It has been only four weeks since WrestleMania 33, but after the high-energy post-Mania Raw and SmackDowns and the "Superstar Shake-up," it has felt considerably longer.
Hopes are mixed heading into this transitional event, with rivalries that were split apart by the draft seemingly coming to a close, but with numerous title matches and a crucial clash between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman set for the evening, a lot can change on both Raw and SmackDown over the course of a few short hours. We're here to cover it live, as it happens, with full ratings and recaps from Tim Fiorvanti and ESPN Stats & Info's Sean Coyle.
The following was updated in real time.
Braun Strowman def. Roman Reigns via pinfall (11:50)
Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one. Time and time again during his WWE career, Roman Reigns has overcome the odds, no matter how high they were stacked against him, and that has ultimately left a significant portion of the WWE fandom with a sour taste in their mouths.
But for a few fleeting moments, as a heavily bandaged Reigns laid in a crumpled heap in the corner of the ring, defeated by Braun Strowman, he showed an element of vulnerability and humanity that has so sorely been lacking from a man who currently stands as the most polarizing "good guy" since peak John Cena.
Even though there was a brief moment of triumph for Reigns, defying all odds, logic and reason during the aftermath of the Payback pay-per-view, it's worth focusing on the many things that were done right during the utter destruction that Strowman rained down on Reigns during the bulk of their match.
From the moment Reigns made his first appearance in weeks with his shoulder and torso heavily bandaged and Instantly jacked Strowman in the mouth, it was clear that Reigns would be fighting an uphill battle.
For a few brief moments, it appeared to settle into a familiar pattern, as Reigns hit a Superman punch-style clothesline that immediately sent Strowman from his feet and induced an audible groan from the audience.
That changed in a hurry when Reigns went for a drive-by and Strowman caught him in mid-air, flung him into the ring barrier and chokeslammed him onto the table without breaking it. Strowman beat Reigns persistently, both inside and out of the ring, as he sent him into the ring post and steel steps on multiple occasions. He slowed things down as he squeezed the life out of Reigns with a bear-hug-style submission, but Reigns clawed his way back into the match through sheer survival instinct.
He dodged two clothesline splashes, hit an uppercut and then, under great duress, got Strowman up and hit a Samoan drop. A series of corner clotheslines and finally a clothesline that drove both himself and Strowman out of the ring in a ball of humanity followed.
It looked, for a brief moment, as if Reigns' version of "vintage" Cena's "five moves of doom" might actually lead him to victory. A drive-by, a powerslam counter that sent Strowman into the ring post and another dodge that sent Strowman crashing yet again into the ring post set the giant up for a spear.
It earned Reigns only a two-count, and it only went downhill for him from there. After a kick to the shoulder from Strowman, the pair went toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring until a pair of Superman punches from Reigns sent Strowman to one knee. A double rebound spear attempt, as in the one he delivered to finish off The Undertaker, led to Strowman's countering him in an arm-trap, triangle-style sleeper.
Strowman transitioned directly into his powerslam, which has been devastating and final to most, but at the very last possible moment, Reigns lifted his shoulder just enough off the mat to kick out. An incredulous Strowman picked up Reigns for another powerslam and got the three-count, to the shock and, frankly, joy of much of the crowd.
Strowman wasn't done, though, as he dropped Reigns onto the exposed ring steps in the middle of the ring (which dented the side of the steps in the process). He then lifted up those same steps and crashed down onto Reigns' ribs with believable force, then finally making his exit.
Reigns remained down for several minutes, as he sold internal injuries that caused blood to leak from his mouth. But he insisted on walking to the back under his own power, stumbling to the backstage area as he periodically collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.
After the pay-per-view went off the air, the post-show "Raw Talk" showed Reigns stumbling to the ambulance. As Reigns attempted to find his balance, Strowman screamed, "I'm not finished with you," as he came charging from off-screen. Reigns ducked out of the way, despite his severely injured state, as Strowman went crashing through an ambulance door into a stack of boxes.
A second charge led Reigns to strike Strowman with the remaining ambulance door, which was enough to send Strowman running. As the WWE struggles to cross the unenviable impasse of finding sympathy for Reigns -- chants of "Thank you Strowman" and "You deserve it" directed at Reigns are a big indication -- but Sunday's Payback main event was a big step for both men involved.
