WWE Payback 2016: 10 Things You Might Have Missed
1. SummerSlam 1996 Revisited
In the main event of Payback, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns defended his title against AJ Styles, and while the Women's Championship match went back to 1997 for its finish, this bout went one year further.
At SummerSlam 1996, Shawn Michaels defended the WWE Championship against Vader. Vader first pummeled Michaels so badly that he couldn't get back in the ring, winning the match by countout. That wasn't good enough for Vader, who wanted to win the title, so he demanded the match be restarted. He continued to overwhelm Michaels until the champ resorted to a foreign object shot, drawing a DQ. Again, Vader was unsatisfied, so the match began again. Finally, HBK hit Sweet Chin Music and pinned his opponent.
At Payback, a similar sequence of events occurred. Styles hit a beautiful Phenomenal Forearm out of the ring and through a table, keeping Reigns outside for a 10 count. Shane McMahon restarted the match, but an accidental low blow from Reigns drew a DQ. After that, Stephanie called for the match to continue, and it was Reigns who got the pin off a Spear.
It's hard to be innovative in wrestling storytelling when there's so much history, but with the WWE Network, copying old angles has never been easier.