WWE Payback 2016 Results: Winners, Grades, Reactions and Highlights

Whether or not it is the genesis of a new era as the tagline promised, WWE Payback 2016 delivered.

A strong show featured a number of rising stars making the most of their time on stage. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn continued their saga with another compelling chapter. Dean Ambrose, Kalisto and Charlotte all flourished as well. And Roman Reigns, even in the face of loud detractors, pulled off a stellar performance.

On top of quality in-ring action, Payback offered storyline developments that will have the audience anxious to see what's next. The PPV elevated the Intercontinental Championship picture and complicated the Raw leadership situation. 

How WWE handled Natalya and Baron Corbin, though, deserves some criticism. As much as the show boasted about being a launchpad for the future, the company seemed hesitant to fully invest in the here and now in some cases.

From Corbin's loss to Reigns' title defense, let's dive into all that clicked and all that faltered at Payback.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

With the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy at ringside, Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin stared each other down.

The Showoff pounced early, but Corbin overpowered him. The Lone Wolf then dominated, hurting Ziggler with methodical offense. Corbin focused on his foe's neck with both strikes and submission holds. 

Ziggler, though, took advantage of Corbin's showboating. He rolled up the heel with a schoolboy pin for a three-count. 

Result

Ziggler wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"Baron Corbin is here to brutalize his competition in WWE."—Mauro Ranallo.

Corbin kicks Ziggler out of the air outside the ring.

Grade

C+

Analysis

Moving this match to the pre-show hurt the impact it had for Corbin's rise. It reads as a signal not to think of him as a big deal.

Corbin did an excellent job in playing the role of predator, regardless of the dimmer spotlight. He toyed with Ziggler, delighted in his destruction and looked natural doing it all. Ranallo helped sell Corbin as a destroyer to be feared as well.

Too bad the result didn't build on any of that. It's surprisingly early to have Corbin show vulnerability.

It will be hard to portray him as a monster moving forward without him causing some real eye-catching havoc.

Kalisto vs. Ryback (United States Championship)

In the second pre-show bout of the night, Ryback rolled over Kalisto after the opening bell rang. The champion's high-flying offense kept Ryback off balance, though.

The Big Guy flung Kalisto around a bit, but the luchador was able to evade him and counter with creative offense.  

Even after Ryback slammed him from the top rope, Kalisto endured. He hit Salida Del Sol to get the win.

Result

Kalisto wins via pinfall to retain the U.S. title.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Ryback mocks CM Punk's entrance.

Kalisto hits a corkscrew plancha to the outside and nearly misses Ryback.

Kalisto leaps from the top turnbuckle, hitting a DDT on Ryback on the ring apron.

"The mother of all military press slams. It's splat for Kalisto!"—Mauro Ranallo.

Grade

B-

Analysis

Kalisto's offense—even if imperfect at times—combined with Ryback's solid heel work made for the best bout between these two yet. WWE hasn't given them much story to work with, but both wrestlers have managed to maximize their battles.

Not going with a cookie-cutter, David vs. Goliath narrative was smart. Kalisto having Ryback reeling so often made him look like a formidable champion, not a guy benefiting from flukes.

WWE will need to add something to the story, though, to keep this feud intriguing.

The Vaudevillains vs. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady (Tag Team No. 1 Contender)

Credit: WWE.com

The New Day kicked off the pay-per-view before WWE aired a video package highlighting the newest talents in the company, from AJ Styles to Sami Zayn. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady then riled up the Chicago crowd as they trash-talked The Vaudevillains.

Cassady and Amore manhandled their opponents in the early going, but a bad fall changed everything. Simon Gotch flung Amore out of the ring, and the charismatic babyface hit his head on the ring apron. Medical staff then attended to Amore.

The referee then called off the bout.

Result

Match ends in a no-contest.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"My DMs are open, baby!"—Xavier Woods, referring to Beyonce.

"If my aunt had hair on her back, she'd be my uncle."—Amore.

Analysis

A scary moment for Amore. WWE later announced that he suffered a concussion but that all other tests were negative. That's a huge victory considering how bad that fall was.

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn slugged it out right away. Fired up, Zayn then battered his longtime foe on the outside.

