WWE Payback 2016 Recap: Dolph Ziggler Defeats Baron Corbin, Enzo Amore Injured

Baron Corbin received a rough welcome to the main roster on Sunday night after being defeated by Dolph Ziggler at WWE Payback in Rosemont, Illinois, in his first pay-per-view singles match.

WWE Payback 2016 Recap: Dolph Ziggler Defeats Baron Corbin, Enzo Amore Injured

Although Corbin seemed to be in full control at first, veteran Ziggler rolled up Corbin and registered the victory, as WWE shared.

BleacherReport’s Chris Mueller provided his initial take on the match:

The opening match of WWE’s May pay-per-view event was also stopped just a few minutes in after one of the company’s newest and most popular wrestlers was injured in the ring.

In the middle of a No. 1 Contenders’ Match for the Tag Team Championship, Eric Arndt, aka ‘Enzo Amore,’ was thrown out of the ring, after which his head struck the middle rope, thus snapping his neck backwards. Amore, 29, immediately hit the ground and stayed down under the ring apron. WWE rapidly cut away from the injured performer to the announcers but showed several replays of the move that led to Amore’s injury.

Just before 1 am ET, WWE announced that Amore had been released from the hospital, still in his gown.

After a dominant run in NXT, Corbin, the ‘Lone Wolf’ made his WWE debut in surprising fashion at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, as he won the third annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Although Corbin was an unannounced entrant, he made his presence felt in a big way by eliminating Kane to secure the prestigious trophy bearing Andre the Giant’s name.

Corbin, a former offensive lineman for the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, destroyed Ziggler outside the ring on the night after WrestleMania.

The pair exchanged several attacks in the weeks leading up to Payback, and while rookie Corbin, 31, got the upper hand on most occasions, Ziggler managed to gain some momentum on the go-home episode of Raw by jumping Corbin and sending him running.

Ziggler went into Payback as a major underdog, primarily because WWE seems to have big plans for Corbin. The 35-year-old veteran boasts two world title reigns and four runs with the Intercontinental Championship, although some could argue that the WWE never allowed him to reach his full potential, given that he doesn’t exactly have ideal size.

The fact he beat one of WWE’s top homegrown wrestlers suggests there may also be big plans set for Ziggler in the near future.

On the other hand, Corbin’s status is now somewhat in question.

WWE still has the opportunity to raise Corbin to the top of its roster if it so chooses, depending on how he is booked moving forward. In the end, the main takeaway from Payback is most likely the concept that Ziggler could finally begin gaining traction as something more than just a mid-card improvement act.