WWE Payback

Last updated
WWE Payback
WWE Payback logo, 2015 - present.png
WWE Payback logo
Promotions WWE
Brands Raw (2017, 2020, 2023)
SmackDown (2020, 2023)
First event 2013
Last event 2023

WWE Payback is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. It has been broadcast on PPV since its inaugural 2013 event, the WWE Network since 2014, and Peacock beginning with the 2023 event. The concept of the event is the wrestlers seeking payback against their opponents.

Contents

The event was established in 2013 and replaced No Way Out in the mid-June slot of WWE's pay-per-view calendar. It continued to be held annually until 2017; in 2015, the event moved up to the May slot, and was then moved to late-April in 2017. To coincide with the WWE brand extension that was reintroduced in mid-2016, the 2017 event was held exclusively for wrestlers from the Raw brand. Payback was then dropped from WWE's PPV calendar for 2018 as following WrestleMania 34 that year, WWE discontinued brand-exclusive PPVs, resulting in the reduction of PPVs produced yearly. The event was then reinstated in 2020, which moved it to late-August right after SummerSlam that year. It was then dropped again but reinstated in 2023 for early September during Labor Day weekend.

History

In 2012, WWE reinstated their No Way Out pay-per-view (PPV), which had previously ran annually from 1999 to 2009. The following year, however, No Way Out was canceled and replaced by a new event called Payback with a concept of wrestlers seeking payback against their opponents. [1] The inaugural Payback event was held on June 16, 2013, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. [2] [3] [4]

The 2014 event in turn established Payback as an annual event for the promotion. It was also held in June at the same arena and was also the first Payback to air on WWE's livestreaming service, the WWE Network, which had launched earlier that year in February. [5] In 2015 and 2016, the event was held in May. [6] [7] The 2016 event was also promoted as the first PPV of The New Era for WWE. [8] In July 2016, WWE reintroduced the brand extension, dividing the roster between the Raw and SmackDown brands where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform. [9] The 2017 event was in turn held exclusively for wrestlers from the Raw brand, and was also moved up to late-April. [10]

The event was expected to return in 2018 as a SmackDown-exclusive event, however, following WrestleMania 34 that year, WWE discontinued brand-exclusive PPVs. As a result, Payback was discontinued due to a reduction in the amount of yearly PPVs produced. [11] Following a three-year hiatus, however, Payback was reinstated in 2020 and held in late August. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 event was held in WWE's bio-secure bubble called the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. [12] WWE resumed live touring in July 2021, but Payback would take another three-year hiatus before it was reinstated in 2023 for Labor Day weekend on September 2 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This will be the first Payback held on a Saturday, the first held in September, and the first to livestream on Peacock in the United States after the American WWE Network merged under Peacock in March 2021. [13]

Events

Raw-branded event
#EventDateCityVenueMain EventRef.
1 Payback (2013) June 16, 2013 Rosemont, Illinois Allstate Arena John Cena (c) vs. Ryback in a Three Stages of Hell match for the WWE Championship [4]
2 Payback (2014) June 1, 2014 The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins) vs. Evolution (Batista, Randy Orton, and Triple H) in a No Holds Barred Elimination match [5]
3 Payback (2015) May 17, 2015 Baltimore, Maryland Royal Farms Arena Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns in a fatal four-way match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship [6]
4 Payback (2016) May 1, 2016 Rosemont, Illinois Allstate Arena Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship [7] [14]
5 Payback (2017) April 30, 2017 San Jose, California SAP Center Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns [10]
6 Payback (2020) August 30, 2020 Orlando, Florida WWE ThunderDome at Amway Center "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns in a No Holds Barred Triple Threat match for the WWE Universal Championship [12]
7 Payback (2023) September 2, 2023 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania PPG Paints Arena Seth "Freakin" Rollins (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the World Heavyweight Championship [13]
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

See also

Related Research Articles

WWE Backlash is a professional wrestling event that is produced by the American company WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is broadcast live and has been available through pay-per-view (PPV) since 1999 and via livestreaming since 2016. Since premiering in 1999, 18 events have been held, with its most recent 18th edition occurring at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 6, 2023. With the exception of the events held from 2016 to 2020, the concept of the show is based around the backlash of WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania.

WWE Armageddon was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1999, when the promotion was still called the World Wrestling Federation. It was held every December except in 2001, as that year, Vengeance replaced Armageddon as the event's name was thought to be insensitive following the September 11 attacks, although Armageddon was reinstated in 2002 with Vengeance moving up to July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind their flagship event, WrestleMania. It is also considered one of the company's five biggest events of the year, along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, referred to as the "Big Five". The event has been broadcast on pay-per-view (PPV) since the inaugural 1988 event and via livestreaming since the 2014 event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE No Mercy</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

