WWE Payback 2014 DVD Review

WWE Payback 2014 is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now, available from www.wwedvd.co.uk. Broadcast live on Pay-per-View (and the WWE Network) from the Allstate Arena in Chicago,  Illinois, USA on 1st June 2014, the show is main evented by The Shield facing off with Evolution in a No Holds Barred Elimination Match, supported by John Cena and Bray Wyatt attempting to be the Last Man Standing and Cesaro challenging Sheamus for the United States Championship, alongside five other matches. The special features include one other match and one additional segment from the Payback Kick-Off show. The commentary is provided by John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler.

WWE's PPV offering in June was the second outing for Payback. The main event of the show saw Evolution's Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton take on The Shield's Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in a smashing No Holds Barred Elimination match. Full of all the drama that had become a calling card for The Shield, this is a well put together match, that builds nicely towards each spot, which are, for the most part, excellent. Through in some terrific visuals, like the entire Evolution beating down Roman Reigns, and you have all the ingredients for a superb main event. This match won our Match of the Month vote for June, as well as qualifying for our Match of the Year Poll and it's difficult to argue against. 

Elsewhere on the upper card, John Cena and Bray Wyatt go to war in a belting Last Man Standing match. With a supporting cast of The Usos, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper to keep things interesting, this match concludes Cena and Wyatt's feud nicely. 

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan turns up to answer Stephanie McMahon threats of firing his wife Brie Bella or making him drop his title due to injury. I can't see why WWE opted to put this on PPV, as it would have been better suited to Raw.

Sheamus puts the United States Championship on the line in an intense, physical brawl. After a slow first couple of minutes, the match builds nicely with both men proving why they deserve a renewed focus in WWE storylines. 

Whilst the upper card on the show is strong, it is let down by the under card. Bad News Barrett and Rob Van Dam's Intercontinental Championship match, misses it's few opportunities to become an interesting match. Cody Rhodes and Goldust taking on Rybaxel is a decent tag team match, but nothing you wouldn't see on an episode of Raw. Alicia Fox challenges Paige for the Diva's Championship in a match that is refreshingly aggressive, but lacks any real pace or selling. Big E and Rusev do the best the can do with the slightly over three minutes that is handed to them. Bo Dallas and Kofi Kingston's walk to ring can barely be called a match, although it's worth it Dallas' promo work.

Payback Kick-Off

The special features are exclusively from the Payback Kick-Off show from the WWE Network.

A Byron Saxton interview with Nikki Bella would be entirely pointless, if it wasn't for Nikki's chest. Look what you've done to me WWE, I used to be a respectable gentleman (I was never a respectable gentleman)

El Torito and Hornswoggle go balls to the wall in a Hair vs Mask match, it's a little bit of fun, with some mildly humourous spots. The real credit has to go to 3MB and Los Matadores who pull off some impressive flips at ringside.

Finally...

Three matches on this show deliver, luckily these are the three matches from the upper card. Everything else could either have appeared on Raw, misses opportunities that guys at this level should be grabbing with both hands or just isn't very good to start with. Personally I think the three matches that deliver are worth the price of the DVD, with three Match of the Month contenders and one Match of the Year contender included.