WWE Payback 2017 is official done and dusted. The first pay per view of the year after Wrestlemania 33 was good for the most part. Of course, there were some issues with it – like most WWE pay per views – but for the most part, it was much better than anyone expected it to be.
Even though Payback was supposed to be a Monday Night Raw PPV, the Superstar Shakeup which occurred after Wrestlemania meant that there were a number of Smackdown Live superstars who were performing on the card as well, including the likes of Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, and now, Chris Jericho.
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A pretty entertaining ride from top to bottom, Payback served to remind the WWE Universe that the WWE can put on a decent show, but you can’t help but feel this would have been an excellent pay per view if they had made a few changes.
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As always, some superstars came out of Payback looking much better than the others, and we're here to analyse who they were. So, without any further ado, here are the Biggest winners and losers from WWE Payback 2017:
Loser #4: Finn Balor and The Miz
Look, I get it that there are only so many spots on the card, and there's no room for everyone there, but surely Finn Balor and The Miz deserved something more than a Miz TV segment on the preshow of all things?
Sure, it was mildly entertaining, and it was fun to see Balor kick The Miz's ass, but it's nothing we haven't seen before from a Miz TV segment. Hell, Balor said so himself when the whole thing was going down.
The Intercontinental Champion and the former Universal Champion deserve much better, and hopefully, they will do great things on the next Raw PPV.
Winner #4: Cesaro and Sheamus
Cesaro and Sheamus were getting pretty damn boring these past few weeks, and this heel turn was just what the doctor ordered. Not only does it breathe new life into the pair's tag team life, but it also serves to make the tag team division more interesting.
The Revival's injury left a gaping hole for a big heel tag team on Monday Nights, and it seems like The Swiss Superman and The Celtic Warrior will be occupying that slot for now. Works for me.
Loser #3: Bayley
What is it with the WWE and making champions lose in front of their hometown crowds? Bayley was the latest to join that list as she dropped the WWE Raw Women's Championship to Alexa Bliss at Payback in front of an adoring San Jose crowd.
This further cheapens the value of the belt as well, as WWE creative resume the game of hot potato that the championship has been going through since the Brand Split. Also, Bayley winning at Wrestlemania but losing at Payback just seems weird.
At least she lost to a worthy contender in Bliss.
Also read: 5 Botches, slip-ups and outrageous moments from WWE Payback 2017
Winner #3: Michael Cole
One of the truly surprising entrants on this list, Michael Cole brought his A-Game to San Jose for WWE Payback. The Voice of the WWE sounded better than he has in years and provided some excellent calls throughout the show. He even avoided saying, "Vintage Orton!"
Hopefully, this is something of a renaissance for the much-maligned commentator instead of a one off great performance.
Loser #2: Kevin Owens
Look, I love Chris Jericho. I really wish he wasn't going away to tour with Fozzy. But, why make one of your brightest talents lose to a veteran who is about to take a hiatus from professional wrestling? And, not only that, Kevin Owens actually lost clean via submission.
Not only does it make KO look weak, but it also cheapens the value of the US Championship because Jericho is most likely to drop the belt on this Tuesday's episode of Smackdown Live. If you wanted to move Y2J to Smackdown, you could have just done it during the Superstar Shakeup and preserved The Prizefighter's status.
Winner #2: Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe
I'll admit, I was kind of torn on this match as to what I wanted from the outcome. I love both Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe, and they both needed to put on a strong performance here to kick on to better and bigger things.
WWE handled this correctly by making The Samoa Submission Machine seem like the dominating monster that he is but also gave Seth Rollins the victory via a sharp reversal of the Coquina Clutch into a pin.
Both stars come out this one looking good, and hopefully, they'll be on the up tomorrow on Raw as well.
Loser #1: The WWE Universe
How do you host a pay per view where neither of the two major belts of the company aren't being defended? This is exactly what fans were afraid of when Brock Lesnar became Universal Champion, and it seems their fears were well founded. The Beast isn't expected to defend the belt until Great Balls of Fire. I'm still not over the name of that PPV, by the way
The WWE Championship wasn't defended either, despite the fact that Randy Orton was competing in a House of Horrors match against Bray Wyatt. And, that match was quite a bit of nonsense as well.
Overall, it's the fans who had to suffer through that monstrosity without any payoff at the end. Sucks to be us.
Winner #1: Braun Strowman
The Monster Among Men has successfully returned from the embarrassment of not winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 33. Braun Strowman beat Roman Reigns in the middle of the ring at Payback and then proceeded to burn down the Roman Empire.
He looks incredibly strong and looks to be next in line to take on Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title.
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