[4.0] "Das war schon ein ziemlicher B-Pay-Per-View, bei dem dann auch die Umsetzung eher nach Schema F läuft. Es war keineswegs alles schlecht, insbesondere der Steel City Fight. Aber im Großen und Ganzen bewegen wir uns hier am unteren Ende des Niveaus, das ein PPV erreichen muss, um keine Enttäuschung zu sein."

[6.0] "Payback, as designated B-PPV, seems pretty decent and not at all marginal despite the absence of significant big names, not least Roman Reigns. The beginning and end of the show are pretty convincing, in between it's rather mediocre. Ripley and Gonzales deliver a ponderous lowlight, a real steal is sought in vain in the midcard, even if many here, for me incomprehensibly, celebrate the tag street fight. LA Knight and Rey, on the other hand, deliver by the book. Due to the rather long running time of the show, I'd rather go to six points than further up."

[9.0] "Rhea Vs Raquel was a disappointment, Rey Vs Theory is just mid and LA Knight Vs Miz is mostly solid, but Rollins Vs Nakamura is great, Becky Vs Trish steel cage is brilliant and Judgement Day Vs Owens and Zayn street fight is spectacular. Overall WWE Payback (2023) is a great show."

[5.0] "Steenerico/JD was great and Trish and Becky was very good, but nothing else on this card is worth going back to at all. The main event disappointed, the Miz match was mid (shocking), the US title match was extremely un notable, and rhea/raquel disappointed. I still love the tag match though!"

[8.0] "MVPs of this event were Dominik Mysterio and Becky Lynch and allow me to explain why. Dom helped make the tag street fight even better than what it already was and helped Finn and Priest bring tag team gold to the Judgement Day, allowing the group to all have gold. Also helping Rhea defend against Raquel made sure of it. Speaking of Rhea and Raquel, the match was good but could've been a bit better (we had the match on RAW seeing Nia Jax come back to help with that). Becky and Trish Stratus had a somewhat mid feud that ended with a 2023 MOTY contender and a match that will go down in the history books. Miz/Knight & Rey/Theory were alright matches but lacked a special spark for me. The US title match was because me and my ex were sick of seeing Theory on our TV and Knight/Miz was a fun match but was missing a little competitiveness for me. Seth & Shinsuke had a banger match for a main event and a good feud as a whole that would lay for future stories. Still wish Nakamura would be a world champion in WWE before he calls it. Overall, I give it an 8.3/10!"

[5.0] "Very uneventful PPV, opening match and tag match really the only matches worth noting, the rest just felt like they could have taken place on a random TV showing and you wouldn't really be missing much, especially LA Knight vs. Miz, Rhea vs Raquel, and especially the US title match."

[4.0] "Personally my least favorite premium live event since beginning to watch wrestling again in 2020. I just found it so boring I wasnt into any of the matches or stories at the time. Safe to say I would skip this one on a binge or rewatch. Two womens matches only ones worth watching in my opinion."

[8.0] "Es war vielleicht nicht die heißeste WWE Show des Jahres, aber für sich genommen fand man hier doch einige gute Matches. Trish und Becky liefern einen guten Abschluss ihrer Fehde und jetzt endlich auch das große Match, das man im Verlauf der Fehde öfter von ihnen erwartet hatte. Miz-Knight und Theory-Mysterio waren OK, ohne besonders groß aufzufallen. Das Tag Title Match war wirklich gut mit einigen größeren Spots wie der Swanton vom Balkon von Owens durch den Tisch. Wenig überzeugend fand ich dann aber das Finish. Auch wenn ich es nicht prinzipiell schlecht finde, Owens und Zayn die Titel abzunehmen, fand ich einen Schlag mit dem Plastikkoffer dann nach diesem wilden Street Fight als Finish unrealistisch. Ripley-Rodriguez war soweit in Ordnung als Verteidigung für Ripley. Rodriguez war als Herausforderin aber auch nicht wirklich glaubhaft, was momentan aber für fast alle Gegnerinnen von Ripley gilt. Rollins-Nakamura war dann das erwartet starke Match der beiden. Nakamura knüpft hier wirklich an sehr alten Zeiten an, wirkt in dieser Heel-Rolle, in der er mehr japanisch spricht, und mit diesen Comics zu seinem Entrance noch einmal frisch. Rollins antwortet da dann mit einem Rainmaker im Match. Sehr nett."

[7.0] "The show definitely overachieved when you consider the low level of hype that was around it. The biggest positives are the opening Steel Cage and the Street Fight tag team matches which were very fun to watch and had the crowd popping. The main event was also a good match, even if Nakamura looked like a chump at the end in front of the Great Muta. Albeit, it would get worse for Nakamura. What prevents the show from reaching the top half of the list are Rey vs Theory and Rhea vs Raquel. Both matches were pretty dull, especially Rhea vs Raquel where Rodriguez just showed that she did not belong in the title hunt. But still, it was mostly a good show. It could have been better obviously, but a 7/10 is a good mark. Its just that in this great year for WWE PLEs, it was not enough for Payback."

