Eddie Maisonet Sep 2, 2023, 11:43pm ET2 minutes read
Add “WWE World Tag Team Champions” to the growing resume of Judgment Day members Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest.WWE
Seth Rollins went to WWE Payback looking for revenge for all the things Shinsuke Nakamura promised him Saturday night. Nakamura said he would leave him “different,” and while Nakamura couldn’t leave PPG Paints Arena with the World Heavyweight title, he definitely left Rollins in a much different state afterward.
Rollins suffered powerbombs, knees, and various spinal submission attempts throughout the match. Somehow, Rollins always found a way to get through and return fire. After giving his opponent a Pedigree and a Curbstomp, Rollins retained his title.
Meanwhile, The Judgment Day had two titles in his stable and had his eyes on a third, the WWE Tag Team Title, held by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Taking the belts from the champions would require a group effort, as Finn Balor and Damian Priest initially faced off against the duo – but Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio and even JD McDonagh all came in to increase the chances of bringing the belt to their faction . Yes, Balor and Priest are your new tag champions.
In other title bouts, Rey Mysterio defended his US title against Austin Theory and Rhea Ripley held off Raquel Rodriguez to retain her women’s world title.
ESPN’s Eddie Maisonet broke down all six matches on the card at Payback, along with the announcement of Jey Uso’s return to WWE and John Cena’s role as host and special guest referee for The Miz vs. LA Knight.