WWE Payback 2017 Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

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Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns

Result: Braun Strowman defeats Roman Reigns via pinfall.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Payback became the first time we saw Reigns in a WWE ring on TV since the night after WrestleMania 33. This was when Reigns said it’s “my yard now.” Strowman attacked him later in the month, leading to the Big Dog being off Raw until WWE Payback.

This match was hard-hitting from the start, mostly with Strowman assaulting Reigns. He worked on the taped-up shoulder of the former Shield man, picking him apart around the ring. It felt like WWE’s attempt to make us sympathetic for the three-time WrestleMania main-eventer, but that’s never going to work today, tomorrow, next week, next year, or in five years.

It feels like the moment where Reigns draws the biggest negative reaction is when he hits the Superman Punch. This is a weak-looking move from someone who’s supposed to be this powerful Samoan.

After two running poweslams, Strowman took out Reigns with the pinfall. It came clean in the ring, too, giving the former Wyatt Family member his moment.

Following the match, Strowman immediately threw steel steps into the ring and set up an attack on Reigns. He threw Reigns, ribs-first, onto the steps. Could that be another way of removing him off TV?

As Reigns walked away, he received “you deserve it” chants. If you wanted to know how badly some fans hate this Superstar, there you go.

That will do for this WWE Payback pay-per-view. It was a night that lasted two hours, 48 minutes, about five hours fewer than WrestleMania 33. What did you think of this evening?