The first brand exclusive pay-per-view after Wrestlemania was presented on April 30th in the form of Payback. It took place after the Superstar Shakeup, so Raw had a chance to display superstars of both new and old. The card was exciting from top to bottom, and very few matches failed to deliver. With new storylines and superstars to look forward to, WWE is set for yet another great year.

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens continued their rivalry for the United States championship. Owens was recently drafted to SmackDown Live and he planned to take the title with him. However, if Jericho won he would head over to the blue brand himself. The match was quite solid and it built off of their great clash at Wrestlemania. In the end, to the surprise of most people, Jericho picked up the win and the US title. That was a big surprise, but it wouldn’t last for long. Not two days later on SmackDown Live, Owens got his rematch and defeated Jericho to regain his title while also sending Chris away for a few weeks so that he could tour with his band.

The Cruiserweight division has been constantly improving recently, and that has been thanks impart to Neville and Austin Aries. These two men put on a great match at Wrestlemania, and Aries earned yet another shot at Neville’s title at Payback. The action was looking good to start,  but it was quickly halted about ten minutes in with Neville got himself disqualified, therefore retaining his title. It was an odd, but necessary move to keep this great feud going. Also, the involvement of TJ Perkins could also make for some good matches in the future.

Matt and Jeff Hardy put their Raw Tag Team titles on the line against former champions Sheamus and Cesaro. The two teams seemed like friends going into the match, but things turned on a dime as soon as the Hardy Boyz retained. The two Europeans took it to the brothers, laying them out and turning heel in the process. The match was solid, and turning Sheamus and Cesaro heel could be great for this division with the Revival out of action for the next couple months. Hopefully the division will continue to improve on the shoulders of these great teams.

Bayley was set to defend her title against Alexa Bliss in her home town of San Jose, California. Any betting man would have put their money on Bayley, but yet another curveball was thrown to the audience. In what was a well worked match, Alexa Bliss came out victorious. Bliss has been on fire lately, cutting the best promos and working better than she ever has in her short career. She is now the top heel in Raw’s women’s division, and with the potential new feuds for her to get into with Bayley, Nia Jax, and Sasha Banks, it could very well make for some great things on Monday nights.

In the oddest and most controversial match of the night, Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton went head to head in a House of Horrors match. They started out in a house, then finally made their way to the ring in an anything goes brawl. It was obviously pre-recorded, and it just made for some weird action. Bray Wyatt was victorious after Jinder Mahal, the number one contender for Orton’s WWE title, interfered in the match. This was a good way to get Wyatt momentum on Raw, and it will be interesting to see who he may feud with next.

Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe have been on a collision course since Joe debuted on the main roster. The first thing he did was injure Seth Rollins’ surgically repaired knee at the command of Triple H. After Seth took care of Triple H at Wrestlemania, he set his eyes on Joe to get his payback (pun intended). It wasn’t the worst match in the world but it certainly wasn’t the best. Seth won clean which kind of discredits Joe’s “destroyer” gimmick, but that can easily be built back up. Where these two men go from here is a mystery, but it’s definitely intriguing to the fans.

The main event was a clash between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns. Strowman has been working better than he ever has and it showed in this match as the two men put on an absolute slobberknocker. Although Strowman did get hurt, putting him out for up to 6 months, he still picked up the win over Reigns. The booking of Reigns has been confusing as he defeated one of the most legendary performers in the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, then he goes on to be demolished by Braun. It doesn’t make much sense, but it makes for a heck of a feud and a great build for the Monster Among Men.