With any luck, the future will reflect a line of thinking more along the lines of what happened in and around the ring, rather than backstage. For now, though, we can certainly enjoy a monumental win for Strowman, a dose of vulnerability for Reigns, and an altogether strong show outside of the absurdity theater that was the "House of Horrors."
Bray Wyatt def. Randy Orton in the House of Horrors match
Editor's note: Recap by Matt Wilansky
For weeks, no one knew exactly what the "House of Horrors" match was -- and that includes WWE champion Randy Orton.
The two-part match started off in Bray Wyatt's supposed house located in parts unknown, and yes, it was as bizarre as predicted. Orton arrived to a haunted house of sorts by limo. He slowly approached the house in search of Bray Wyatt in what appeared to be a poor attempt at a TNA's Total Deletion recreation.
Orton spotted Wyatt in the house, and the chaos began. But that's all the start of this so-called match was -- chaos.
The two traveled from room to room, beating each other senseless using random objects around the house as the camera focused on the tattered walls, cobwebs and creepy dolls hanging from the ceiling.
Eventually, Wyatt threw a refrigerator on Orton, leaving the champion motionless. Wyatt retrieved to the limo, and thus, the head-shaking first part of this match ended.
After the Seth Rollins-Samoa Joe match, Orton and Wyatt moved to the ring. Strange story short, the Singh Brothers interfered on behalf of Wyatt, and moments later, SmackDown No. 1 contender Jinder Mahal smacked Orton over the head with the belt he stole this past Tuesday.
Wyatt pinned Orton following a Sister Abigail, and the match was over. After months of a twisted, illogical feud, hopefully this sad series of events ends the interaction between Orton and Wyatt for a long time. This seems as though it will be the case with Wyatt moving to Raw.
From the weeks of diabolical fighting words to bizarre big screen promos, this battle was well worn out. Now, mercifully, each can move on to bigger and better storylines.
Seth Rollins def. Samoa Joe via pinfall (15:55)
Despite a variety of tag-team contests and pull-aparts, finally getting to see this enticing one-on-one contest that we should have seen in the build-up to WrestleMania 33 was worth the wait.
Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe, both former NXT champions (and, in a different time, Ring of Honor world champions), gave us a glimpse into just how much chemistry these two top stars have with one another. Despite an abrupt ending, it appears that Rollins' victory over Joe is just another step in what's likely to be one of the anchors of Raw in the weeks and months to come.
They started the match on the outside, as Joe sent Rollins into the timekeeper's area, only for Rollins to climb up on the barricade and hit a flying strike on Joe. A pair of tope suicidas back-to-back (channeling a third former ROH champion, in Jay Lethal, no less) gave Rollins the edge until Joe went back to the well and targeted Rollins' bad knee with a dragon screw to send his opponent tumbling out of the ring.
Joe hit a tope suicida of his own that sent Rollins crashing between the two commentator desks at ringside and then went back to work on Rollins with a chop block followed by a cannonball on his balky knee. Throughout the match, Rollins, just as he did against Triple H at WrestleMania, sold the leg just enough but not too much.
With him at about three-quarters speed, and Joe's still-surprising speed for a man of his size, which has always been one of his best assets, the pace of this match was nearly perfect.
Then things picked up. Rollins sent Joe into the middle turnbuckle and followed up with a superkick to Joe's jaw. Joe hit a knee-capper (as identified by Corey Graves) and rolled right into a knee-bar in the middle of the ring. Rollins eventually got to the bottom rope, but Joe picked him up, hit a powerbomb and held onto the legs. Joe transitioned into a single-leg crab, a double-leg crab and finally a Texas cloverleaf, though that too led to a rope break.
Joe sold his frustration and upped the aggression factor until Rollins, selling out in desperation, sacrificed his knee to hit whatever counters he could including a slingblade, followed by a top rope blockbuster.
