WWE Payback 2023 Results

WWE returned to pay-per-view for Payback on Saturday, September 2 from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Headline matches at Payback included Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the World Heavyweight Championship, Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the Women's World Title, and a Steel City Street Fight as Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defended the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles against Judgment Day's Damian Priest & Finn Balor. 

Check out the full results from WWE Payback below:

Becky Lynch def. Trish Stratus - Steel Cage Match

The feud between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus came to a head as the two rivals faced off in a Steel Cage Match in the opening contest of Payback. 

Lynch initially started hot, connecting with three Bexploders in a row but Trish soon took control, using the steel cage to her advantage. Becky fought back, ramming her opponent into the cage before she tried and failed to lock in the Disarm-Her. Stratus then rammed Lynch into the cage after avoiding the move and Stratus performed a cool spot as she went into a spider to avoid a lariat, only to take a leg drop from Lynch. The Man followed up with a Leg Drop while Stratus was draped across the top rope for a near fall. 

Stratus was left with a nasty bump on her head following the move and Lynch picked up another near fall following a Powerbomb. Lynch later connected with a Twist of Fate but Trish fired back with a Stratusfaction after Lynch jarred her knee. Stratus followed up with an Avalanche Bulldog but Lynch kicked out again so Stratus tried to escape. Stratus almost reached the floor but Lynch managed to grab her opponent and left Stratus dangling from the top of the cage. 

After Stratus was pulled back in, Lynch hit a huge Superplex to send them crashing to the mat below, with Lynch draping her arm over for the cover, only for Stratus to get her shoulder up at the last moment. 

Both competitors looked to escape, with Stratus choosing the door. Zoey Stark then came to Stratus' aid and she drilled the cage door into Lynch's head. After a failed roll-up attempt from Stratus, Lynch fired back with the Manhandle Slam and that looked to be it but Stark broke up the pin. Lynch then locked the cage, hit a Manhandle Slam on Stark and an Avalanche Manhandle Slam to Stratus for the win. 

Trish Stratus berated Zoey Stark following the match which prompted the former NXT talent to take out her mentor with the C360. 

LA Knight def. The Miz - John Cena as Special Guest Referee

The host of WWE Payback, John Cena, made his way to the ring next but he was soon interrupted by The Miz which set up Cena as the special guest referee for the two-time WWE Champion's match with LA Knight. This was the first time Cena has been a special guest referee since 2010. 

The Miz, wearing Cleveland Browns colours, tried to walk out on the match but he was dragged back in by LA Knight. Knight looked to connect with a Superplex but Miz fought free and fired back with an Axe Handle from the top rope. Miz briefly dominated but Knight fought back and bounced his opponent's head off the announce table as the crowd chanted "YEAH!". Knight entered the ring to break the count and this allowed Miz to gain the upper hand again, first driving Knight into the announce table before he tossed him into the barricade. 

The Miz then took control, dominating the in-ring action for the next several minutes until the former Eli Drake fired back with a Slam and led the crowd in more "YEAH!" chants as he stomped a mudhole in Miz in the corner. Miz later connected with his signature DDT but only scored a near fall. Miz then missed on his Clothesline into the corner and Knight countered with a Spinning DDT for another near fall. 

Miz tried to cheat only moments later, grabbing the ropes on a roll-up but Cena refused to count, instead berating Miz for his cheating ways. A ref bump was then teased which allowed Miz to hit the Skull Crushing Finale but Knight managed to get his shoulder up. Miz turned his attention to Cena, looking for the Five Knuckle Shuffle but Knight did a Kip Up and hit a Powerslam before the LA Knight elbow and BFT for the win. 

John Cena lifted LA Knight's arm on the entranceway following his win, giving the former IMPACT World Champion the rub. 

Rey Mysterio (c) def. Austin Theory - United States Championship

Next up was the United States Title match as Rey Mysterio defended the gold against the man he defeated for the belt, Austin Theory. 

Theory quickly took control of the match sponsored by Cinnamon Toast Crunch, locking in rest holds for some reason. Theory later tried to rip off Mysterio's mask in a show of disrespect but this only encouraged Rey to fight back, first knocking away Theory before he connected with a Moonsault and his slide to the outside into a DDT. Rey later went for the 619 but nobody home as Theory countered into a Spinning Torture Rack-Sit Out Powerbomb combination for a near fall. 

Mysterio later connected with the 619 and he went to follow up with the Frog Splash but Theory got his knees up. Theory then went for A-Town-Down but Mysterio countered into a pinning predicament for the win. 

Becky Lynch was interviewed by Cathy Kelley following the match but she was interrupted by NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton, with Lynch saying she would see Stratton soon. 

