Payback (2016)

Cesaro takes The Miz for a ride in their war for the Intercontinental Championship. With WWE Hall of Famers Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Ric Flair at ringside, Natalya and Charlotte battle for the WWE Women's Championship. Mr. McMahon reveals his pick as to who will run Raw.

## Intercontinental Championship: Cesaro vs. The Miz

With his sultry wife Maryse by his side and the Intercontinental Championship carefully slung around his shoulder, The Miz entered WWE Payback with an air of confidence befitting the Hollywood elite. Although the formidable Cesaro came close to shattering that questionably deserved self-assurance, it was neither The Swiss Superstar nor the so-called “A-lister” who would be the determining factor in the bout’s chaotic conclusion.

Knowing that he couldn’t possibly match the physical strength of his muscled challenger, Miz instead elected to concentrate his attack on The King of Swing’s surgically repaired shoulder throughout much of the match, leaving Cesaro vulnerable to a sleeper hold . Fading and at the mercy of the conniving titleholder, The Swiss Superman miraculously shook off the cobwebs and used his awe-inspiring power to rise to his feet and nail the Intercontinental Champion with a suplex.

A rapid-fire succession of uppercuts ensued, followed by a devastating dropkick and another impressive suplex, this time from the ring apron and into the ring. Forced on the defensive, the so-called “A-lister” utilized a survival tactic that might make him worthy of a starring role in a sequel to “The Revenant.” Miz drove Cesaro’s recently injured shoulder into the ring post, leaving the challenger susceptible to the Skull-Crushing Finale. Somehow, Cesaro mustered the energy to kick out, but just as he was about to mount his counter-offensive, Sami Zayn was getting some payback of his own against Kevin Owens.

Distracted by the ensuing brawl at ringside, The Miz fell victim to a Cesaro Swing, which culminated in an excruciating crossface that seemed likely to end Miz’s fifth Intercontinental Title reign. The champion tapped, but because Zayn and Owens’ clash had reached the ring apron, the referee’s back was turned. Cesaro sought to end the calamity by shoving the intruders to the floor, but it was Miz who would capitalize, rolling up his opponent from behind and grabbing a fistful of tights. This time, the competitors had the official’s full attention as Cesaro’s shoulders were pinned to the mat.

The title evaded Cesaro, but redemption was at hand after the bell, as The Swiss Superman hit the Intercontinental Champion with a Neutralizer. The furious Owens was quick to end any and all celebrations, though, laying out Cesaro and then Zayn with a brutal Pop-up Powerbomb. Miz narrowly evaded Owens’ wrath, but as long as the “A-lister” has the Intercontinental Championship, The Prizefighter won’t be far behind him.

With the Intercontinental Championship picture becoming blurrier in the aftermath of WWE Payback’s four-man melee, will The Miz be able to cling to his spotlight now that his star vehicle has seemingly gained an ensemble cast?

## WWE Women's Championship: Charlotte vs. Natalya

Demons from the past are a curious thing — you never quite know when they are going to reawaken. For Natalya and the entire Hart family, the time and place for reacquainting with past demons was WWE Payback 2016.

With their WWE Hall of Fame kin, Ric Flair and Bret Hart, watching from their respective corners, WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and Natalya boldly demonstrated everything that the women’s wrestling resurgence has to offer in front of the Chi-town faithful. With this match, the two Superstars became the only pair in WWE history to combat for the NXT Women’s Championship, the WWE Divas Championship and now, the WWE Women’s Championship.

The two sports-entertainment heiresses continued their ongoing rivalry by stylin’, profilin’ and straight throwing down with no fear whatsoever. The Nature Boy and The Hit Man watched in awe from ringside as their daughter and niece scientifically, systematically and brutally attempted to break down the other en route to championship victory.

Being so familiar with one another’s style after their previous classic encounters, the two Superstars constantly jockeyed for position, trying to find the proverbial counters for the other’s counters as the contest wore on, with both taking several big chances each.

The pivotal moment came in the match’s closing sequence — after Natalya had kicked out of both Charlotte’s signature Natural Selection and an excellently executed moonsault, Charlotte applied Natalya’s (and Hart’s) signature Sharpshooter. Moments later, referee Charles Robinson controversially called for the bell, even though Natalya clearly did not tap out. In a frenzy, Robinson delivered the championship to the Flairs, then immediately bolted out of the Allstate Arena.