[6.0] "A transitional RAW PPV. Yes, a RAW PPV, just the US Title Match, the Tag Team Titles Match (technically because the SmackDown titles were on the line), LA Knight and Grayson Waller were the only SmackDown features of a night where every match and segment had at least a RAW superstar involved. They should stop doing these B-type PPV and start doing TV specials like NXT or AEW. They would work a lot better and they would bring more excitement to a weekly show instead of having a PPV no one really cares about. The PPV left mixed feelings on me, I have the sensation some things were booked by Triple H and others by Vince. Both of their styles were featured here. Long matches for the sake of it (Triple H style), simple and slow paced matches with very basic wrestling displayed (Vince McMahon style), great epic stories (Triple H style), interferences and shenanigans all over the place (Vince style). John Cena as the host/guest referee was good, but didn't make a difference in the show. Trish vs Becky, the Street Fight and the Main Event were the matches of the night (Becky and Trish told their story greatly, Judgment Day and Kevin/Sami honored the words Street Fight and did a better tribute to Terry Funk than the "Hardcore" match at SmackDown, and the Main Event, although a bit unexciting, was more story and psychologically driven and did more with less to have a good match). Worst part of the PPV, Rhea vs Raquel. Raquel is so green and Rhea had to follow her steps to make her look as good as possible. The Grayson Waller Effect was a bit overbooked, like they don't know what to do with Cody Rhodes until WrestleMania so he has to play the savior of Social Justice and bring Jey Uso to RAW. Just a segment to deliver the surprise, but well played by all men involved. Like I said, this would've worked better if it was a RAW special than a PPV."

[7.0] "Die Show begann mit einem guten Opener und hat seinen Peak beim Tag Team Match erreicht. Es gab kein echtes Lowlight, aber die letzten beiden Matches waren, trotz aller solider Leistung gesehen und vergessen und etwas enttäuschend. Dieser Event war trotzdem echt unterhaltsam"

"It was a solid show. The cage match to start the show was very, very good and Judgement Day vs. Owens & Zayn was an absolute joy to watch. The worst match of the night was definitely Ripley vs. Rodriguez. I though Rollins v. Nakamura was fine, but I think the street fight was really hard to top on the night."

[7.0] "Solid show marked by three good matches. Becky vs. Trish in the cage was about as good as WWE-style cage matches get; Judgment Day vs. Owens & Zayn was a lot of fun with memorable spots and overbooking that I think in this case to put over the heel team; and a fine main event between Rollins and Nakamura that I think may have had the wrong winner. Elsewhere LA Knight got a solid win over Miz and a rub from Cena that gives him another boost before he starts going for a title. Mysterio vs. Miz and Ripley vs. Rodriguez were OK but not as remarkable."

[7.0] "For a B show that had a filler-like build, this was pretty good. An absolute banger in Zayn/Owens vs JD and a surprisingly great opener between Becky and Trish. The Grayson Waller effect did its job and the crowd popped hard for Jey. Besides Rhea vs Raquel, nothing felt like it overstayed its welcome."

[6.0] "Decent show. No standout matches, two **** matches and one ***1/2 match with a few average and below average match. Nothing special, if not for the opener and the tag team match, this would have easily pass for a normal TV show. MOTN - Opener Cage match."

[7.0] "A solid show for what many would consider a lackluster build/card. The tag team street fight stole the show and Becky vs Trish was an amazing opener. Knight vs Miz and Rollins vs Nakamura were enjoyable matches, Cena and Waller segments weren't terrible, and although Mysterio vs Theory and Ripley vs Rodriguez dragged the show down slightly nothing was outright bad. 7/10"

[7.0] "Pretty good show with a couple of notable matches in Becky vs Trish, KO & Sami vs The Judgement Day, and Rollins vs Nakamura. Low point of the night for me was Knight vs Miz which was overall okay but got a bit boring at times. Consistent level of quality throughout the night and certainly delivered for a B-level PLE."

[7.0] "Payback ist neben All In, CM Punk und All Out eine Show, die irgendwie stattgefunden hat, über die aber keiner wirklich redet. Mein Hype auf die Show war auch sehr gering, da es wie ein B-PPV wirkt, dennoch finde ich es erfrischend mal kein ewig langes Bloodline Match zu haben. Das Cage Match war viel besser als gedacht und ziemlich gut. Miz vs. Knight inkl. Promo vor dem Match ging mir etwas zu lang, da beide jetzt nicht die Besten im Ring sind, war aber in Ordnung. Rey vs. Theory mit sehr schwacher Stimmung war solide, hatte aber keinerlei emotionale Bindung zu dem Match. Das Tag Team Title Match ist mein MOTN. Titelwechsel hätte ich jetzt nicht gebraucht aber das Match war gut. Das Segment mit Grayson Waller, Cody und Jey Uso hätte man besser mal bei Raw gebracht. War an sich ein gutes Segment, fand es beim PLE nur etwas deplatziert, wobei der Pop für Jey schon ganz gut war. Ripley vs. Raquel fand ich in Ordnung. Auch hier keine emotionale Bindung an das Match oder das, was dort passiert, das Match ist aber schon in Ordnung, wenn auch zu lang. Der Main Event ist wieder ganz gut und es freut mich, dass man Nakamura mal wieder einen Spot gegeben hat. Show muss man insgesamt nicht sehen, kann man aber."

