Yes, some of the chants were annoying but WWE made the event feel special with their energy and their enthusiasm. Can every show happen at San Jose henceforth, please?
We end with a picture of Alexa Bliss looking like the cutest Iron Man ever.
Perhaps the worst crowd chant there is, at the moment
If ‘What?’ and ‘You deserve it' weren't bad enough, WWE fans now chant ‘Sweet’ after every 2-count. It is amusing at first but gets annoying soon enough. Calm your you know what, WWE Universe. It's not as amusing for those not in the arena, you stupid idiots!
Michael Cole was on fire for a change at the commentary desk. Maybe WWE has given him a lot more freedom than usual lately, but he wasn’t your typical company man.
Instead, he called moves beautifully and even offered some fantastic insights for a change. Corey Graves was great as always, and Booker T was...well...Booker T. Cole stole the show, and we hope he continues this form, over the coming weeks too.
Everything about this segment screamed outright- ‘Cheesy!’
Horror-themed storylines don't belong in wrestling, at least in the PG era. This wasn't Kane making his debut and destroying the Hell in a Cell Door, during the match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker.
This wasn’t even The Undertaker and Mankind from their Boiler Room Brawl from Summerslam 1996. This was a watered down segment in a not-so-strange looking house, where dolls were hanging from the ceiling.
From a topless Randy Orton arriving in a limo to the actual brawl (starring the fridge) and Bray Wyatt hobbling back to the limousine, this match was a disaster in every sense.
According to Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, fans were chanting ‘boring’ during the match. We certainly do not blame them for the same. Bray Wyatt may have won this match, but he certainly deserves better than this embarrassment.
This was a feel good moment, every fan really desperately wanted
While we had reported that Chris Jericho is likely to win The United States Championship at Payback (despite the fact that he’s going on tour with his band, this month) it was still a really genuine surprise when it happened. However, Y2J is genuinely going on tour, and he’s likely to lose his belt at SmackDown Live.
Nobody predicted the heel turn from Cesaro and Sheamus though, and it was heartening to see WWE take chances and mixing things up at Payback. While Alexa Bliss’ win may have come as a surprise to some (we reported that one too), WWE takes an abnormal amount of joy in making champions lose their belts at home.
Payback really felt like a B-show because of this reason
With Brock Lesnar, a part-timer, holding the top title belt on Raw, Payback felt like an underwhelming affair. The US Championship match should become the main event of the show, as a consequence, but it was the match that kickstarted the show.
Randy Orton did not defend the WWE Championship either, which meant that a grudge match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman closed the night at the pay-per-view. While the match in itself was fine, this just undervalues the pay-per-view for what it could have been if the Universal Championship was on a full-time WWE performer.
With Brock Lesnar working limited dates, we fear that this is a trend that will run through the course of the year.
Why did poor Naomi have to surrender her title, as per the nonsensical 30-day clause then?
Some superstars got their payback, while others did not
How did WWE fare in its first pay-per-view since Wrestlemania? WWE Payback 2017 was a pretty good show, and it does excite us for Raw the following night. It was not perfect, but considering the fact that it is a B pay-per-view, Payback had its moments.
At this moment, we can say with certainty that we have more positives than negatives to report from the action that transpired at the SAP Center in San Jose, California (and the House of Horrors). Here is our post-event analysis of this Raw exclusive pay-per-view featuring many SmackDown superstars.
#1 Best: Braun Strowman’s dominance continues
Thankfully, our worst fears were not realised at Payback
There was no way Braun Strowman was going to lose this match, we thought to ourselves, considering how strongly he’s been booked thus far. However, knowing that his match was against a man that the company sees as their prized possession- Mr. ‘Ooooaaaa’ Roman Reigns, we were afraid that WWE was building a monster to feed him to The Big Dog at Payback.
Ultimately, Braun Strowman won the match quite effortlessly, and Roman Reigns, selling his injuries, was also protected as he was not at 100% in this match. Strowman’s reign of terror continued after the match when Reigns was laid out on the mat, establishing him as a vicious heel.
WWE does not do everything right, but it’s been amazing how well they've built up Braun Strowman since the draft happened last year.
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley for the RAW Women's Championship: WWE Payback 2017 winner, video highlights and analysis
Who will be the face of the RAW Women's Division?
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley
Bayley entered with her RAW Women’s Championship and was prepared to defend it against Bliss. Bayley had the crowd support as this was her hometown, while Bliss got some heat.
Bliss started with the mind games as Bayley made her attempt to dominate. Bayley dominated the match at the start, despite Alexa’s antics. Bliss rolled out of the ring and continued her tricks, but Bayley slammed her with heavy knees before she could get in.
Bayley continued to dominate by smashing Bliss’ face against the turnbuckle until the challenger countered. Bliss then began her domination by delivering multiple shots to the Champion. Bliss seemed desperate for the win and tried everything, even standing on and pulling Bayley’s hair.