The incident played out nearly identical to the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” from the 1997 Survivor Series, when Hart was robbed of the WWE Championship in front of his countrymen and a worldwide audience. That night would go down as the darkest of Hart’s career, inciting what was essentially a 13-year exile between The Hit Man and WWE that sent drastic reverberations throughout the entire Hart family.

And now they must relive it all over again.

The fact that it was Robinson who officiated and this result occurred is more than likely no coincidence, as his relationship with the Flair family has long been known. The veteran referee credits The Nature Boy as both his biggest sports-entertainment influence and hero. The official went as far as to dub himself “Little Naitch” during their time together in WCW, accompanying Flair to ringside in the late ’90s and even going out of his way to sway matches in his favor. Sound familiar?

Amidst the controversy, Charlotte and The Nature Boy’s celebration was cut short when, moments after the “Chicago Screwjob,” an enraged Hart and Natalya locked Sharpshooters on both members of the Flair clan.

Charlotte and Flair would limp away from ringside after being tortured in the Sharpshooters, leaving Natalya and The Hit Man solemnly standing together as the adrenaline began to wear off, facing the harsh reality that they were not alone — 19 years later, and the demons from Montreal were still right there next to them.

## Mr. McMahon finally revealed who will control Raw

Taking a page from the judgment of King Solomon, Mr. McMahon refused to award control of Raw to either of his children. Instead, he divided oversight equally between Stephanie and Shane, telling them they could either "slit each other's throat," or, he said, "it could be a collaborative effort."

The split decision came after Stephanie and WWE's Prodigal Son each made an impassioned plea in the ring as to why they should rule Raw. And though Mr. McMahon appeared pleased with his decision, he may have been the only one. In the wake of The Chairman’s announcement, Stephanie and Shane appeared befuddled by the decision. Upon regaining his composure, Shane-O-Mac extended his hand to his sister in a show of goodwill. After a reluctant several seconds, Stephanie accepted the offering and shook her brother’s hand.

Mr. McMahon's decision comes less than a week after Shane and Stephanie engaged in a heated exchange on Raw that saw her forcibly escorted from the ring by security after refusing to leave on her own accord.

Whether Mr. McMahon's decision will prove wise beyond measure has yet to be seen. Can Stephanie and Shane coexist and rule Raw together – or will one sibling ultimately overthrow the other in WWE’s game of thrones?

## Results

* The Miz (c) (w/ Maryse) defeated Cesaro to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
* Charlotte (c) (w/ Ric Flair) defeated Natalya (w/ Bret Hart) to retain the WWE Women's Championship (13:09)

## Critical reception

* While the actual match got positive reviews, the ending was panned by fans and critics alike.
* **Dave Meltzer** rated the women's contest a \*\*\*1/4 out of \*\*\*\*\* stars.
* **Bleacher Report** graded the women's match a "B", saying "The women's title match was poised to be great. A gutsy Natalya locked horns with a dominant, crafty champion. The result was one of their best performances together. WWE, though, had to let the past overshadow the present. Reprising the Montreal Screwjob and having Hart be such a prominent figure in the bout's final image took away the focus from the women. Why not give them their own story rather than echoing an old one?" Regarding the McMahon segment, "The Raw-like segment slowed the momentum of the show. It would be interesting to know how long WWE planned this to go before Enzo Amore went down with that nasty injury. And while this dragged a bit, the result played out like a cliffhanger. Portraying Shane as an agent of change and blaming Stephanie and The Authority for Raw's staleness is such a brilliant move. It's not as if Shane is really in control and really making changes, but it sure feels like it. And it makes it easy to get behind Shane-O-Mac, the anti-status quo symbol. He and Stephanie are set to battle for control, two rulers sitting in the same throne. That promises to lead to some compelling chaos and, perhaps, the true end of The Authority."
* **John Canton** of TJR Wrestling graded the women's contest \*\*1/2, stating: "They were on their way to a pretty good match, but re-doing the Montreal Screwjob is groan inducing. It’s been nearly 20 years. Why go back to it?" Regarding the McMahon segment, "This felt like a big waste of time that went too long. I don’t mind any of them, but it’s not like this accomplished anything. I think it’s hilarious that they try to push this “new era” thing yet here we are with McMahon-ania running wild just like it has been for nearly 20 years. Also, they’re only competing for Raw yet they never mention Smackdown, which again makes that show irrelevant. It shouldn’t be that way."

## Notes

* This was tagged as the first pay-per-view of the "New Era".