[7.0] "This was a good event. Served as something of a filler event, but it landed on about half the landings it took off on. Cage match, tag titles match, and WHC match were the highlights for me. Rhea and Raquel disappointed, but I think the US Title match was just...kind of there. LA Knight and Miz put on a very entertaining match with Cena being Cena. Overall, this won't be any PLE/PPV that I'll go back and rewatch because it wow'd me THAT much, but it's not bad by any means."

[8.0] "A good PLE overall. 2 crazy matches with incredible spots : the steel cage match Becky vs Trish to finish the feud, and the Street Fight with KO/SZ vs The Judgement Day with the title change. The main event Shinsuke vs Seth was good, but lower than the 2 other matches. A little bit dissapointed with the Rhea vs Raquel match, all others matchs was decent. ***3/4 overall"

[7.0] "A bunch of good matches on this card. John Cena had fun hosting and the segments were okay. The Grayson Waller effect with Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso was good and the crowd went crazy. MOTN was the tag team title street fight in my opinion and no bad matches. Good B level Premium Live Event."

[5.0] "It felt like a weekly show with longer matches. Every match apart from the joke of a tag team match was okay, decent, good - whatever word you wanna use, but that's about it. Becky vs Trish was a good opener, one of better women's cage matches. Really liked the beginning of Rhea vs Raquel, but I was waiting for it to take off and it never did. And the main event was okay with Rollins with Shinsuke clearly trying to put on a good bout and tell a story there, but the crowd didn't really care. Nothing exceptionary and nothing horrible, but it was probably WWE's worst show of the year."

[7.0] "While intiially the card for this show looked very weak and struggled to be worthy of the title of pay per view, the WWE actually managed to pull off a decent although nearly 100% predictable show, there was just enough twists and turns and subversions of expectations to make this show worthy of a 7/10."

[7.0] "I liked this PLE. I think it had some problems, but in general, I like it. I probably will never watch the full PLE again, but I will rewatch the Tag Teams Title Match. They made the right decisions in all the results. It was a good PLE, but WWE already did a better job this year."

[5.0] "This is the kind of show that highlights the issue with PLEs vs PPVs. Because there are so many PLEs, the shorter builds and the frequency of shows causes them to be very similar at times, arbitrary, and at times feel just pointless. This show was not terrible but ultimately felt disappointing. Nothing was offensively bad and the opener and the street fight were actively excellent, but in the end this show had me question why I was a fan of wrestling. The major upgrade of this show vs the past ones was the absence of a bloodline main event, but even this was jointly marred by the too long Waller show that reintroduced Jey Uso (which wasted everyone's time) and a main event that just was a slog. I am glad I did not pay money for this."

[8.0] "Becky Lynch vs Trish Stratus: What a match, definitely an instant classic, the best women's steel cage match in WWE, they both gave their all and could not have asked for a better match to culminate the feud between these two, I liked how Becky Lynch payed homage to Lita with a Twist Of Fate and Trish Stratus payed homage to Victoria with a Widow's Peak, the thing is that they should have done this on one of the Big 4 PLE's of the year and not a B-Show PLE [****3/4]. LA Knight vs The Miz: This match was better than I had expected it to be, with the great addition of John Cena as special guest referee, the action was solid throughout and the involvement of John Cena as referee was the appropriate amount and LA Knight picking up the win was great to see, glad he is getting a push especially against a former WWE champion in The Miz [***3/4]. Rey Mysterio vs Austin Theory: While this match was okay, it should have been done on Smackdown not a PLE, Rey getting the win was obvious [**3/4]. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs Damian Priest & Finn Balor: Actually a great street fight, even with the interferences, it still made for an interesting watch especially the outcome which was surprising, there were quite a few good weapons based spots [****1/4]. Rhea Ripley vs Raquel Rodriguez: Okay match, the pace to start with was the right pace to go through but then Dominik Mysterio interfered which did ruin it and helped Rhea Ripley win which was not the right way to go about things [***1/2]. Seth Rollins vs Shinsuke Nakamura: Good title match between these two, they did highlight Rollins' back issues a bit too much to be honest, Nakamura looked great in his first main event on PLE in 5 years, could have gone 5 or so minutes less and it would have made it just a little bit better [****]."

[7.0] "The Payback PLE was a decent show despite its ups and downs. The highlights were the steel cage match between Becky & Trish and the Steel City street fight for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship. On the other hand, the US Championship match was a bust, the Women's World Heavyweight match wasn't highlighted enough, and the main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was way too focused on Seth Rollins' back issues. The match between LA Knight & The Miz and The Greyson Waller Effect segment were entertaining, no more, no less."

