6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Payback 2023 (Results & Review)

DOWNS…

3. A Mild Disappointment

Watching the WWE Women’s World Championship match, it was clear what angle they were playing: Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez were very evenly matched.

But after the 63rd example of the two of them establishing parity, it got to become near-parody. How many times can you have two people no-sell clotheslines, shoulder tackles and strikes to get across the point that they’re evenly matched? WWE might as well have just had them carry signs that read, “We’re both equally strong.”

And as we saw with the LA Knight/Miz match, this one had some extra time tacked on that pushed it past its sweet spot. Rodriguez looked lost for a moment, which Corey Graves covered by saying she had never been this deep into a match before. A good point, but also an indication it had gone on for too long.

Both women are powerhouses and have bright futures, and it’s clear they have chemistry in the ring. Perhaps a different tactic of showing they’re evenly matched and trimming about five minutes off the bout would have helped.