WWE Payback 2016: Top Takeaways from Latest PPV Event

There is plenty to take away from WWE Payback, the latest pay-per-view extravaganza from the most prominent sports-entertainment brand, most notably the fact a motivated WWE Creative nets positive results and strong shows from top to bottom.

On paper, Sunday's card looked incredible, with matches such as Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho inspiring excitement within the fanbase. The writing behind the main event, pitting Roman Reigns against AJ Styles, was outstanding and generated intrigue.

Sprinkle in a women's title match between Charlotte and Natalya and a battle between Cesaro and The Miz over the Intercontinental Championship, and you had a lineup as impressive as any the company has produced this year.

It delivered in spades thanks to a motivated roster and a red-hot crowd, proof that a masterfully built card can drive fans to respond passionately to the product and the talent in the ring to reward raucous responses with extraordinary performances.

That was just one of the many takeaways from Sunday's show, though. What else was abundantly clear by the time Payback went off the air?

What Is Old Is New Again

Credit: WWE.com

AJ Styles and Roman Reigns waged war in the night's main event, an exercise in building drama through near-falls, false finishes and sensible interference. In many ways, the contest resembled the Attitude Era main events of a generation gone by.

That does not appear to be an accident by any means. In fact, during the McMahon family segment that preceded the bout, Vince even alluded to his affection for that period in WWE history. Could the main event, coupled with the out-of-control brawl between Zayn and Owens earlier in the night and the increased television time for wrestling's first family, be the first hints at the return of attitude to the company's product?

How about dipping back into the old bag of tricks and reliving the Montreal Screwjob while Bret Hart stood at ringside?

If that is not enough for you, the pace of the show was markedly different. It was frenetic. There were few lulls in the action. Nor should there be on a major pay-per-view broadcast.

WWE promised the dawn of a new era at Payback, and what it delivered was elements of an old one meshed with the stars of today. Bickering McMahons and disjointed storytelling are hardly elements of a fresh, new and exciting product, leaving the "new era" label to sound more like a tagline or marketing ploy than anything.

Roman Reigns Delivers

Credit: WWE.com

It is only fitting that, on a night when fans rained down on him with chants of "you can't wrestle," WWE world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns delivered an extraordinary performance in a victory over No. 1 contender Styles in the main event.

There are the hard-headed fans who will attribute the performance to a carry job on the part of Styles, but upon second look, the quality of Reigns' showing becomes more obvious. For the first time since his days as the juggernaut of The Shield, the champion worked a more power-based offense. He controlled the pace early, pounding away at his opponent. He was the aggressor. He worked the match as a heel.

When the time came, Reigns sold like crazy for Styles, putting over The Phenomenal One's offense to perfection and bumping around the squared circle for him. He also threw caution to the wind, launching himself over the top rope and wiping out the interfering Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows and his cousins The Usos.

In the end, he exploded with a spear to Styles to successfully retain his title in a match that not only ranks as one of his best but, more importantly, was further proof of Reigns' propensity for delivering up to the level of his competition and the enormity of the moment.

There are some who will continue to argue that Reigns cannot wrestle, but just as his contemporary John Cena has done over the course of his career, expect to see the champion repeatedly prove his critics wrong through the work he puts in.

Legitimizing the Intercontinental Championship

Credit: WWE.com

The majority of the first hour of Payback was dedicated to two things: rebuilding Kevin Owens through a victory over Sami Zayn and legitimizing the Intercontinental Championship through a wild bit of booking that is sure to leave four Superstars chasing after the gold.

Owens needed a boost, especially after the last three weeks of questionable losses. After his victory, over Zayn in a superb match, Owens immediately made his intentions to chase the IC title clear. From there, he sat in on commentary for the championship clash between Cesaro and Miz, only to be attacked by Zayn. The four Superstars became entwined by the end of the segment, the coveted secondary title at the center of their issues.

The Miz has done a fantastic job of propping up the championship since the Raw after WrestleMania, his hated Hollywood A-lister character generating boatloads of heat and the return of Maryse completing the package perfectly.

With fan favorites such as Zayn, Owens and Cesaro chasing the loudmouthed baddie, expect the quality of the championship matches to be at a high level and the storytelling to be strong, as the dynamic between the performers will demand it.