[8.0] "This is not a classic we'll remember from years to come but it lines up from the past two years WWE PLV as being very enjoyable. Above all bounces back from the disappointing Summerslam we had this year. 4 of 6 matchs were very good and the steel cage match was one of the better in a long time."

[9.0] "Ein Sehr Guter WWE PLE! Opener zwischen Trish Stratus und Becky Lynch war Fantastisch zum Einstieg in diesen Premium Live Event. Schöne Spots und auch die Story hat mir gefallen. Ein ganz ganz starkes Steel Cage Match was auch sehr spannend gewesen ist. Hut ab vor Trish Stratus, dass sie noch so krasse Bumps mit fast 50 Jahren nimmt. Becky Lynch gewinnt, was vollkommen inordnung geht und Zoey Stark Turnt nach dem Match gegen Stratus was auch gut umgesetzt gewesen ist (****1/4). Danach kommt John Cena raus, der als Host von Payback ein paar Worte verliert. Was auch direkt danach zum Match zwischen LA Knight und The Miz führt, Mit John Cena als Special Guest Referee! Sehr schöne Idee und es hat auch zum Match gepasst. Am Ende gibt es auf der Stage noch eine kleine Respekt bekundung von John Cena gegenüber LA Knight. Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass man hier raus eine Fehde mit LA Knight und John Cena resultieren lässt. Das Match zwischen Miz und Knight war Solide bis Gut (***1/2). Austin Theory vs. Rey Mysterio um den WWE United States Championship fand ich dann noch etwas besser. Die Anfangsphase fand Ich etwas Lahm, aber die Schlussphase war der Knaller. Die Fehde ist noch definitiv nicht beendet und ich bin gespannt wie man intern in der LWO weiter agieren wird. Ich hatte schon einen Turn gegen Rey von Santos Escobar hier im Kopf gehabt (***3/4). Das Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Steel City Street Fight Match war dann das beste Match des PLE's! Wow! Was für ein starker Brawl und ein krankes überraschendes Finish! Hier hat einfach alles gestimmt und auch der Titelwechsel geht inordnung. Wie kann man das Match am besten beschreiben? Definitiv "KOZayn against The World". Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens mussten sich hier mit jedem Teil des Judgement Day's auseinandersetzen, weshalb der Titelwechsel auch vollkommen inordnung geht. "The Judgement Day is Drippin in Gold"! (****1/2). Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez kam dann leider überhaupt nicht an ihre vorherigen aufeinandertreffen an. Weiß nicht ob das an der Match Länge oder an dem Match selber lag. Aufjedenfall konnten mich beide leider diesmal überhaupt nicht überzeugen auch wenn ein Paar Solide Spots am Start waren (**1/2). Leider war Ripley vs. Rodriguez das Schlechteste Match dieses PLE's, aber ich glaube das diese Fehde nich nicht vorbei ist und sich noch etwas ziehen wird. Bin gespannt was noch daraus gemacht wird. Zu Nakamura vs. Rollins um den World Heavyweight Championship, lasse ich vermutlich was Im guide stehen. Sonst sprengt das leider hier den Rahmen. Aufjedenfall ein interessantes Main Event Match, wo die Fehde hier definitiv erst ihren Anfang erreicht hat. Das wird sich auch noch länger ziehen und ich hoffe das man noch mehr den Great Muta mit einbaut (****). Insgesamt bekommt Payback von mir 9 Punkte, da mich dieser PLE echt zum größten Teil sehr sehr unterhalten hat. Auch wenn es sich am Anfang angefühlt hatte wie ein B Event war es das überhaupt nicht und diesen PLE würde ich vollstens empfehlen sich anzuschauen."

[8.0] "a show that has some of the best ple matches of the year and some of the more forgettable bouts as well. the show starts great, ends well, has a solid middle tag bout and then just kind of falls flat everywhere else. check out the opener, closer, and tag title match and youve seen the best the show had to offer. everything is take it or leave it."

[8.0] "I'll give this an 8, it was a bit underwhelming but the highs were high. The street fight is one of my favourite matches of the year, it was so chaotic and felt like something AEW would do, but with the better camera work and pacing that WWE has. Jey Uso's return was also a major highlight, and wow is he over, getting the crowd to wave their arms in unison was an amazing sight and I can't wait to see him on Monday Nights. Becky and LA Knight fights were also good, although nothing that really needs revisiting. The rest was boring but for about an hour there between the street fight and the Grayson Waller Effect I was loving it so I think 8 is accurate."

[8.0] "Payback was a very good show overall. The matches were good, even very good for the opener and the tag team match. The worst match was Raquel vs Rhea, but it was still decent. At least there was no squash and almost all the matches had plenty of time. I really enjoyed Payback!"

