WWE Payback 2015 Results: Biggest Winners and Losers from PPV
WWE Payback brought carnage, excitement and high-octane entertainment to the fore on a pretty successful night for the company.
There were some low points, as you'd expect, but there were some standout matches that definitely caught the eye.
The WWE Tag Team Championships got a good airing again with a fantastic contest between two well-matched teams, while the main event certainly delivered on drama.
A successful defense for Seth Rollins tells only half the story, with plenty of subplots emerging from that particular match.
Who were the biggest winners and losers from Payback? Let's take a look.
Winner: Sheamus
1 of 6
Since he returned to WWE just after WrestleMania, the growth and momentum of Sheamus has been a major success story.
The slow-burner approach with Sheamus' build has been smart, and he's looking like a credible heel at the moment.
Crucially, the WWE is low on top heels at the moment, and a real opportunity could be opening for Sheamus after his win at Payback.
He looks strong after going over Dolph Ziggler clean, and the future looks bright for the Irishman.
Loser: Ryback
2 of 6
Quite where having Ryback and Bray Wyatt face off came from is anyone's guess, and a rather predictable result to that match occurred at Payback, with the Big Guy coming up short.
The build didn't get quite as much exposure as fans would have liked, and it was a pretty lame and timid addition to the Payback card.
Where next for Ryback? He seems to have been on the receiving end of brief pushes throughout his career before sliding back down the card, and it's hard to see where he goes next.
Another side note from the match relates to Wyatt himself. There's still the potential for him to rise up the card and fulfil his potential, and this win could be the kick-start he needs following his defeat to the Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Winners: The New Day
3 of 6
They may well be hugely annoying on the microphone, but the New Day have got a nice head of steam behind them following their recent heel turn.
Another controversial victory only further adds to their heel personas and keeps plenty of heat on the stable moving forward.
They will now defend their WWE Tag Team Championships inside the Elimination Chamber, which will certainly be the biggest test of their reign so far.
But after another contentious win, expect the heat and the hatred for the New Day to keep on coming.
Loser: Rusev
4 of 6
We all knew it was going to happen.
Rusev lost to John Cena for the third successive pay-per-view. That's unthinkable when you factor in how dominant he was about six or seven months ago.
He played his part in a solid enough match with Cena at Payback, but the fact is, it's another defeat for the Bulgarian Brute.
Where does he go next? There may be no option but to exploit the simmering tension between Rusev and Lana, which was further heightened at Payback.
At least the ending of the match wasn't exactly conclusive, given Lana was the one who threw the towel in for Rusev.
That should give him at least a shade of credibility and momentum to hang onto moving out of Payback.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
5 of 6
There was a train of thought that Dean Ambrose was only included in the main event at Payback to take the pinfall and keep everyone else looking strong.
Wrong.
Since he failed to win the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania, Ambrose has been booked incredibly strongly, and that continued at Sunday's PPV.
His inclusion in this match was more than justified, and he played a great role throughout as arguably the biggest babyface in the contest.
His not taking the pin also shows that WWE are serious about Ambrose.
His immediate concern should now be Money in the Bank; that briefcase now has his name on it.
There's also an honorable shoutout for Roman Reigns here too. The tease involving a Shield reunion was great, and Reigns seems to be really enjoying his wrestling at the moment.
Of course, he was booked too heavily and pushed too quickly in the run-up to WrestleMania. But right now, it seems that Reigns' booking is on the money.
Winner: Seth Rollins
6 of 6
The champ does it again, and there are probably only a few people who would argue against it being the right result.
WWE fans worldwide will have no doubt been going crazy when the Shield briefly reunited to powerbomb Randy Orton through the announce table.
It was all a clever tease, though, before the tables were quickly turned on Rollins with a vicious numbers game.
But ultimately, the numbers stacked up in favor of Rollins, which is undeniably the right move.
He has a showdown with Brock Lesnar in the offing at SummerSlam, and that's a contest that simply cannot be ignored.
Using Triple H's finisher was also a nice swerve, even if the execution wasn't quite perfect.
It just adds another interesting subplot to Rollins' character moving forward. And he sure has plenty of those at the moment.
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