The powerhouse responded with an overwhelming attack that left Zayn wobbly. Zayn fought back with his own flurry. The back-and-forth match had the crowd chanting "This is awesome!"

A snarling Owens battled a weary Zayn, trading big blows and near-falls. It took an emphatic pop-up powerbomb to end the matchup.

Owens then celebrated, got in Byron Saxton's face and forced his way behind the commentary desk.

Result

Owens wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Owens stands on Zayn's hands on the ring steps.

Zayn flips Owens over with a clothesline.

"You're done!"—Owens to Zayn.

Owens counters a tornado DDT with a backbreaker.

Zayn backdrops Owens onto the ring apron.

Grade

A

Analysis

Having to follow Enzo Amore's injury was a tough spot for these two performers, but they rocked their opportunity. Owens and Zayn re-energized the crowd with a show-stealer.

Hard-hitting action, convincing near-falls, great energy and animosity pulsing onscreen made for a compelling showdown. WWE has to find ways to revisit this feud again and again. Owens and Zayn are perfect together. 

The Miz vs. Cesaro (Intercontinental Championship)

The Miz tried to outwrestle Cesaro, but not surprisingly, The King of Swing dominated the champ on the mat.

Maryse helped The Miz seize control by interfering at ringside. Miz then focused on Cesaro's arm, bashing the limb with a focused attack.

Cesaro rallied back, flooring The Miz with uppercuts and an explosive dropkick. He had the crowd roaring. 

At ringside, Sami Zayn attacked Kevin Owens, who was sitting in on commentary.

Cesaro had The Miz beaten with the crossface, but Owens and Zayn's fight distracted the referee. The Miz rolled up the challenger. Chaos broke out after the win, with each man colliding with each other.

Result

The Miz wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"I am the king of this place."—Owens.

Cesaro powers out of a sleeper hold and counters with a vertical suplex.

The Miz puts his foot on the rope to avoid defeat after a nasty uppercut; Cesaro kicks out of the Skull-Crushing Finale.

Grade

B-

Analysis

Miz and Cesaro's in-ring chemistry was decent. Their match was solid. It felt like a precursor to a bigger bout down the road.

It's what this bout set up for the future that is more noteworthy than the actual action.

Zayn and Owens are entering the IC title scene. That will give new life to Zayn vs. Owens, add a compelling dynamic to Miz vs. Cesaro and give WWE options aplenty in regard to that title. That all promises to be one of the best things 2016 has going. 

Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose's chops left Chris Jericho's chest red and inspired him to start running from his foe. Jericho, though, controlled the action for a long stretch after that, grounding Ambrose with punishing holds. 

The Lunatic Fringe picked up the bout's pace when he went on the attack.

The action moved to the outside, where the two men battled atop the announce table. Back inside the ropes, Ambrose and Jericho used creative counters to stave off defeat. 

It took several knees to the head and Dirty Deeds to put away Jericho. Y2J responded with a tantrum at ringside.

Result

Ambrose wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Ambrose poses like Jericho with his leg atop his opponent and his muscles flexed.

Jericho counters Ambrose's diving elbow into the Walls of Jericho.

Jericho catapults Ambrose off the announce table into the timekeeper's area.

Ambrose slaps himself in the face while locked in the Walls of Jericho.

Grade

B+

Analysis

While this didn't have nearly the fire that Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens had before it, Jericho and Ambrose told a good story of two evenly matched opponents struggling to overcome each other. 

This is one of Ambrose's biggest wins in recent memory after losing to the likes of Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Triple H in the past few months.

There is ample animosity here to keep this rivalry going. WWE has to avoid going the route it took with AJ Styles vs. Jericho, as in following each of Styles' wins with losses until no one ended up winning the feud.

Let The Lunatic go on a roll instead, at Extreme Rules and beyond. 

Charlotte vs. Natalya (Women's Championship)

Bret Hart accompanied Natalya while Ric Flair stood in Charlotte's corner. 

The challenger and Charlotte were at a stalemate early on. Charlotte, though, pounced on Natalya as she stepped through the ropes to gain control. 

Charlotte cranked back Natalya's leg, zeroing in on the body part as The Nature Boy did for so many years.