[8.0] "I had low expectations for this show after the mediocre sadness that was Summerslam. WWE over delivered with a really solid B Premium Live Event. The opener between Lynch and Stratus was a banger as they showed why theres should have been a Summerslam moment. Cena as the guest referee was interesting in the Miz v Knight match without being a distraction as the match wound to the right result, without burying the Miz. Mysterio and Theory was decent and shows theyve wasted an in ring go-getter in Theory through sketchy creative. All three title matches were high quality and we landed with a card that didnt overstay its welcome, even with a few matches that dragged too long. Jey Usos return via a shift to RAW was a nice swerve that adds intrigue for the weekly shows. A Grade show."

[8.0] "A solid PPV from WWE with great champions matches while quietly laughing at AEW and Khan getting screwed by his on company to lose one of his biggest stars. The tag match was great, the Becky vs Trish was surprisingly great, and the Seth vs Shinsuke match was great for an obvious Seth is going to retain match. The other match were good Rhea and Raquel had a fun match, the Miz vs La Knight was fun. Rey vs Austin was probably the weakest match but still watchable."

[6.0] "The two standout matches were Trish vs Becky and the tag title match. Becky vs Trish especially was a pleasant surprise with how good it was, the tag match being good wasn't really shocking. Seth/Nakamura was also good, but everything else on this show was just there. Austin Theory continues to be the worst push in a major company today IDK how one could have such an uninteresting match with Rey Mysterio! Overall a solid show, and one that could be considered low level good."

[8.0] "Payback ist einfach ein unterhaltsamer WWE PPV mit keinem Tiefpunkt. Das für mich schwächste Match war das von Miz vs LA Knight. Mit einfach keiner guter Leistung von John als Special Guest Referee (**1/4). Dann noch das WWE United States Title Match welches ich gut und kurzweilig fand (***). Der Rest ist im Guide jeweils dort mehr. Ich gebe, 8 sehr starke Punkte."

[5.0] "I was pleasantly surprised by the runtime some of the matches got (because there was a tendency for some matches to not be given enough time) but not all of them capitalized on that (Seth/Shinsuke and especially Rhea/Raquel could've been way better). The US title match shouldn't have been on the show at all."

[9.0] "This show Wwe payback 2023, really overdelivered my expectations the becky lynch match was simply sensational the steel cage was pure gold, La Knight vs The miz stole the complete show for me and john cena being on it was great, an perfect touch that match stoled the night for me a great match, the main event and the tag team match was also sensational a pretty good payperview."

[6.0] "The opening steel cage match between Becky and Trish was very good. The long feud between these two finishes on a high note (8/10). LA Knight vs Miz with Cena as the special guest referee was solid and had the right winner, even if it did go too long. Cena and Knight shaking hands after the match was a cool moment (6/10). The U.S. Title match between Rey Mysterio and Austin Theory was decent with a weak finish (5/10). Sami and Owens vs Priest and Balor in a street fight for the Tag Team Titles was great. A really fun match that got crazy without going too far. The title change was a surprise but with the entire Judgment Day having to intervene just to barely get the win made sense (9/10). Rhea vs Raquel for the Women's World Title was easily the most disappointing match of the night, a very long and boring slog (3.5/10). The main event between Rollins and Nakamura also disappointed. It was a solid match that could have been better and went too long (6.5/10). Payback turned out to be a solid show when it looked like nothing special going in. The gimmick matches were the highlights and the world title matches disappointed. 6/10"

[7.0] "for its card, it was a good PPV, but compared to other WWE PPVS this year, it was the worst. i would've given 5 or 6 if it wasn't for the steel cage, and the tag team match. those two matches, just stole the whole show. other matches should've taken place at the TV shows, and they were not good or ready enough for a PPV. however, we saw good segments from Cody and John Cena, and two great matches. other matches were not terrible, but like i said, they shouldn't have been on a PPV."

[7.0] "Like others have said, "Overdelivered" is a good way to describe this. I thought the card looked relatively weak going into it, but this was surprisingly good, especially for a B-PPV. I loved how tight the pacing was, with only 6 matches and one segment to keep things just over 3 hours in total. Everything got enough tiime, the Cena host segments were entertaining, and while the booking was predictable, it was sensible. I usually have fun watching PPVs, but that was especially true here. Even the "low" points were leagues ahead of what WWE puts on weekly TV. I could see this becoming a rewatchable show for fans who go back and return to PPVs years down the line."

[8.0] "An event i wasnt hyped for but hugely overdelivered. The two gimmick matches were AWESOME. John Cena was entertaining. Grayon Waller effect with Cody was good and Jey Uso got a crazy pop and great new music. The main event was as New Japan-y as a WWE MAin Event will ever be. Great to see Muta too! Every match delivered apart from maybe Rhea vs Raquel. Good PLE and worth watching."

[6.0] "Two very good matches, a normal main event, two SmackDown level matches and a disaster: not the best PLE you can figure out. In general a lot of this show looked like a special episod of a weekly show but the Steel Cage Match and the Steel City Street Fight saved it. ***1/4"

[8.0] "This didn't seem like the best show on paper but it turned out to be a very good show. The highlights of the night being the cage match and the tag team steel city street fight. I was definitely surprised that the tag titles switched hands. Overall nothing extremely bad or anything on the show so I definitely recommend it."

