WWE Payback 2016: Biggest Missed Opportunities with Show's Booking

From top to bottom, WWE Payback 2016 was a relatively solid show on Sunday night. The event lived up to the hype it received in the month leading up to it in addition to leaving viewers excited for what's next going into Extreme Rules.

As enjoyable of a show as it was, however, Payback wasn't without its flaws—specifically from a booking standpoint.

There were a few points during the night when WWE dropped the ball on match finishes or moments that were highly questionable, to say the least.

The following are the biggest missed opportunities from the event.

Dolph Ziggler Beats Baron Corbin

Credit: WWE.com

Baron Corbin arrived from NXT with a head of steam, winning the 2016 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32 in his first match as a member of the main roster. He decimated Dolph Ziggler in his Raw debut, igniting a rivalry between the two that led to a match at Payback.

Although Corbin dominated most of their feud, Ziggler was still able to get the better of the NXT upstart, giving viewers the sense that he had a chance of ending his reign of terror.

However, there was no excuse for Ziggler to come out on top in their match, especially since he hasn't been involved in anything meaningful in ages.

Despite that, the bleach-blonde Superstar found a way to score the upset victory via a roll-up and thus handed Corbin his first singles loss in WWE.

Of course, The Lone Wolf can regain momentum through a series of ruthless attacks in the coming weeks, but there is no denying that having him suffer his first defeat at the hands of Ziggler was a mistake. He went virtually unbeaten in NXT, so losing to Ziggler from the get-go takes much of his mystique away.

WWE is lacking strong antagonists at the moment, and Corbin needs to be built up properly if he will have any chance of becoming the next big monster heel.

He should have embarked on a path of destruction before finally falling short of victory against a Superstar who could have benefited from the win.

The Rehashing of the Montreal Screwjob

Credit: WWE.com

WWE has done an exceptional job of building back up the women's division since the dawn of 2016. After the Women's Championship Triple Threat match stole the show at WrestleMania 32, expectations were high for the championship clash between Charlotte and Natalya at Payback.

The countless matches the two have contested over the years have been nothing short of stellar, and their latest in-ring encounter was no exception.

Charlotte and Natalya were well on their way to producing another instant classic before the bout was abruptly cut short when referee Charles Robinson rang the bell prematurely.

It succeeded in what it set out to do in keeping the feud alive, but there were other ways of accomplishing that without rehashing an old angle that has been done to death over the past two decades.

Charlotte and Ric Flair attempted to offer an explanation the next night on Raw before Natalya revealed the Flair family paid off Robinson to help Charlotte retain the title, but it was a weak way of progressing the storyline.

Instead, WWE could have had Charlotte cheat to maintain possession of the strap to set up the stipulation rematch at Extreme Rules.

Speaking of which, a Submission match between Charlotte and Natalya has already been confirmed for the pending pay-per-view. With Ric banned from ringside, it should feature a better conclusion than what we received on Sunday night.

The McMahons Will Run Raw Together

Credit: WWE.com

There was plenty of talk from the commentators throughout the evening about how Payback was kicking off an all-new "era" in WWE. That was certainly true in terms of the talent showcased on the show, but the more things change, the more they stay the same.

That was especially evident when Mr. McMahon appointed both Shane and Stephanie McMahon as the new authority figures for Raw.

The final decision could be seen coming ahead of time, but that wasn't what made it a major missed opportunity.

Rather, the McMahons at the helm of the flagship show is something that fans have seen ad nauseam for over a decade-and-a-half. They aren't giant ratings-boosters, either.

If anything, ratings have remained stagnant and in some cases have decreased since the McMahon family resurfaced as prominent characters on TV (h/t Wrestling News World).

Shane and Stephanie wasted no time in making their presence felt by coming out during the main event and restarting the match between Roman Reigns and AJ Styles twice. They were also all over Raw on Monday night and have nearly reached the point of overexposure already.

If WWE was determined to deliver on its promise of ushering in an unprecedented era, it would have put a fresh face in charge—or at least someone who won't eat up a significant amount of television time every week.

It's undoubtedly an improvement over The Authority, but WWE can't rely on the same tired trope with the McMahon family forever.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

Follow @WrestleRant