Bayley tried her best to counter but failed as Bliss continued to control the match. Bliss kicked Bayley out of the ring and attempted to humiliate the Champ in front of her home crowd. However, this time Bayley countered after Alexa attempted to gloat and the took the upper hand.
Bayley began unloading on Alexa Bliss and went to the top rope as she managed to connect with an elbow, but yet again Bliss countered, only for Bayley to counter Bliss’s top rope move. Yet again Bliss covered the champion only for her to kick out.
The match was a continuous trade of blows, but Bayley, however, seemed to be in the driver's seat with an ‘Elbow Drop From The Top Rope’. Bliss seemed down for the count but a push into the turnbuckle saw Bliss take full advantage as a prone Bayley took a ‘DDT’ to lose her championship. Making Alexa Bliss the new RAW Women’s Champion.
She is the only woman to hold both the RAW and SmackDown Women’s titles. Respect ‘Little Miss Bliss
WWE Payback 2017: 5 possible endings for the Roman Reigns- Braun Strowman match
Will the Roman Empire persevere, or will it be The Monster's time at Payback?
When these forces of nature collide, who will eventually persevere?
While this is not a championship match, it feels like the most important contest on the entire Payback card. Roman Reigns, the ultimate company guy, takes on the unstoppable monster, Braun Strowman, in a grudge match after Strowman laid him out on Raw.
Reigns has missed many episodes of Raw as a result, including the Payback go-home show. This begs the question, what is on the cards at Payback for these two men? We cannot predict the future, but we can present possibilities to you that may give you a glimpse into the outcome of the match. Read on, folks.
#5 Utter annihilation by Braun Strowman
Will the monster continue his rampage?
Braun Strowman is probably the best ‘big man’ in the business at the moment. Maybe the best since The Big Show. WWE realises his potential and has pushed him to the moon and back by booking him very dominantly. So, we've seen him tip over ambulances with his bare hands, destroy a ring with his weight and dismantle the company's golden boy Roman Reigns with no mercy at all. There’s a significant possibility that he carries this momentum into Sunday and does not let Reigns get any offence in through the entire match.
This could be a repeat of the infamous Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena match from a few years ago or the Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton match from last year. The monster completely annihilates his opponent and appears indestructible. We know that Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar will probably be in a program soon, and it makes sense to present him as an invincible force. We wonder if WWE will choose to tread this path at Payback. It may be a smart long-term booking decision.
#4 Roman Reigns enters in an ambulance and gets himself disqualified
Roman Reigns could unleash his mean streak in this grudge match
Here’s another interesting way to book this epic contest. Braun Strowman took out all his ire on Roman Reigns, utterly destroying him and putting him out of commission. Roman could come back now to seek retribution on the monster. There is no championship on the line; there is no reason to play by the rules. This is just a matter of Payback, simply put. Reigns could come out with a kendo stick or a trashcan or even an ambulance and put Strowman out for good.
Well after the match has ended, the beatdown could continue, eventually leading to Strowman being put in a hospital. This makes Roman Reigns look strong and also does not make Braun Strowman look weak as Roman Reigns used nefarious means to take his anger out on the Monster among Men. Who knows? Such an attitude may actually get the crowd to chant for Reigns.
#3 Double count out
Maybe neither man wins the match
It is important for Braun Strowman to be booked as the next big monster heel. At the same time, Roman Reigns is always the top guy in the WWE, Vince McMahon's chosen one. For either man to take the pinfall may be difficult for the company to bear, since both men feature in their plans.
The solution, therefore, could be that neither man wins. The brawl begins in the ring and continues outside the ring while the referee counts to ten. This may be a lame way for the match to end, but it protects both men.
#2 Roman Reigns wins the match clean
Unfortunately, this may be Vince McMahon’s dream plan
In traditional booking, a monster heel is built up only to be fed to the company’s top babyface or golden boy. While Braun Strowman certainly deserves better, we all know how traditional WWE can be in their overall outlook.
There's a good possibility that Roman Reigns will beat Braun Strowman clean, in the middle of the ring. Strowman will slip down the ranks, and all his momentum will have been for nothing. Maybe it's just our paranoia speaking, but we certainly hope that WWE knows better than to allow this to transpire.
#1 A double turn
These two men are talented enough to make it happen at Payback
Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin wrestled as babyface and heel respectively in their classic match at WrestleMania 13. By the end of the match, through the course of their actions, their roles had reversed. Say what you want to about Roman Reigns, but he can work an excellent match.
Braun Strowman is no slouch either. A heel turn for Roman Reigns has also been long overdue. This could be the perfect opportunity to tell a good story and create a new top babyface the fans can actually root for. It will freshen up both characters and make the coming months far more entertaining.