Natalya battled back on one leg with Flair lurking. Her resiliency frustrated the champ. Nattie kicked out of a moonsault and Natural Selection.

Charlotte locked in the Sharpshooter, and in a flashback to the Montreal Screwjob, the referee called for the bell even though Natalya didn't tap out. The Hitman and Natalya then put their respective enemies in the Sharpshooter in retaliation.

Result

Charlotte wins via submission.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Fans chant "We want Sasha!"

"You want to learn something? Watch this."—Charlotte to Hart.

Natalya pushes Charlotte off the top rope and outside the ring.

Natalya hits a hurricanrana outside.

Grade

B

Analysis

The women's title match was poised to be great. A gutsy Natalya locked horns with a dominant, crafty champion. The result was one of their best performances together.

WWE, though, had to let the past overshadow the present. Reprising the Montreal Screwjob and having Hart be such a prominent figure in the bout's final image took away the focus from the women. Why not give them their own story rather than echoing an old one?

Vince McMahon Decides Who Will Control Raw

Credit: WWE.com

The crowd drowned out Vince McMahon as he tried to set up the decision he was about to make. He welcomed his daughter Stephanie to the ring. 

She claimed that Shane McMahon wasn't fit to be in charge of Raw. Stephanie made her case that she should be at the helm of the show.

Shane soon entered, showing off headlines that supported him as head of Raw. He got the crowd to chant for him, but Vince said he wants both of his kids to run Raw. Stephanie reluctantly shook Shane's hand.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Crowd chants "CM Punk!" over McMahon's speech.

"You people in Chicago are animals. Animals!"—Vince.

"I don't listen to anybody except me!"—Vince.

Grade

B+

Analysis

The Raw-like segment slowed the momentum of the show. It would be interesting to know how long WWE planned this to go before Enzo Amore went down with that nasty injury.

And while this dragged a bit, the result played out like a cliffhanger.

Portraying Shane as an agent of change and blaming Stephanie and The Authority for Raw's staleness is such a brilliant move. It's not as if Shane is really in control and really making changes, but it sure feels like it. And it makes it easy to get behind Shane-O-Mac, the anti-status quo symbol.

He and Stephanie are set to battle for control, two rulers sitting in the same throne. That promises to lead to some compelling chaos and, perhaps, the true end of The Authority.

Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

AJ Styles made Roman Reigns' legs his primary target in the early going. He kicked at Reigns' hamstrings, flustering the world champ.

The Big Dog then began to overpower Styles. He smashed Styles with high-impact moves that rattled the ring.

Styles' speed and agility edge allowed him to keep Reigns off balance, though.

After it looked like Styles won via count-out, Shane McMahon walked out and restarted the match, adding a no-count-out stipulation.

Reigns then hit Styles with a low blow, earning a disqualification. Stephanie McMahon followed her brother's lead, barring any disqualifications.

That opened the door for Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to save Styles. They double-teamed Reigns, leaving him lying in the ring. The Usos charged out to even the odds. 

After a chaotic last few minutes, Reigns hit a spear to close out the contest.

Result

Reigns wins via pinfall to remain champion.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Fans chant "Roman sucks!" and "You can't wrestle!" at Reigns.

Styles counters a Superman Punch with a kick to the head.

Styles sends Reigns through a table with a Phenomenal Forearm.

Reigns throws Styles onto The Usos, Gallows and Anderson.

Reigns counters a Phenomenal Forearm with a Superman Punch.

Styles hits a springboard 450 splash.

Grade

A+

Analysis

Good pacing, creative booking and foot-on-the-pedal efforts from Reigns and Styles made this the best match of the night. The subplot of the bout was that these two proved they belonged in their current positions. Styles looked right at home under the bright lights; Reigns delivered despite a hostile crowd.

This matchup needed to make use of several moving parts and did just that.

While some may view the McMahons' role as overbooking, the title match ended up being the right mix of chaos and action, of unexpected twists and big moments in the ring.

WWE announced that these two will go at it again at Extreme Rules. That's the right move. Not only did Reigns and Styles show they thrive together, but also weaving in Gallows and Anderson more into this storyline has a lot of potential.