WWE No Mercy, also known as NXT No Mercy beginning in 2023, is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The first No Mercy was held on May 16, 1999, in Manchester, England, and was the only No Mercy event produced in the United Kingdom. A second No Mercy was then held in October that year in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Beginning with this second event, No Mercy became the annual October pay-per-view (PPV) until 2008. The event was then discontinued and replaced by Hell in a Cell in 2009. After eight years, No Mercy was reinstated in October 2016. However, No Mercy was again discontinued after the September 2017 event, as WWE reduced the amount of yearly PPVs held after they had ended the production of brand-exclusive PPVs following WrestleMania 34 in 2018. In 2023, WWE again revived the event, this time for its developmental brand, NXT, in September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Bad Blood</span> World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event series

WWE Bad Blood was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was first held in October 1997 when the promotion was still called the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and that first event was held as the 18th In Your House PPV. After six years and after the promotion had been renamed to WWE, Bad Blood returned as its own PPV in June 2003, replacing King of the Ring. To coincide with the brand extension, the 2003 and 2004 Bad Blood events were both held exclusively for wrestlers of the Raw brand division. In 2005, One Night Stand replaced Bad Blood; Vengeance had also moved to June that year as The Great American Bash moved to July. The first Bad Blood is known for introducing the Hell in a Cell match, which was contested as the main event match all three years the pay-per-view was held. Bad Blood had been announced to be revived in 2017; however, these plans were scrapped in favor of an event titled Great Balls of Fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Night of Champions</span> Pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took place in June 2007 and was a crossover with Vengeance titled Vengeance: Night of Champions. In 2008, Vengeance was dropped in favor of Night of Champions and it took over the June PPV slot. The event then moved to July in 2009 before becoming the annual September PPV beginning in 2010. The original concept of Night of Champions was that every championship promoted on WWE's main roster was contested. In 2016, Night of Champions was replaced by the similarly themed Clash of Champions which was discontinued after its final use in 2020. After eight years, Night of Champions was revived to be held in May 2023 as WWE's ninth event in Saudi Arabia. Although the 2023 event was based around championship matches, not all of WWE's main roster championships were contested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Extreme Rules</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

WWE Extreme Rules was an annual professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based promotion. It was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE's livestreaming services. The name of the event stemmed from various matches on the card being contested under hardcore wrestling regulations with generally one match being an Extreme Rules match, which was introduced at the 2010 event. The defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion, which WWE acquired in 2003, originally used the "extreme rules" term to describe the regulations for all of its matches.

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based promotion. It was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the WWE Network. The event was established in 2009, replacing Armageddon in the December slot of WWE's pay-per-view calendar. In 2017, the event was moved to October, but returned to December in 2018. An event was scheduled for 2021, but it was canceled in favor of a New Year's Day event called Day 1. The concept of the TLC event was based on the primary matches of the card each containing a stipulation using tables, ladders, and/or chairs as legal weapons, with the main event generally contested as a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.

WWE Hell in a Cell was a professional wrestling event produced annually by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. It was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming services Peacock and the WWE Network. First held in 2009, the concept of the show came from WWE's established Hell in a Cell match, in which competitors fought inside a 20-foot-high roofed cell structure surrounding the ring and ringside area. Each main event match of the card was contested under the Hell in a Cell stipulation, while one or two other Hell in a Cell matches typically also occurred on the undercard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Elimination Chamber</span> Professional wrestling event series

WWE Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. It is available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming services, Peacock and the WWE Network. The event was established in 2010, replacing No Way Out as the annual February PPV. The concept of the event is that one or two main event matches are contested inside the Elimination Chamber, either with championships or future opportunities at championships at stake. The Elimination Chamber match itself had been created in 2002 and held at various other WWE pay-per-views before the establishment of the namesake event in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Money in the Bank</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

WWE Money in the Bank is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 2010 by the American company WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. The event is named after the Money in the Bank ladder match, a multi-person ladder match in which participants compete to obtain a briefcase that contains a contract for a championship match, which can be "cashed in" at a time and place of their choosing within the next year. The match originally only took place at WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania, from 2005 to 2010, after which, the match concept was spun off into its own event beginning in July that year with the match no longer occurring at WrestleMania. In addition to airing on traditional pay-per-view (PPV) since the inaugural 2010 event, the event has been available via livestreaming since the 2014 event. It has since become recognized as one of the company's five biggest annual events of the year, along with the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, referred to as the "Big Five".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Vengeance</span> Professional wrestling event series

WWE Vengeance, known as NXT Vengeance Day since 2021, is an American professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was originally created in 2001 as a pay-per-view (PPV), when the promotion was still called the World Wrestling Federation. Since 2021, the event has been held annually in February for WWE's developmental brand, NXT, under the title NXT Vengeance Day, which is a reference to the event taking place on or around Valentine's Day. The 2021 event aired on both traditional PPV and via livestreaming. The 2022 event was then held as a television special on the USA Network, but since 2023, it has aired exclusively via WWE's livestreaming platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT TakeOver</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

NXT TakeOver was a series of periodic professional wrestling events produced by the American promotion WWE for its NXT brand division. The first TakeOver was simply titled TakeOver and was held in May 2014 as the brand's second major live event, after Arrival in February. TakeOver subsequently became the name for NXT's major events that were held several times a year. Beginning with the second event, TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way, many events included a subtitle, which either revived old WWE event names or were named after the event's location, some of which occurred annually, but some of the later ones were simply titled by their installment number. A total of 36 TakeOver events were held from May 2014 to August 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Battleground</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