[8.0] "The cage match between Becky and Trish and the Street Fight between Zayn/Owens and Judgment Day were the clear winners in the match of the night category. The rest of the card was standard WWE trying to manipulate its audience into getting into performers they don't like. Raquel Rodriguez is not over. Austin Theory is a decent wrestler, but will never be the face of the company WWE wants. Nakamura has had his shot and didn't make it here or then. Fun watch that went by quickly with two great matches."

[9.0] "Great stuff here. B show that felt like an A show. This is Trips at his best. Opener, tag, and main were all phenomenal wwe moty contenders, but the rest was uninspiring. LA Knight and Cenas face off was fun, but the match was pretty bad. Main was the best world title match Rollins had to date, closely followed by his banger with balor. This will probably go down as one of the top ten ppvs this year."

[5.0] "A C tier ppv with c tier quality. Becky vs Trish and Steenrico vs Judgement Day overdelivered, but unfortunately those were the only two good matches on the card. The rest of the matches can be argued to cap out at decent at best. The usage of typical tv segments on this show left a sour taste in my mouth while watching a show that could have 100% benefitted from having Gunther vs Gable on the card. Wanting to not overbook or needlessly elongate the card would maybe be understandable concern if not for those segments and matches like Knight vs The Miz or Rey vs Theory. Add that to a lackluster main event and you get a mediocre paper view."

[7.0] "As show with a singular incredible match, some highs and some lows. Match of the night was definitely JD vs Sami and KO. We still had some good matchs like Becky/Trish and Seth/Nakamura. John Cena made the LA Knight match vs The Miz really enjoyable. The US and Women's tiitle matches were really forgetable and could have taken place in any random Raw or Smackdown. aside from that it was a good event."

[8.0] "Good show. The opener was great. Nice breathing room after that match with the Miz and John Cena gabbing it up. LA Knight vs Miz wasn't anything special though. I was surprised Rey retained. The tag match was one of the best matches of the year. Just some shocking moments. Owens dive was unreal. The women's title match was a little too long. I feel Rhea should have shown she was stronger in under fifteen minutes. The main event was good if not a little long. Nakamura sold the stomp very well, but then was outside the ring standing up as Seth's hand was raised. That was a little confusing. Overall a good ppv that maybe felt like a special episode of RAW."

[6.0] "It definitely felt like a filler PPV, maybe except the two matches on the card (Becky vs Trish, Seth vs Nakamura). An opener and Tag Titles match were good, but JD thing is getting ridiculous, Jey came back too quickly, the worst blading ever and too long matches. WWE really squandered the chance to put Gunther vs Gable on the card. The worst PPV of 2023 (AEW included), but not a bad one"

"A good show, pleasantly surprised. I didn't have much expectation for this PLE. Rollins has proven he deserves to make the Main Event. Becky and Trish had a great match. Very funny when The Miz talks about John Cena in Teletubbies. Fan service with Kevin and Samy with NHL jerseys."

[6.0] "For a filler PPV, there were some long ass matches on this show. My god. Ripley vs Rodriguez was 10 minutes too long. Nakamura vs Rollins was 7-10 minutes too long. LA Knight vs The Miz was 5 minutes too long. It just felt like they were padding for time - the increased run time on these matches didn't enhance anything or make it better. I really enjoyed the steel cage match and the tag title match. They were great. But the rest of card was entirely forgettable."

[6.0] "Very decent show, not a lot of story-lines here going into it I can say I was really invested in and none of them besides the tag match really earned my investment. The Rollins and Nakamura match was my most anticipated match going into the show but I felt like it was too slow and suffered from a VERY anticlimactic finish. Overall not the worst show I've seen from the WWE this here but definitely not near the best."

[8.0] "Oh wow, what a nice surprise. Payback was a fun experiment. The card was a little messed up. Here is the order, I think would've helped this show: Rhea vs Raquel, Mysterio vs Theory, Trish vs Becky, LA Knight vs Miz, Rollins vs Nakamura and Judgment Day vs KO & Zayn. The audience was great for the first half, then their energy fizzled out that was disappointing. Trish vs Becky was the match of the night, because it was unexpected. Second was the tag match, it was really fun. Then both World Championship matches were good, US Championship match was fine but LA Knight vs Miz was a huge disappointment. I'm sorry but John Cena ruined it. I love him, he's my goat but sometimes he overact a little too much."

