# Payback (2017)
**Payback (2017)** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), held on April 30, 2017 at the [SAP Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/sap-center) in [San Jose, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-jose-california), before a reported attendance of 13,694.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/) It was the first pay-per-view after [WrestleMania 33](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania-33) and was built around the Raw brand, with two title changes, a clean main-event win for Braun Strowman over Roman Reigns, and the first-ever House of Horrors Match between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | April 30, 2017, SAP Center, San Jose, California; attendance 13,694[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/) |
| Event type | WWE pay-per-view, first event on the road to WrestleMania 34[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/) • [3](https://www.vavel.com/en-us/more-sports/2017/05/01/wrestling/784382-payback-2017-review.html) |
| Title changes | Alexa Bliss won the Raw Women's Championship from Bayley; Chris Jericho won the United States Championship from Kevin Owens[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results) |
| Main event | Braun Strowman defeated Roman Reigns clean[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/) |
| First-ever match | Bray Wyatt beat Randy Orton in the first House of Horrors Match[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results) |
| Critical reception | Review scores clustered in the mid-6s to 7 out of 10, with the House of Horrors match the consistent low point[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/) |
| Community match ratings | Owens vs. Jericho led at 3.93 average stars; House of Horrors was last at 2.17[4](https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2017/5/12/15575566/community-star-ratings-results-wwe-payback-2017) |
## Event overview
The card followed WrestleMania 33 by about four weeks, the slot WWE reserved for settling the accounts of its biggest show, and the results moved several stories forward. [Braun Strowman](https://www.edgepedia.org/braun-strowman), who since [WrestleMania](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania) had tipped over an ambulance with [Roman Reigns](https://www.edgepedia.org/roman-reigns) inside and destroyed a ring, beat Reigns in a brutal main event.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results) Chris Jericho, who had lost the United States Championship to his former best friend Kevin Owens at WrestleMania, reclaimed the title and, by winning it, officially joined SmackDown LIVE, a brand-switching outcome WWE promoted as a stunner.[5](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017)
**Two championships changed hands.** [Alexa Bliss](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexa-bliss), who had joined Raw in the Superstar Shake-up, defeated Bayley in Bayley's hometown to become Raw Women's Champion, with 25 friends and family members of Bayley in the sold-out crowd.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results) WWE's own coverage described the victory as making history for Bliss.[5](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017)
## Match results
The full card, in order of the WWE results record:[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results)
1. **Kickoff:** [Enzo Amore](https://www.edgepedia.org/enzo-amore) & Big Cass def. Luke Gallows & [Karl Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/karl-anderson), retribution six nights after Gallows and Anderson had laid out Amore with the Magic Killer.[5](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017)
2. **Kickoff segment:** [Finn Bálor](https://www.edgepedia.org/finn-balor) laid out The Miz with a Sling Blade on "Miz TV".[5](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017)
3. **United States Championship:** Chris Jericho def. Kevin Owens (c).[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results)
4. **WWE Cruiserweight Championship:** Austin Aries def. Neville (c) by disqualification, when the champion shoved the official; Neville retained because the title cannot change hands on a disqualification.[5](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017)
5. **Raw Tag Team Championship:** The Hardy Boyz (c) def. Sheamus & Cesaro; the challengers delivered a brutal post-match assault that left the titleholders, and Jeff Hardy's broken tooth, needing medical attention.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results)
6. **Raw Women's Championship:** Alexa Bliss def. Bayley (c).[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results)
7. **Singles match:** Seth Rollins def. Samoa Joe with a quick roll-up, earning redemption after Joe had torn the MCL in Rollins' right knee weeks before WrestleMania.[5](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017)
8. **House of Horrors Match:** Bray Wyatt def. Randy Orton, helped in part by a surprise attack from Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results)
9. **Main event:** Braun Strowman def. Roman Reigns.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results)
## Reception and ratings
**Critical scores converged.** TJR Wrestling gave the show 6.75 out of 10 and called it a mixed bag; [Larry Csonka](https://www.edgepedia.org/larry-csonka) at 411Mania scored it 6.5 and wrote that the event largely over-delivered outside the House of Horrors; The Wrestling Classic gave 7 out of 10; CAGEMATCH's user rating sat in the mid-6s; and VAVEL's reviewer, more generous, gave 7.5.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/) • [3](https://www.vavel.com/en-us/more-sports/2017/05/01/wrestling/784382-payback-2017-review.html) The aggregate AuteurGraph event rating for the show is 6.8.[6](https://auteurgraph.com/person/drew-hankinson/ratings) WrestleFile's own final grade was B- / 7.0, ranking the event 557th of 864 in its master file, with the lift coming from well-placed good material and a consequential main-event finish.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/)
The Cageside Seats community star-rating poll, run by Cain A. Knight, a pro wrestling analyst who has covered the sport for the site since 2014, put [Kevin Owens](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-owens) vs. [Chris Jericho](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-jericho) first at a 3.93-star average, with 62.03 percent of votes at 4 stars or more. The top six matches clustered tightly between 3.62 and 3.93 stars, and [Dave Meltzer](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-meltzer)'s ratings for those matches ranged from 3.00 to 3.50, agreeing on the parity while scoring lower overall.[4](https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2017/5/12/15575566/community-star-ratings-results-wwe-payback-2017)
**The House of Horrors Match was the floor.** It averaged 2.17 community stars, drew 52.01 percent of votes at 2 stars or less and 14.55 percent at zero stars, and received 0.5 stars from Meltzer, the worst match of the night on both measures.[4](https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2017/5/12/15575566/community-star-ratings-results-wwe-payback-2017) Reviewers described it as overproduced, illogical, and disruptive to the live show's momentum, and noted that [Randy Orton](https://www.edgepedia.org/randy-orton) returning to the arena so quickly after the house segment made the stipulation feel less credible.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/)
## Assessment
The consistent critical pattern was a solid first half, one heavily promoted cinematic experiment that damaged the show's flow, and a main event that restored the night.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/) Braun Strowman's win over Reigns was rated the strongest piece on the card by WrestleFile's analysis, and ESPN's recap framed it as a story told well, illustrating Reigns' valiant effort and, more importantly, Strowman's dominance.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/) • [7](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/19282724/wwe-payback-match-recaps-ratings-braun-strowman-versus-roman-reigns) The community poll's own commenters split the match the same way, rating the in-ring wrestling around 2.5 stars and the story it told at 4.5.[4](https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2017/5/12/15575566/community-star-ratings-results-wwe-payback-2017) Jericho's title win was widely seen as short-lived, since the belt was headed back to Owens almost immediately.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/)
## References
1. [Payback 2017 Review & Final Grade, WrestleFile](https://wrestlefile.com/events/payback-2017/)
2. [Full WWE Payback 2017 results, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017/article/wwe-payback-2017-results)
3. [Payback 2017 Review, VAVEL USA](https://www.vavel.com/en-us/more-sports/2017/05/01/wrestling/784382-payback-2017-review.html)
4. [Cageside Community Star Ratings results for Payback 2017, Cageside Seats](https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2017/5/12/15575566/community-star-ratings-results-wwe-payback-2017)
5. [WWE Payback 2017 results: The Monster Among Men comes unhinged, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwepayback/2017)
6. [Drew Hankinson Ratings, AuteurGraph](https://auteurgraph.com/person/drew-hankinson/ratings)
7. [WWE Payback match recaps and ratings, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/19282724/wwe-payback-match-recaps-ratings-braun-strowman-versus-roman-reigns)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestling promotions and championships*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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