Finn Balor & Damian Priest def. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens (c) - Steel City Street Fight for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships

Sami Zayn vs. Judgment Day made its way to pay-per-view after main eventing several episodes of Monday Night Raw as Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens put the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles on the line against Judgment Day's Finn Balor and Damian Priest in a Steel City Street Fight.

Neither team waited to get out the weapons, with Balor first using a kendo stick before the champions beat down their opponents with trash can shot after trash can shot. KO then revealed a Terry Funk shirt as he and Sami Zayn took turns teeing off on Balor with kendo sticks while a trash can was over Balor's head. Damian Priest evened the odds, though, and Judgment Day proceeded to dominate the next several minutes of action.

The champions eventually fought back with steel chairs as the action spilled into the crowd which led to Dominik Mysterio becoming involved, knocking the champs over a barricade. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn resurfaced wearing Pittsburgh Penguins jerseys with hockey sticks and Owens was pouring with blood as a hockey fight broke out inside PPG Paints Arena. 

The action headed back to the ring and Sami Zayn almost won the match following a Blue Thunder Bomb to Balor on a pile of chairs. Zayn was then sent through a pile of chairs by Priest before Judgment Day worked over Owens through the crowd. Zayn evened the odds, hitting a Somersault Senton from the pre-show table to Judgment Day, only for Dominik Mysterio to interfere again. KO soon fought back, putting Dom through a table with a Swanton from the bleachers.  

Back in the ring, Zayn hit an Exploder Suplex and went for the Helluva Kick to Balor, only to take a trash can to the head from Priest as he looked to hit his finisher. Balor and Priest went for a Razor's Edge-Coup de Grace combination but Zayn escaped and hit an Exploder to Priest before he knocked Balor from the apron through a table at ringside. 

Zayn was stopped from the Helluva Lick but KO returned and hit a Stunner to Priest before Sami finally hit his finisher. The champions had the match won but JD McDonagh pulled Zayn out of the ring. McDonagh paid for his trouble, eating a brutal Pop-Up Powerbomb on the announce table. Owens had no time to recover as he was flattened by a Spear through the barricade from Rhea Ripley. 

Balor hit a Slingblade and a Shotgun Dropkick to Zayn before he missed on the Coup De Grace and was decked by a Helluva Kick from Zayn. Dominik Mysterio broke up the pin, though, with a Money in the Bank briefcase shot to the head and he rolled over Balor to score the 1-2-3 for Judgment Day. 

Grayson Waller Effect with Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes subverted the expectations for the segment as he didn't brawl with Grayson Waller, instead revealing that Jey Uso was the latest member of Monday Night Raw. Grayson Waller pointed out that Uso had only been gone a few weeks before he insulted Jey. Uso quickly had enough, Superkicking Grayson Waller to end the segment as Cody Rhodes watched on. 

Rhea Ripley (c) def. Raquel Rodriguez - Women's World Championship

After some initial back-and-forth action, Rhea Ripley soon dominated, working over Raquel Rodriguez. The challenger briefly fought back, only to be chopped down again as Ripley targeted the knee and applied the Prism Lock. Rodriguez managed to reverse into a pinning predicament for a near fall before both women threw fists. 

Rodriguez later fought back on the outside, smashing Ripley into the barricade before she threw the Women's World Champion into the steel post. Rodriguez looked to follow up but Dominik Mysterio rolled into the ring and ate a Powerslam from the challenger. All this did was allow Ripley to recover and she capitalised with Riptide for the win. 

Seth Rollins (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura - World Heavyweight Championship 

With Keiji Muto at ringside, Shinsuke Nakamura main-evented a WWE pay-per-view for the first time as he challenged Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. The feud had centred around Rollins' fractured back and Nakamura revealing the secret to the world. 

Nakamura dominated the early going, targeting the World Heavyweight Champion's back, which included Rollins taking a bump on top of the announce table. Rollins eventually fired back with a Hurricanrana and a Frog Splash, although his back kept bothering him. Seth Rollins then hit a Rainmaker out of nowhere but he only managed to pick up a near fall. 

Nakamura picked up a near fall of his own soon after with a Flying Knee to the face before he reverted to targeting Rollins' knackered back. More trademark offence from Nakamura followed with his sliding German Suplex before he set up for the Kinshasa, running straight into a Superkick from Rollins. Nakamura gained control again, though, locking in a Triangle Choke but Rollins managed to power free with a Sit Out Powerbomb despite his bad back. 

Later, Nakamura hit a Landslide but Rollins managed to kick out again. Nakamura followed up with a Kinshasa and he went for the move again but Rollins didn't make it back to his knees so Nakamura went to pick up the champion. This led to a striking match before Nakamura just stomped on Rollins' head. Rollins managed to counter a Suplex into a Pedigree before the World Heavyweight Champion went for a Stomp, only to be intercepted by Nakamura. 

After an exchange of counters, Rollins managed to connect with the Stomp for the victory. 

That was everything that happened at Payback.