WWE’s 2023 edition of the Payback premium live event is now in the books, and whilst fans weren’t overly enthralled with the card on paper going into the show, it was an event that had both good and bad.

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Much like most WWE events, there were some booking decisions that were completely the right call, benefiting WWE’s programming and the wrestlers involved too. However, as is ever the case in professional wrestling, not everything was perfect, and when looking at how the show went down, there were certain moments and calls that weren’t ideal and could have been far better.

10 Best: Spotlight On Zoey Stark

The steel cage match between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus was tremendous, but it was a match that accomplished a lot of things. It finished the feud between Lynch and Stratus, but it also began a new chapter.

After the match, Stratus looks out her frustrations on Zoey Stark, which leads to the young star laying out Stratus, much to the joy of the crowd. It was clever to keep the focus on a new name in the women’s division, even after a match of the night candidate that didn’t involve her.

9 Worst: Bland Structure To Rey Mysterio Vs. Austin Theory

Featuring Austin Theory vs. Rey Mysterio on this card was a mistake when all was said and done. It wasn’t an exciting feud, and the crowd didn’t care. Instead of having a quick sprint, the structure of his match saw Theory get an extended period of control which was slow and boring.

This sucked the life out of the crowd, and they didn’t even really care for Mysterio’s comeback when it happened. This match should’ve arguably not been on the show altogether. Theory's presentation isn't helping in the fans' lessening perception of him.

8 Best: LA Knight Getting The Rub From John Cena

LA Knight is super hot right now, and he gets massive reactions from the WWE Universe each and every week. He took on The Miz at Payback, getting his first singles PPV win in WWE. Not only that but he was endorsed by John Cena too.

Whilst Cena was the special guest referee for their match and a much bigger star, he didn’t steal the spotlight, and the shine was still on Knight. After the match, Cena showed respect to Knight and raised his hand. However, Knight didn’t come across like any other smiling babyface, as he was initially hesitant and showed some tension with Cena, keeping with his character which was a smart move.

7 Worst: Not Airing Shinsuke Nakamura’s Post-Match Attack

Seth Rollins picked up a big win at Payback against Shinsuke Nakamura in a great match, with the show going off the air with Rollins celebrating his victory.

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It emerged after the show on WWE's social media that Nakamura ambushed Rollins on his walk to the back, beating him down and standing tall in front of the live crowd. Nakamura is on a roll right now, and this moment should have been aired as it would have kept him strong even after a loss.

6 Best: A Real Street Fight

Often, stipulations and gimmick matches in WWE aren’t too special, and it feels like many wrestlers are holding back. The Undisputed Tag Team Title match at Payback was a breath of fresh air and those involved went all out.

It was a wild arena-wide brawl that featured unique weapons, blood, Attitude-Era style interference and chaos, and hometown references for the Pittsburgh crowd - not to mention an insane Swanton Bomb from Kevin Owens in the crowd. Allowing these men to have no constraints made for a brilliant match.

5 Worst: Not Booking Gunther Vs. Chad Gable

Whilst it does make sense to keep some matches to boost weekly television, when it comes to a big anticipated title match like Gunther vs. Chad Gable, it should be on a premium live event.

These shows are supposed to feel special, so they should be stacked with the best possible matches. Missing out on booking what could be a match of the year candidate and star-making performance for someone like Gable, it was a huge missed opportunity to not book this bout for Payback.

4 Best: The Judgment Day Winning Tag Team Titles

It felt as though the Undisputed Tag Team Title reign of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn never really got going, and whilst it would have been nice for it to improve, it was for the best that the titles were taken off them. Their reign was all about the chase, and they got their big WrestleMania moment, but it was never going to reach those heights again.

The Judgment Day is a much hotter act right now, and to further their ascent to being the top heel act in WWE, they need more gold. Damien Priest and Finn Balor joining Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio as champions help to make this group feel dominant. This may be a contentious one, but this title change was needed.

3 Worst: Boring Women’s World Title Match

On paper, Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez could have been a show-stealer, and in fact, they had a brilliant feud in NXT. However, this match was a slow slog that led to a disinterested crowd.

It was in a tough spot, but even still the match was too slow for a PPV title bout. At nearly 20 minutes, it could have been more concise. Perhaps Charlotte Flair vs. Iyo Sky would have been a better choice for this show.

2 Best: Seth Rollins & Shinsuke Nakamura In The Main Event

The World Heavyweight Championship has had an uphill battle to climb thus far, being treated at times like a secondary title. It needed a main event to help make it feel like a top title, and at Payback, WWE gave it the spotlight.

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Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura were given a whole load of time to have a big-time title match which helped to make the belt feel hugely important. This was the correct decision for sure.

1 Worst: Raw Segment On A PPV

Why did this segment have to take place on PPV? Fans thought that Cody Rhodes’ appearance on the Grayson Waller Effect at Payback was to set up his next challenger and feud, but instead, it was to announce Jey Uso as the newest member of Monday Night Raw.

This felt like a TV segment, and surely it would’ve been better to announce Uso as a Raw member on Raw itself?