[8.0] "Payback turned out to be a pretty cool show, Trish vs. Becky: it was a surprising good opener that ended up being a very good match, too bad the interferences ended up dropping the level of the match (****), Knight vs. Miz: The Miz vs. Pre-match scene was super fun and the match did what it needed to do (**3/4), Rey vs. Theory: the match I was least excited about on the card (**1/2), Owens/Zayn vs. Judgment Day: MOTN As expected, Owen/Zayn did their part to raise the crowd, but it ended up that the heels left with the belts in a super fair and necessary result (****1/4), Rhea vs. Raquel: The two "biggest forces" in the women's division delivered a good match (***), Rollins vs. Nakamura: obvious champion defense, Nakamura is a super charismatic icon but unfortunately as long as he stays in WWE he will never be world champion (***1/2). Overral (7.5/10)"

[10.0] "-// ***** //- Overall, this show turned out to be much better than expected. It might not have looked like much on paper, but it ended up delivering more than expected. We got treated to not one but two seriously awesome matches that could easily be contenders for the best of the year. It might not go down in history as the most thrilling event of Triple H's booking era, but it certainly holds its own as one of the top shows he's put together. There were some standout bouts, like Lynch vs. Stratus and that absolutely wild tag title street fight, along with some other solid wrestling action. LA Knight continued to impress, and Jey Uso's return to Raw was a pretty big deal. So yeah, all things considered, Payback was a huge success."

[7.0] "Solid show overall with 2 matches that were excellent and the rest ranging from bad to solid. Better than summerslam honestly but still in the bottom 3 of PPV for wwe this year. Cena honestly wasnt as involved as i thought he would be and we still dont know who his next Opponent is going to be. The opening cage match with Becky and Trish blew my expectations out the water and was fantastic. The Rey Vs theory match was basically a bland smackdown match that was pointless. The Grayson cody jey uso segment was nice and entertaining While the Tag team street fight stole the show and left the crowd with no energy left The Rhea Vs Raquel match was boring and bad and the Main event was a well done solid title match that didnt really go too crazy but was solid nonetheless."

[8.0] "Was a refreshing event to watch, not seeing The Bloodline and just good wrestling was nice. Match of the Night had too be the Tag Team Match it was insane, The Judgement Day being tag team champions is fine but I hope DIY is the one who beats them for the belts in the future. Becky & Trish had a great match was very shocked. LA Knight being endorsed by John Cena was great his push has been awesome and the main event was solid Nakamura attacking Rollins after the match was good even tho they didn't air it. (8.25/10)"

[8.0] "This was a great premium live event , the return of Jey uso on raw is great , and Jey seems to be a full fledged babyface now and he's over with the crowd. Jey also has a really good new theme , Jey vs Jimmy should be good when it eventually happens. Cody and Jey acting cool like nothing happened was strange. The best match was Trish Stratus vs Becky Lynch , these two women worked. I expected nothing less , when Trish wants to go in that ring she can and this match proved that. The worst match was Rhea vs Raquel , the match was sloppy and didn't live up to the hype. I liked the spots we got , but the rest was mediocre. The Dom interference didn't help either. The crowd was a little dead for some reason even though Rhea is supposed to be over. Match ratings: Becky vs Trish 8/10 , Knight vs Miz 7/10 , Rey vs Theory 7/10 , Ko and Sami vs Judgment Day 7/10 , Rhea vs Raquel 7/10 , Seth vs Nakamura 7/10."

[10.0] "WWE has this habbit for delivering more than you'd expect from these B-level pay-per-views, and they did it again here. Seeing all the gold in the possession of one faction was some sight, and I'm sure there's gonna be some juicy drama coming up, especially with that Money in the Bank briefcase in play. Damian Priest has it, and Finn Balor's got his eye on it, so that's gonna spice things up even more. There were a couple of really great matches, Lynch vs. Stratus and that wild tag title street fight, plus some other solid in-ring action. LA Knight continued to get his shine, and Jey Uso's return to Raw was some pretty big news. So, all in all, Payback 2023 gets a thumbs-up from me."

[8.0] "So watching Payback was a treat. It was a PLE I went in with little expectations and left with a lot of quality matches. Trish vs Becky was one of the best matches of the year in the womens division with both women putting their bodies on the line. Knight v Miz was fine it was what it needed to be with Cena doing a passing of the torch moment with him. US title match was also solid Rey and Theory seemed to have good chemistry. My favorite match of the night being the tag title match was incredible. It truly felt like a street fight and the chaos is always a welcome change of pace from the wwe formula. Rhea v Raquel was the weakest of the show but was not bad by any means. It was a fine match with a few slip ups but filled time to let the crowd rest. The main event Ive seen a wide array of opinions on. Personally I really loved it and would say thats shinsukes best match on the main roster. He felt engaged and felt a little of the new Japan and NxT Shinsuke shine through. Good match though Seth and shinsuke have good chemistry."

[5.0] "make no mistake, there were great matches in this Premium live event and Cena did a good job as host but something was missing..... this whole thing of making the event revolve around Judgment Day is a big mistake in my opinion, they don't have and don't really show danger to others, everything is so predictable when it comes to Judgment Day, WWE is seriously trying to make them have the same value that Bloodline had, but that just doesn't happen. Anyway, what an epic moment we had between LA Knight and John Cena! my final point for this note is that the PLE was very obvious that it was a secondary and filler PLE."

