LA Knight Beats The Miz with John Cena as Referee at WWE Payback 2023
September 3, 2023
LA Knight beat The Miz in a heated grudge match at WWE Payback on Saturday night with John Cena as special guest referee.
Cena and The A-Lister had a battle on the mic earlier in the evening.
WWE @WWELongtime rivals <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnCena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JohnCena</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/mikethemiz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mikethemiz</a> have battle on the 🎤 at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWEPayback?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWEPayback</a>! <a href="https://t.co/Vol2LmoV75">pic.twitter.com/Vol2LmoV75</a>
The veteran soon revealed that he was a special guest referee for the LA Knight-The Miz match:
WWE @WWE<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWEPayback?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWEPayback</a> Host AND Special Guest Referee?!<a href="https://twitter.com/JohnCena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JohnCena</a> truly is The Greatest of All Time! <a href="https://t.co/jSFYwpjMks">pic.twitter.com/jSFYwpjMks</a>
The bad blood between the two continued into the match, with Cena reprimanding The Miz for trying to use the rope for leverage during his pin attempt:
WWE @WWESpecial Guest Referee <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnCena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JohnCena</a> lays down the law for <a href="https://twitter.com/mikethemiz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mikethemiz</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/RealLAKnight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealLAKnight</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWEPayback?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWEPayback</a>! <a href="https://t.co/hEpuzylIDu">pic.twitter.com/hEpuzylIDu</a>
Eventually, Knight beat The Miz with the BFT. Afterward, Cena showed a sign of respect to the victor:
WWE @WWEYEAH!<br><br>Special Guest Referee <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnCena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JohnCena</a> gives a show of respect to <a href="https://twitter.com/RealLAKnight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealLAKnight</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWEPayback?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWEPayback</a>! <a href="https://t.co/mwwegvjosS">pic.twitter.com/mwwegvjosS</a>
The two charismatic Superstars first crossed paths in a Battle Royal at SummerSlam. Knight eliminated Miz from the match and went on to win it, giving him the biggest victory of his main roster career.
Clearly miffed by The Megastar getting the better of him, The A-Lister talked trash about him on a recent episode of Raw, prompting Knight to introduce himself, only for Miz to refuse a handshake.
In the weeks that followed, Knight and Miz traded verbal barbs regularly, and they also mixed it up in a few physical confrontations.
The Megastar embarrassed Miz on several occasions, including during an episode of Raw when The A-Lister claimed he would be facing an opponent who was far superior to Knight. That opponent ended up being Akira Tozawa.
With Knight at ringside for the match, Miz was clearly distracted, and The A-Lister ended up suffering a humiliating defeat.
Last week on SmackDown, Knight honored the life of Bray Wyatt before turning his attention to Miz and vowing to make him pay for his constant snide remarks and attempts to discredit what The Megastar has done.
Never one to let another person get the last word, The Miz hit back on this week's Raw by further diminishing Knight's success and connection with the fans.
The two-time WWE champion dressed up like Knight and impersonated him in a segment that was reminiscent of when he pretended to be Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson over a decade ago.
Miz claimed Knight is a wannabe Attitude Era wrestler who tries to be like The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin rather than being original. He also chastised the fans for buying into his shtick.
Plenty was said by both men leading up to Payback, and at Saturday's premium live event, Knight finally gained bragging rights by taking down his rival.
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