to see a bald Hornswoggle.
The panel discussed Evolution vs. The Shield.
They showed Hornswoggle backstage brushing his hair, getting psyched up for his match against Torito.
They showed highlights of Bray Wyatt trying to attack Jerry Lawler last week. The panel discussed Cena vs. Wyatt. Welcome to PWInsider.com’s WWE Payback 2014 coverage!
There was a CM Punk chant almost immediately after the Kickoff went on the air. Kofi Kingston is with the panel this week. He said he wants to see a bald Hornswoggle.
The panel discussed Evolution vs. The Shield.
They showed Hornswoggle backstage brushing his hair, getting psyched up for his match against Torito.
They showed highlights of Bray Wyatt trying to attack Jerry Lawler last week. The panel discussed Cena vs. Wyatt.
They discussed the possibility of Brie Bella being fired tonight. Byron Saxton interviewed Nikki Bella. She said she hasn’t spoken to either Daniel Bryan or Brie this week and said that Brie loves being a WWE Diva but also loves Bryan.
Hornswoggle vs. Torito: Hair vs. Mask
They have a barber’s chair in the aisle.
Torito came out wearing a shirt that read “2/3rds†playing off Michael Jordan as 23 from his time on the Chicago Bulls. Torito has a small tail with the idea that it’s going back. Seriously.
Hornswoggle was nailed with several moves but made a comeback. Hornswoggle nailed a real heel kick. They did the comedy bit where Hornswoggle would kick out and Torito landed in Charles Robinson’s arms and was tossed back.
Hornswoggle argued with the referee and ended up gored to the outside. Torito followed. Heath Slater grabbed huge barber shears and threatened to cut his tail off. He chased Torito to the floor. Slater came running back out from underneath and Torito had them. Hornswoggle nailed him off the apron and tossed him into guard rail.
Hornswoggle went for a moonsault off the middle turnbuckle but Torito moved out of the way. The Matadors and 3MB got involved and hit dives to the floor on each other. Hornswoggle teased a dive on all of them but stopped. Drew McIntyre nailed a tope con hilo on everyone. Hornswoggle hit a dive on everyone. Slater got on the apron and Hornswoggle nailed a rana off the top on the apron, sending him off onto everyone.
Hornswoggle and Torito battled into the ring. Torito nailed the Bronco Buster in the corner. He went for a rana but was caught and nailed with a sit down power bomb for a two count. Hornswoggle tried ripped off his mask but there was another underneath. Torito nailed a moonsault off the ropes and scored the pin.
Your winner, Torito.
Hornswoggle must now be shaved bald.
Match was about what you would expect. There was a lot of spectacle and spots. The crowd seemed to enjoy it at times and at other times, they were chanting for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Torito shaved Hornswoggle’s head as he made all sort of facial expressions for comedy.
They discussed the possibility of Brie Bella being fired tonight. Byron Saxton interviewed Nikki Bella. She said she hasn’t spoken to either Daniel Bryan or Brie this week and said that Brie loves being a WWE Diva but also loves Bryan.
Hornswoggle vs. Torito: Hair vs. Mask
They have a barber’s chair in the aisle.
Torito came out wearing a shirt that read “2/3rds†playing off Michael Jordan as 23 from his time on the Chicago Bulls. Torito has a small tail with the idea that it’s going back. Seriously.
Hornswoggle was nailed with several moves but made a comeback. Hornswoggle nailed a real heel kick. They did the comedy bit where Hornswoggle would kick out and Torito landed in Charles Robinson’s arms and was tossed back.
Hornswoggle argued with the referee and ended up gored to the outside. Torito followed. Heath Slater grabbed huge barber shears and threatened to cut his tail off. He chased Torito to the floor. Slater came running back out from underneath and Torito had them. Hornswoggle nailed him off the apron and tossed him into guard rail.
Hornswoggle went for a moonsault off the middle turnbuckle but Torito moved out of the way. The Matadors and 3MB got involved and hit dives to the floor on each other. Hornswoggle teased a dive on all of them but stopped. Drew McIntyre nailed a tope con hilo on everyone. Hornswoggle hit a dive on everyone. Slater got on the apron and Hornswoggle nailed a rana off the top on the apron, sending him off onto everyone.
Hornswoggle and Torito battled into the ring. Torito nailed the Bronco Buster in the corner. He went for a rana but was caught and nailed with a sit down power bomb for a two count. Hornswoggle tried ripped off his mask but there was another underneath. Torito nailed a moonsault off the ropes and scored the pin.
Your winner, Torito.
Hornswoggle must now be shaved bald.
Match was about what you would expect. There was a lot of spectacle and spots. The crowd seemed to enjoy it at times and at other times, they were chanting for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Torito shaved Hornswoggle’s head as he made all sort of facial expressions for comedy.
They went back to the panel who were all laughing hysterically at the sight of Hornswoggle getting his head shaved.
They have added Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel to the PPV. They showed footage from backstage of Ryback mocking The Rhodes’ most recent loss and shoved Goldust down.
They showed the Rhodes cutting a promo backstage, saying this is where “The Brotherhood was born†and will be reborn tonight.
They also announced Kofi Kingston vs. Bo Dallas would take place tonight during the PPV.
They showed Sheamus walking in the back as the Kickoff special ended.