[10.0] "WWE Payback 2023 was actually a pretty darn good show, start to finish. It was one of those shows where a bunch of folks in midcard got a chance to shine, and they ran with it. Trish Stratus, in particular, deserves some serious kudos for taking some gnarly bumps in that steel cage match. I mean, we're talking about bumps that'd be impressive for anyone, let alone someone who's been out of the game for 17 years. Then we had Shinsuke Nakamura, who had his best WWE match in ages. But the real MVPs of the night? That'd be the Judgment Day. With the Bloodline going all haywire, you could make a case that Judgment Day is now the hottest faction in WWE. A couple of really good matches and then some. A Jey return that will shake up some of the main event scene, a great Terry Funk tribute and not a single DUD."

[9.0] "I thoroughly enjoyed the show, and it had that classic and traditional wrestling event feel to it. Everything seemed to come together seamlessly, from the quality of the matches to the intensity of the wrestling competitiveness to the sports entertainment value. In my opinion, this event deserves a spot on the list of the best events of the year, and I would give it a solid 9 out of 10. The event was fantastic. It stands out as the first true B-level Pay-Per-View that WWE has delivered since Triple H took on a more prominent role in the booking. While other Pay-Per-Views often featured products of grander graniose, this one was a straightforward, well-executed B-level event. while the main event that, while solid, didn't quite reach the same level as some of this year's previous main events."

[10.0] "Very very good for me, the time flew by and I want more. Expect for a bad match every match ranged from : pretty good to All-Timer. Cena being the host was fun was he did things like being a referee and a backstage interviewer. I know some are rating Shinsuke/Rollins badly because of the winner, I get it I wanted Nakamura to win, but I feel like the feud isn't over and they will play off the damage Seth took during the match. Anyway Steel Cage : [****1/2], Knight vs Miz : [****], Rey vs Theory : [***3/4], Street Fight : [****3/4], Rhea vs Raquel : [**1/4], Main Event [*****]. MVP of the night, 5 : Trish, 4 : Sami, 3 : Shinsuke, 2 : KO, 1 : Seth"

[7.0] "This is easily the first true B Level PLE that WWE has had since Triple H took over, every PLE since he became the booker has had something, a debut, a return, a big stipulation match or a big angle ot end the show, this time it was just a good B Level show, with an amazing street fight, a steel cage match that overdelivered, the rest of the show was fine, a dissapointing Women's Title match, a match that was as expected fine in LA Knight and The Miz, and a fine match with Theory and Rey, the main event was solid but not on the same level of this years main events"

[5.0] "Thumbs in the middle. Too many run-ins and interference leading to the finishes. Definitely did not feel like a PPV quality event. Highlight was the Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs Judgment Day tag match. Disappointment of the night was the booking and the Rhea Ripley title defense. Becky Lynch vs Trish Stratus **1/2 LA Knight vs The Miz **1/4 Rey Mysterious Jr vs Austin Theory **1/2 Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs Judgment Day ***1/4 Rhea Ripley vs Raquel Rodriguez *1/2 Shinsuke Nakamura vs Seth Rollins ***"

[5.0] "Kind of what I was expecting but with a few surprises. The cage match was legitimately good, Becky's best performance in forever (Trish looked good good too). Miz/Knight was too long, with Cena being an awful ref but with a hot crowd. The USS title match was nothing, the crowd was dead. Go out of your way to see the Street Fight, best match here by a long shot. The last two matches definitely disappointed, Rhea/Raquel was bad and Nak/Rollins was slow and plodding, both with an almost dead crowd. Jey Uso is now on Raw, I guess."

[7.0] "About as good as I expected this card to be. Highlights for me were the street fight between Sami and Kevin vs Judgement Day, and the Becky/Trish cage match. Both were brutal and chaotic in the best way, and featured lots of great spots. It peaked there though, the last two matches werent great. While I still enjoyed it, the Rhea fight was a disappointment, and I found the Rollins/Nakamura match decent but quite sluggish. Didnt enjoy Miz v Knight, but thought Mysterio/Theory was a lot of fun. Some really solid matches in here, but the main event and undercard being letdowns means I cant rate it overall as high as the best matches here deserve."

[8.0] "A great PPV this edition of Payback. After 3 years they come back with this event and it has been tremendous. I know it's something of transition, but it seems that they work it more for this kind of events than for other more important ones, but well, it has been very enjoyable in general, in fact I'm surprised that it lasted less than 3 hours and a half, which makes it look like a weekly Raw show and even so, it was tremendous. I wish WWE would do things better, but with this PPV that seemed like a transitional show, I thought it was great. John Cena needs to come out more."

[5.0] "There were highs and lows in this event. Judgement day winning the tag titles in the MOTY, Becky vs trish was a great Ripley vs Raquel and Rollins vs Nakamura were the main complains of this event. Well I do understand Rollins wasn't dropping the title, but the presentation of the matches wasn't good enough for "the somehow he gather strength to win the match despite being injured" and match felt really short considering it went for 26 minutes, with shinsuke's eye being opened I expected a kick out but the match ended and it was a meh match."