WWE Payback 2016: 10 Reasons It Was Better Than WrestleMania 32
3. There Was Noticeably Less Pressure On WWE
Going into WrestleMania 32, there was a lot made of the thinning roster. Guys like John Cena, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins were on the injury list, leaving huge holes in the main event scene behind them.
Scrambling, WWE brought Shane McMahon back into the fold, pitting him against The Undertaker in a heavily-pushed Hell In A Cell war.
The promotion managed to deal with the absences, but they didn't look comfortable doing so for a while. Come Payback, the writing team appeared much more at ease with what they had to work with. As a result, the show came across very natural, giving people a lot to enjoy.
WrestleMania dominates attention when it comes around. That's not a bad thing, but it must be the most pressure-filled time to be a WWE employee. With the event now in the past, Payback had much more of a relaxed vibe.
That came across during the in-ring segment involving Vince, Shane and Stephanie. Everyone looked like they were pulling towards the same goal, eventually changing the scene on Monday Night Raw.