WWE Payback 2017: Assessing The Potential Quality Of All 8 Matches

7. Neville Vs. Austin Aries - WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match

Randy Orton Bray Wyatt
WWE.com

Neville and Austin Aries deserved far more at WrestleMania. They wrestled a barnstormer in front of a stadium that hadn't yet been filled - almost a philosophical debate of a pro wrestling match. If nobody was around or prepared to receive it, how good could it possibly have been?

For those who were paying attention, the answer was easy: their match was sublime, let down only (and only slightly) by a quiet crowd and a tentative presentation. It proved that WWE's much-criticised handling of Cruiserweight wrestling could interface spectacularly with what the vast majority of fans want it to be; it was far quicker and more urgent than anything else on the card, and the aerials were as spectacular as the impact spots were stiff. Neville even dropped Aries on his head with a brutal German suplex. They were intent on proving that they belonged on the main card, but an absorbing story underpinned the breathless content; Neville was dislodged from his comfort zone on the canvas by Aries, the greatest threat yet to his crown.

The pacing was phenomenal - everything built expertly to Neville's detonation of the Red Arrow - but it was criminally treated as filler. The Payback rematch has the potential to enter minor classic territory, but the events of RAW and 205 Live have unfortunately foreshadowed chicanery from an interfering TJ Perkins.

The purest wrestling match on the card will probably suffer from a dirty finish.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!