WWE Battleground, known as NXT Battleground beginning in 2023, is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based promotion. From 2013 to 2017, the event was broadcast on traditional pay-per-view (PPV) and beginning in 2014, it began to simultaneously be livestreamed on the WWE Network, which was extended to Peacock beginning in 2023. The event was established in 2013, debuting in October on WWE's PPV calendar, replacing Over the Limit. In 2014, Battleground moved up to the July slot, becoming the promotion's annual July PPV. To coincide with the brand extension that was reintroduced in July 2016, the 2017 event was held exclusively for wrestlers from the SmackDown brand. Battleground was then discontinued as WWE reduced the amount of yearly PPVs produced after they had discontinued brand-exclusive PPVs following WrestleMania 34 in April 2018. After five years, the event was revived in 2023 for WWE's developmental territory, NXT, to be held in May and only available via WWE's livestreaming platforms.

WWE Fastlane is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. It is broadcast live and has been available through pay-per-view (PPV) and via livestreaming on the WWE Network since 2015 and Peacock since 2021. The event was established in 2015 and replaced Elimination Chamber in the February slot of WWE's pay-per-view calendar; Elimination Chamber was pushed back to May that year. Beginning in 2017, the event moved to March, which made it WWE's first non-WrestleMania PPV to be held in March. In 2023, the event took place in October.

WWE Roadblock, known as NXT Roadblock since 2022, is a professional wrestling event series produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was established in March 2016, and this inaugural event was simply titled Roadblock and aired exclusively on the WWE Network streaming service. The second event was then held in December 2016 under the name Roadblock: End of the Line where in addition to the WWE Network, it also aired on traditional pay-per-view (PPV) outlets. To coincide with the brand extension reintroduced in July 2016, this second event was held exclusively for wrestlers from the Raw brand. Roadblock was discontinued after this second event; however, in 2022, WWE revived the event for its developmental brand NXT, and it has since been held annually in March as a television special episode of the NXT program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Clash of Champions</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

WWE Clash of Champions was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. It was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming service, the WWE Network. The event was established in 2016 and replaced Night of Champions in the late September slot of WWE's pay-per-view calendar. The event was moved to December in 2017, but returned to the September slot after the event was reinstated in 2019. An event was originally scheduled for 2021 but was canceled and replaced by that year's Extreme Rules event. Similar to Night of Champions, the theme of the event was that all active WWE championships available to each brand division featured at the event were defended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT WarGames</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

NXT WarGames was a professional wrestling event produced annually by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's developmental territory NXT, it was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming services Peacock and the WWE Network. The event was originally established in 2017 and held under the NXT TakeOver series. In September 2021, WWE discontinued the TakeOver series with the 2021 WarGames being NXT's first major event held following TakeOver's discontinuation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backlash France</span> 2024 WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

Backlash France is an upcoming 2024 professional wrestling event produced by the American company WWE. It will be the 19th Backlash event and will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu in Lyon Metropolis, France. The event will air via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and will be held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. This will be WWE's first PPV and livestreaming event to be held in France, and the first Backlash held outside of North America. The concept of the event will be based around the backlash from WrestleMania XL.

References

  1. "Payback 2013 (DVD)". WWE Home Video UK. WWE . Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  2. "Updated List of 2013 WWE Pay-Per-View Events". Wrestle Zone. 12 March 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  3. "WWE Announces Brand New PPV for Chicago in June". Wrestle Zone. March 12, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Caldwell, James (June 16, 2013). "CALDWELL'S WWE PAYBACK PPV RESULTS 6/16 (Hour 3): Edward Ticklebot vs. Rye Bread main event, Tag Title match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Updated List: Complete 2014 WWE PPV Calendar with Announced Dates and Locations". Wrestle Zone. February 11, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Martin, Adam (September 9, 2014). "Baltimore to host the WWE Payback PPV in 2015". WrestleView. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Johnson, Mike (February 23, 2016). "WWE PPV updates". PWInsider. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  8. "WWE Payback 2016 results: Epic encounter begins WWE's New Era". WWE. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  9. WWE.com Staff (July 19, 2016). "2016 WWE Draft results: WWE officially ushers in New Era". WWE . Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  10. 1 2 WWE.com Staff (February 20, 2017). "WWE Payback 2017 tickets available this Friday". WWE . Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  11. WWE.com Staff (February 17, 2018). "WWE pay-per-views just got bigger for 2018!". WWE . Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  12. 1 2 Johnson, Mike (July 31, 2020). "SUMMERSLAM UPDATE, WWE REVIVING OLD PPV NEXT MONTH AS WELL". PWInsider. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  13. 1 2 Lambert, Jeremy (June 16, 2023). "WWE Payback Announced For September 2". Fightful. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  14. Johnson, Mike (March 8, 2016). "WWE PAYBACK 2016 PRE-SALE CODE". PWInsider. Retrieved March 10, 2016.