Review for WWE Payback and Backlash 2017 Double Pack

With the PPVs now being every two weeks it only makes sense that WWE would release the PPVs as double packs and I do like that they are doing this. This one features Raw's Payback and Smackdown's Backlash and both are reeling from the events of Wrestlemania. Both features some of the best matches from Kevin Owens, but also some great moments from everyone else. However, be warned they also include a lot of awful stuff to wade through to get to the good stuff...

WWE Payback 2017

WWE United States Championship
Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho
A pitch perfect match. I could watch these two go at it every day. I thought this was match of the night and really was a great showing and showed just how good Jericho and Owens are.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Neville vs. Austin Aries
A great match between the two. Both are shining stars of the Cruiserweight division, but Neville's heel is so great that I was surprised that a face Austin Aries would be this good against it.

WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro and Sheamus
A great match. Felt almost like when the Hardyz would wrestle the APA. Both teams where great and the ending was a pretty good way of progressing the feud.

WWE Raw Women's Championship
Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss
I just don't know about this match. I like both and love both of their characters I just wish this was allowed to breathe more before this payoff. This could have been much better.

House of Horrors Match
Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton
The Horror! The Horror! The fact that Wrestlecrap immediately inducted this shows how awful it all was. I just didn't understand who this was supposed to be for and what i was supposed to get out of this? By the end my brain just hurt at how bad it all was.

Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
This was a great match. I only wish it had been for something, like a Number 1 Contender match or something. It was a great showing from both and I think both looked great. I didn't agree with the ending, but i don't think it did any damage, which it could have done.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
They probably should have went with Owens/Jericho or Joe/Rollins for the last match as this just felt like a bit of a let down. Both were fine in general, but this made Roman Reigns whole being passed the torch at Wrestlemania seem more pointless than it was. Strowman was surprising and hoping he gets that main event push he is deserving.

WWE Backlash 2017

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler
We all knew who was winning this match. However, I must say that I love Nakamura. I could watch his entrance all day long and it is a a shame that they didn't do more with that. I'm not sure if Ziggler was the right person for this debut and maybe AJ Styles, Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn. It was a good match, full of energy and showed just how great Nakamura is and this was an amazing start in the main roster.

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The Usos vs. Breezango
This was a surprisngly good tag match between the two. I like the new Heel demeanor of the Usos and that has really revitalised them in the business. Both put on a great match.

Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
I don't understand the pushing of Corbin. To me, he feels like a poor man's Kane and we don't need that. This match was fine, but nothing special.

Six Women Tag
Natalya, Carmella and Tamina vs. Charlotte Flair, Naomi and Becky Lynch
Considering how many people are in this match, this is one of the most disappointing Women's matches I have seen in a long time. There is no reason for it to be like this and this feels like just an excuse to get all the Smackdown Women on the show without putting any effort into it.

WWE United States Championship
Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles
Match of the night. As if there was any doubt. Both showed just how great they are and just why they need and deserve to be in the main event. Both have elevated the US belt into a title that now means something and I would say that I could watch this match on repeat. It is not surprising that that it is the longest match on the card and the best.

Luke Harper vs. Erick Rowan
This match is 9 minutes long. That is really all I have to say. I would not be surprised if both are let go in the next WWE cull as without Bray Wyatt both are pointless and though have their moments are simply not entertaining enough.

WWE Championship
Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal
WOW! I guess WWE have a tour of India coming soon. I have no real issue with the title change. What I have an issue with is that this is the fourth in a matter of months. As much as I'm not a fan of Mahal he works well with Orton and hopefully they can give him a better storyline than 'He's not American' which is all he seems to have at the moment. A shocking ending to an average match.

Of the two PPVs, I would say that Backlash wins out. Neither is perfect, but Raw's Payback was utterly crippled by the abysmal House of Horrors mess and really could not recover from that. Not having their champion (Lesnar winning might not have been a good idea after all) meant that they really were clutching at straws and the PPV suffered for this. Backlash had the amazing debut of Nakamura and the dream match between Kevin Owens and AJ Styles are both perfect. However, neither are PPVs I would watch more than a few times, not without skipping through much of it and I would defy anyone who could sit through the House of Horrors without laughing at it.

WWE Payback and Backlash are a mixbag of PPVs. In a way it is good that they are both together as I don't think I could have recommended either separately. However, there is enough between the two PPVs that are worth watching and certainly worth it for the two Kevin Owens' matches and the debut of Nakamura.