WWE Payback PPV
WWE United States champion Sheamus vs. Cesaro (with Paul Heyman)
Paul Heyman came out and said he was here for a “Paul Heyman Guy.†The crowd chanted for CM Punk and Heyman said, “Oh, I’m sorry, he’s at the United Center watching the Blackhawks.†The crowd popped. Heyman then said, “Watching them getting their streak broken…†the way Brock Lesnar ended the Undertaker’s streak. That was pretty damn funny. He then introduced Cesaro.
Sheamus nailed Cesaro with some big shots right out of the gate. Cesaro reversed a waistlock and nailed a back suplex. He drilled Sheamus with an uppercut and worked him over in the corner. Sheamus fired back with hard shots and elbows, then clotheslined him down.
Sheamus nailed a kick to the back and slammed Cesaro. Sheamus sent Cesaro into the corner and backdropped him. Cesaro went to the apron. Sheamus tried to set him up for the hard shots across the chest but Sheamus nailed him. Sheamus made a comeback and tossed him over the top to the apron and nailed his signature shots across the chest over and over and over.
Sheamus brought Cesaro into the ring and went for a slingshot shoulderblock but was nailed with an uppercut as he entered and was sent to the floor. Sheamus was sent into the buckles while on the apron, then suplexed back into the ring for a two count. Cesaro nailed a double underhook into a powerbomb for a two count. Cesaro nailed a charging uppercut in the corner.
Sheamus made a comeback and nailed a series of kicks in the corner, then a clothesline. Sheamus came off the ropes with a big diving kneedrop, then nailed a second. He set up for a third of the ropes and nailed it. Cesaro barely kicked up. Cesaro came back with another uppercut for a two count.
Cesaro elevated Sheamus and drilled him with an uppercut as he came down, getting a close two count. Cesaro began nailing Sheamus as the champion dared him to keep the shots coming. Sheamus nailed a knee for a two count. Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick but Cesaro ducked and nailed a German suplex for a two count. Cesaro went for a Neutralizer but was caught with White Noise for another two count.
Cesaro blocked the Texas Cloverleaf and went for a move off the ropes. Sheamus caught and slammed him, then locked in the submission. Cesaro made it to the ropes. They went back and forth. Cesaro finally caught him with the big swing. Cesaro nailed nearly two dozen rotations, but when he grabbed Sheamus to presumably go for the Neutralizer, he was caught by surprise with a small package and pinned him. Great finish.
Your winner and still United States champion, Sheamus!
Really good, physical back and forth match. This one was a lot of fun and a really good opener. Really liked the surprise finish. This was a bout where the work of each man was great and no one lost anything here.
They aired a commercial for WWE Countdown. If you’ve never seen the show, it’s a fun one. I don’t always agree with the “countdown†results but the comments and discussion from different personalities are good.
Ryback and Curtis Axel vs. Goldust & Cody Rhodes
Ryback and Axel controlled Cody early. The storyline the announcers were telling was that Cody has been in a slump. Rhodes tagged Goldust after dropkicking Ryback. Goldust’s momentum was short-lived as Axel tagged in and drilled him with a running knee.
Ryback and Axel took turns nailing elbows off the turnbuckles and continued double-teaming the elder Rhodes. Ryback choked him against the ropes. He cinched in a top wrist-lock holding Goldust to the mat. A fan in the crowd has a “DINO BRAVO WWE HOF 2015†sign. I second that notion!
Goldust came off the ropes with a back elbow on Ryback as the big man charged him. He went to make the tag but Axel cut him off. They battled back and forth and went down after a double clothesline. Cody tagged in and nailed dropkicked on his opponents. He came off the top with a moonsault but slipped. He still nailed his opponent. Ryback went for a powerbomb. Cody slipped out but knocked into his brother. Ryback nailed the Meathook but Goldust broke it up.
Goldust nailed a powerslam on Axel. Rhodes nailed Crossrhodes on Ryback but Axel broke it up. Cody dropped down and Axel went over the top to the floor. Rhodes went for the Disaster Kick but was caught and nailed with Shellshock for the pin.
Your winners, Curtis Axel & Ryback!
Good back and forth tag team match with solid action and a good story from bell to bell. Given the short time they had, it was pretty good.
After the match, Cody was pissed and didn’t want to talk to his brother. He asked for a ring mic and, “Brother to brother, you need a better tag team partner than me†and walked out on Goldust.
Lana came out and did her typical promo putting over Vladimir Putin, saying he was “The Most Respected Man in the World.†Out came Rusev.
Rusev vs. Big E.
Big E. came out waving an American flag. They began slugging it out immediately at the bell. Rusev got control and began beating him down. The crowd chanted, “We want Ziggler.†Rusev sent Big E. into the corner but was caught with a weird looking Uranage as he charged in.
Rusev went to the apron and Big E. speared him off to the floor. Those are some pretty big boys to be doing that spot. The crowd loved the hell out of that. Rusev was rolled back in the ring for a two count. Langston went for his splash off the ropes but Rusev sprinted up and kicked him as he rebounded off the ropes. Wow!
Rusev locked Big E. in the Accolade. Big E. tried to fight it but tapped.
Your winner, Rusev!
Rusev refused to break it until Lana told him.
A short but physical battle. They really worked hard.
So far, an enjoyable show.
Coverage continues on Page 2!
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
