WWE revives Payback for August 30th PPV event

After being dormant since 2017, Payback will return to the WWE calendar next month, set for Sunday, August 30 at the Performance Center, just one week after SummerSlam. 

The news of the show on WWE’s internal calendar was first reported by PWInsider and later confirmed by Dave Meltzer. It’s unknown why they revived the name and why the event is happening so close after a major event. 

WWE has not publicly announced its return.

Payback was a regularly scheduled PPV event from 2013 through 2017. The 2013 and 2014 editions were held in June, both in the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. John Cena defended the WWE Championship against Ryback in the main event in 2013, while Evolution vs. The Shield headlined in 2014. 

The event was moved to May in 2015 and was held at Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena. Seth Rollins defeated Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns to retain the WWE Championship in the main event.

In 2016 and 2017, the event was shifted to the first PPV slot after WrestleMania. The 2016 edition was as held on May 1, again at Allstate Arena, with Reigns retaining the WWE World title in the main event with a win over AJ Styles. The 2017 version was held on April 30 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, and was headlined by Reigns vs. Braun Strowman.