WWE Payback 2023 results: KO, Sami find 2-on-5 too much to handle, Judgment Day wins tag team gold

It took the entire Judgment Day — and more — but Damian Priest and Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for gold at WWE Payback.

No pressure on Damian Priest and Finn Balor here, except there very much is since Rhea Ripley promised changes in The Judgment Day if they don’t win. The announcers mention that Priest’s last Street Fight, against Bad Bunny in Puerto Rico, went poorly, and the fans are already chanting for tables.

Sami Zayn takes to the air, landing on both of his opponents right after Balor angered the crowd by stepping on a Terrible Towel. Zayn and Kevin Owens put in some serious work with a pair of trash cans, then batter Balor with kendo sticks while he’s stuck inside a can.

The Judgment Day takes control both in and out of the ring, though KO is able to beat Priest down for a bit until Balor stops him with a chair shot. Zayn gives Balor some of the same medicine, and the fight goes outside the ring with all four men — make that five as Dominik Mysterio arrives to lend a hand.

While The Judgment Day is strategizing, though, Owens and Zayn make a costume change and pop back up wearing Pittsburgh Penguins jerseys. Their rally leads to Zayn hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb to Balor on a pile of chairs in the ring; Sami ends up getting powerbombed into some chairs in return.

Owens is screaming for their foes to fight him, but he’s going it alone at the moment and is sent into the barricade behind the announce table. The Judgment Day duo batters KO up an aisle until he rallies further back in the crowd on the floor, and Zayn joins him there.

Sami hits a somersault senton off a platform back in the crowd, and KO seems to have something special planned for Mysterio. Dom is placed on a table, and Owens climbs into the stands and lands hard on a Swanton Bomb through the table.

Back in the ring, Zayn has Balor in trouble, though a trash can throw by Priest stops him in his tracks, and Finn covers for a near fall. Sami has to fight to avoid double team offense, which he does. He sends Balor crashing through a table on the floor, and Owens is back in with a Stunner for Priest. A Helluva Kick follows, but JD McDonagh drags Sami out of the ring.

KO makes JD pay for that decision, bouncing him hard off the announce table. Rhea Ripley runs down and spears Owens through the barricade in retaliation, which is an awesome sight.

Only Balor and Zayn remain in the ring, and Finn hits the Sling Blade and his shotgun dropkick. But he misses the Coup de Grace when Zayn moves, and an Exploder sets up the Helluva Kick. Mysterio clobbers him with the MITB briefcase though, and Balor covers to give us new tag team champions.