Joe's keying too heavily on the knee allowed Rollins to get out of the way the next time he tried to splash him, but amidst an offensive flurry, Rollins' knee gave out during an attempt at a buckle bomb. Rollins was still able to hit a Falcon Arrow and climbed back to the top rope to hit a frog splash, only for him to bang up his knee again before another near-fall.
Joe eventually turned Rollins around and nearly locked in a Coquina clutch, only for Rollins to kick off the middle turnbuckle to flip it over into a roll-up for a two-count. Joe turned Rollins inside out with a clothesline, locked in another sleeper and looked ready to turn into a Coquina clutch yet again, but a second Rollins counter, in which he rolled through into a cradle pin, led to a fluky-looking, three-count pinfall victory.
Although building upon the momentum that Joe has picked up in recent weeks, including a big win against Jericho on Raw, might have been a big boost for him, Joe's utter domination of Rollins through most of the match takes a bit of the sting out of the loss. It seems as if there's still quite a bit of unfinished business between these two, and that's great news to both us and them.
Alexa Bliss def. Bayley (c) to win Raw Women's Championship
A full recap of this match can be found here.
Raw tag team championships: The Hardy Boyz (c) def. Cesaro & Sheamus via pinfall (Jeff Hardy on Sheamus) (12:45)
There's no denying the impact the Hardy Boyz have already had on the Raw tag-team division, but with no truly viable heels to stand against them, something had to give.
After a surprisingly sharp tag-team title contest with Sheamus and Cesaro, which ended with the Hardys' hands raised by the challengers for the third straight week, the villains-to-be revealed themselves as Cesaro and Sheamus laid waste to the Raw tag team champions and clearly kept themselves at the top of the pile in the Raw tag-team title picture.
The Hardy Boyz controlled things early in the match with some of their vintage offense, but a Cesaro uppercut changed the pace and gave the challengers the momentum for much of the rest of the contest. For the most part, it was about Jeff taking a beating with only the occasional signs of hope. Cesaro showed off an incredible vertical leap that had his legs parallel and above the top rope despite a standing start, and that led into an intensely interesting-looking leg drop.
Jeff ultimately had to take out both Sheamus and Cesaro simultaneously with a Whisper in the Wind, which allowed Matt to get in and hit Cesaro with a flurry of top turnbuckle smashes to give his team a brief respite. But a missed moonsault, followed by Cesaro's springboard corkscrew uppercut (which has become a staple of Cesaro's offense, to a point where it's taken for granted despite how much of a spectacle it truly is), and that led directly into a Cesaro swing.
"Matt Hardy's going to think he's in a different Universe after this one," Corey Graves said, with almost a knowing wink to the audience as Cesaro went nearly 20 rotations. Cesaro immediately locked in the sharpshooter, and as Matt reached for the ropes, Jeff pushed the bottom rope closer so he could grab it.
Sheamus and Cesaro maintained control as Sheamus hit White Noise from the top rope on Matt, only for Jeff to come to the rescue again at the final possible moment. Cesaro caught Jeff out of mid-air but got deposited in the audience shortly thereafter, thanks to a kick to the chest.
Sheamus missed a brogue kick and hit a DDT but missed that Jeff got a blind tag on Matt; with a Swanton Bomb onto Sheamus' back (with Matt trapped underneath), Jeff earned the Hardys a successful tag-team title defense. All seemed well after a third handshake in as many weeks, despite three losses in singles and tag-team action for Sheamus and Cesaro, and the losing team raised the tag-team champions' hands before appearing to leave.
They weren't finished. As the Hardys went to the corners to celebrate, Cesaro shoved Jeff off the top rope, and he and Sheamus proceeded to dismantle both Hardys. Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick while Cesaro had Jeff trapped against the ring post, then rolled Matt back into the ring. Cesaro had Matt set up and trapped, which allowed Matt to get a Brogue Kick of his own. This team in particular, and the division, should benefit from a change in attitude from the former tag-team champions, and it should push the Hardys even further down the line -- possibly "breaking" them -- to great effect.
Austin Aries def. Neville (c) via disqualification (11:20)
Rolling from one hot title rivalry directly into another, Austin Aries and Neville were seemingly poised to add onto what they built with one of the true highlights of WrestleMania.
