WWE Payback 2016 results: Roman Reigns retains, AJ Styles impresses.

Whether fans are behind him or not, Roman Reigns remains World Heavyweight Champion following WWE Payback after defeating AJ Styles in the main event of the overachieving show on Sunday in Chicago.

Though the "new era" WWE promised would start at Payback was hard to put one's finger on, the show was a solid one despite no titles changing hands and most of the outcomes being expected. Perhaps the primary disappointment was a lack of an assumed surprise payoff in a main event that had been built to possibly reveal the formation of a new faction within the organization.

Nevertheless, the Reigns-Styles match contained plenty of great action and a couple curves that made viewers believe a title change was about to occur. The match was restarted twice, first by Shane McMahon after Reigns was counted out (a result that does not allow the title to change hands) and again by Stephanie McMahon after Reigns inadvertently committed a low blow and was disqualified (same).

Now a no-count out, no-disqualification title match, the door was open for Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to get involved and either help Styles to victory or possibly turn on him in a shocker. Instead, their contributions were rather minor in nature as The Usos soon got involved to help Reigns and negate any outside advantage.

There were dives outside the ring, top-rope forearms and Superman punches aplenty over the final few minutes of the fast-paced match, which ultimately concluded with Reigns spearing Styles to retain his title.

Dolph Ziggler def. Baron Corbin via pinfall: A surprising outcome for sure given how Corbin had been getting a push as WWE's newest big man monster and Ziggler is so often called on to do a job. I wonder whether the match being pushed to the kickoff show had anything to do with the outcome. Tough to guess where either Ziggler or Corbin go from here with a clean victory and no set program ahead.

U.S. Championship -- Kalisto (c) def. Ryback via pinfall to retain: In what will likely be one of the better matches on the entire show, WWE got the booking right and had Kalisto hold on to the United States strap. It's easy to compare Kalisto to Rey Mysterio Jr., but it's also fair. The fans like him, and he's exciting in the ring with some unique moves and a tremendous finisher. Whether WWE ultimately gives him a main event push remains to be seen, but for now, he's in a much better spot than he was as a tag team performer.

Main card

Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady vs. The Vaudevillains (no result): WWE kicked off Payback with the four latest call-ups from NXT in a No. 1 Contenders' Match for the Tag Team Championship, but the bout was stopped just minutes after it began when Amore was thrown between the ropes and out of the ring. On replay, Amore's head snapped back after striking one of the high-tension ropes on the way out of the ring. He crumpled to the ground at the foot of the ring apron and did not move. WWE eventually diverted cameras and ended the match immediately. The announce team later noted that Amore was already on his way to the hospital. He was eventually diagnosed with a concussion.

Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn via pinfall: An early match of the night candidate, Owens got a clean pinfall over Zayn following great back-and-forth action that had the Chicago crowd in a frenzy. Owens continued his onslaught on Zayn following the decision and decided to stay ringside for the upcoming match, declaring that his sights were set on the Intercontinental Championship.

Intercontinental Championship -- The Miz (c) def. Cesaro via pinfall to retain: With Owens at ringside and Zayn eventually running out from the back to attack him following the extracurricular activity earlier, distractions were caused for Miz, Cesaro and the referee. Ultimately, when Cesaro went to the ropes to check on the others fighting outside the ring, Miz rolled him up from behind for the pin. Owens continued his destruction after the match, holding the title high with everyone else on the mat. There should be no doubt that the Intercontinental title is headed for a Fatal Fourway match sometime soon, perhaps at Extreme Rules in three weeks.

Dean Ambrose def. Chris Jericho via pinfall: We all thought Jericho would do the job at WrestleMania against A.J. Styles only to be surprised with Y2J winning clean via pinfall. With Ambrose on a rise and coming off a loss to Brock Lesnar, plus Jericho's appearance schedule set to expire, Ambrose going over here made all the sense in the world.

Women's Championship -- Charlotte (c) def. Natalya via submission to retain: Ric Flair joined his daughter, Charlotte, at ringside, while Bret Hart was there to support his niece, Natalya. In what was an otherwise mundane match, Charlotte eventually walked away with a submission victory as she put Natalya in the sharpshooter only for the referee to immediately call for the bell in a Montreal screw job-esque finish. After the match, there was a great moment in Chicago as Hart and Natalya put the Flairs in sharpshooters. Hart, as you will recall, is in the middle of a fight with prostate cancer.

Vince McMahon announces who will control Monday Night Raw: A long and drawn-out segment ended with McMahon announcing that both his son and daughter, Shane and Stephanie McMahon, will control Raw together beginning Monday night.