WWE Payback 2016: 10 Things You Might Have Missed
8. Smart Mark Fan-Service
WWE had hyped Payback as the first Pay-Per-View of a new era, and if anybody had any question about what that meant, the opening video for the show probably made it clear.
Featured heavily in the package were many of the stars who have come up from NXT recently, as well as the newcomers more popular amongst the hardcore fans - men like AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Apollo Crews, and Enzo and Cass. It was clear that WWE was trying to suck up to the so-called "smart" fans, and by extension position Shane McMahon (who's been made to look like the voice of the people) as their representative.
If that wasn't enough, fan chants of "This is awesome" were played during the package, hammering home exactly to whom they're trying to appeal. Still, though, it's hard to tell how "new" this era is going to be as long as Roman Reigns is still the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Is it just an empty promise, or are things really going to change?