In what seemed to be a growing trend for the evening, things didn't go as many thought they would. Although it ended in a disappointing fashion to many, with a disqualification rather than a definitive result, the added friction and intrigue to this rivalry could go on to make for an even better blow-off when the time is right.
Aries' frenetic energy carried this match early on, with a variety of high-flying repertoire carrying much of the match. He springboarded to Neville while the latter was standing on the outside and nearly hit a 450 splash right out of the gate, only for Neville to kick out the ropes and send Aries crashing to the mat.
Neville used that momentum to his advantage to wrest control of the match, highlighted by an Irish whip that sent Aries violently into the corner. From there, Neville began to flash signs of his ego, slowing down the pace and essentially stalking his prey while being none-too-subtle about it. Neville double-legged drop kicked Aries and seemingly had the match in the palm of his hands, but then he went to the ropes three separate times to antagonize the crowd.
It was a perfect execution of the rule of threes, as Aries attacked Neville on the third instance and drop-kicked Neville over the top rope and to the outside. A top rope elbow to the back of a sitting Neville and an almost reverse version of Randy Orton's hangman's neckbreaker, followed by a tope suicida to Neville on the outside set Aries up for the win.
Aries eventually locked in his patented Last Chancery, with Neville in trouble in the middle of the ring. With no other options other than to tap, Neville attacked the official to trigger a DQ finish. It's easy to question the ending as a bit of a cop-out, but it pushes back the inevitable crossroads of the cruiserweight division as its top two stars vie for the title. As we've seen from their two one-on-one matches, though, these two men can really go against one another -- and when they ultimately decide who rules the roost, it should be an absolute treat
Chris Jericho def. Kevin Owens to win United States championship via submssion (14:00)
Between the Titantron image, the giant picture of his face as part of the ramp graphics, the red-white-and-blue stylized gear and insisting that he be announced as "The face of America," Kevin Owens was seemingly set up as a long-term, over-the-top heel United States champion for SmackDown to build upon.
That might ultimately be the case in the coming weeks and months, considering some of the circumstances at hand, but for the second straight pay-per-view, the end that many (including yours truly) predicted for Chris Jericho's current WWE run was not to be, as he came up with a frankly shocking victory to become a two-time United States champion.
The match, from the opening bell, had all the signs of being both a brutal conflict and the end of a classic story told over the course of a year. As Jericho hit a nice flying back elbow, the match started to take on something of an "I'm going to lay it all out there and leave it in the ring" vibe. Only it wasn't quite time for him to place his boots in the middle of the ring on this night, symbolically or otherwise.
Owens bounced Jericho's face off the top of the ring post, then battered him outside of the ring before rolling him back into the ring and slowing things down for the first of two lengthy sleeper holds. The match was, frankly, very one-sided in Owens' favor for the better part of the conflict, as he cut off comeback opportunity after comeback opportunity. Jericho finally got back into it via a flurry of counters and some of his signature offense, including knife-edged chops and a top-rope double axe handle. Owens countered the Walls of Jericho with the spin everyone seems to do these days, but Jericho followed with an enzuigiri to keep on top for the moment.
Owens turned it around again in a hurry by catching a running Jericho with a superkick on the button, seemingly setting up the finish, but Jericho resisted. A Lionsault ended with Jericho landing on Owens' knees. A corner cannonball and another two-count, and Owens set up for his patented pop-up powerbomb. Jericho countered into a hurricanrana and rolled it all the way through to the Walls of Jericho.
We got a call-back to WrestleMania as Owens got another one-finger rope break, but that shockingly led to the finish. Jericho wedged Owens' hand between the ring steps and the ring apron, kicked the stairs and took that "weapon" out of Owens' arsenal.
Owens hit a thumb to the eyes and rolled up Jericho but got only a two count. As he went for another pop-up powerbomb, Owens couldn't pop Jericho up because of his hand. Jericho eventually rolled it back into another Walls of Jericho, and because Owens couldn't extend his finger, Jericho earned the tap-out victory and became a two-time United States champion (and a two-time Grand Slam champion in the process).
With Jericho less than a week out from a tour with his band, Fozzy, his move to SmackDown Live seems as though it'll be a brief one. But we've been surprised before.