On Sunday, April 30th, WWE’s PPV "Payback" was broadcast worldwide, both on demand and via the WWE Network. It was the company’s fifth installment of the event, however, this year it included matches resulting in the storylines of both Monday Night Raw & 205 Live, not SmackDown. In addition, because of the Superstar Shake-Up, the event included two interbrand matches. Quite a lot to take in, though as a fan of the product, I’m a bit disappointed. It’s not like I expected a terrible show, but allow me to explain three reasons why I couldn’t care less.

1. The Superstar Shake-Up

The Superstar Shake-Up was initially a pleasant surprise to all; it was randomly announced but people already thought some superstars, such as Sami Zayn, who were underutilized in their current roster, could benefit in a different brand. Then, we found out who went where and though it can be argued either brand came away as the winner (I personally believe it was Raw), nothing happened after. We got two interbrand matches and that’s about it.

My prediction was if Chris Jericho beats Kevin Owens for the United States Championship on Sunday, he’ll go to SmackDown, whereas if Owens retains, he’ll go to SmackDown. The ‘House of Horrors’ match between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton was the second one, with the stipulation being the only thing that stood out. No one came in, attacked someone else, and established themselves right off the bat, besides Alexa Bliss (I’ll get to that). The interbrand ordeal is just there, like the ref, except he counts more (pun intended).

2. No Feud Fuel

The current card for Payback was 7 matches, with only two receiving any real hype from their storylines; these include Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman and Neville vs Austin Aries. Anyone who watches RAW knows that the cruiser-weight division is probably the least interesting in terms of storylines, yet these two have already battled at WrestleMania 33, in a solid match I might add, while following up afterward with continued banter and added friends of their own to the mix, TJ Perkins and Jack Gallagher. This led to expectations for an entertaining match, with the possibility of two people getting involved who could change its result.

Then, we have Braun Strowman who hospitalized Roman Reigns, and was just trucking through the roster as he awaited Reigns’ return at Payback. I felt Braun needed to win, especially considering the cards were in place for a logical victory, which I thought may not happen, like at Fastlane, when it should have, but I digress. Fans of Reigns wanted to see him be Superman and slay the beast, while fans of Braun, who have seen him destroy his opponents as of late, would've liked him to continue his path of devastation. The intrigue was there with both of these matches, but the others have gone stale.

Alexa Bliss came to Raw, dissed the Women’s Champ Bailey, argued with Sasha Banks after she came out to defend her, won a #1 contender’s match in a fatal 4 way, kept arguing/fighting with Banks, and then had a match against Bailey. What about Bailey? Bliss won a match to get a match, so then she got a match, the end. The same goes with The Hardy Boyz against Cesaro and Sheamus. In addition, though Owens and Jericho had a solid build up to their feud going into WrestleMania, it lost mileage afterward; no matter how many times Jericho calls Owens a “stupid idiot,” it’s just a title match. Moreover, Seth Rollins is feuding with Samoa Joe because he legitimately injured him after attacking him and to mix it with the storyline, he’s getting back at him. The hype wasn’t there and these matches were just matches, nothing more.

3. Every title being defended except for the World Championship

RAW’s Champion, Brock Lesnar, is never there because he’s part-time. Randy Orton is SmackDown’s World Champ, and a full-time competitor going against Bray Wyatt, who just got drafted to RAW. What an opportunity to add the stipulation of “winner takes the belt with them,” wasted on a different match. No one knows what a ‘House of Horrors’ match is and to be honest, it sounds like two men go to the Haunted House at Six Flags and fight in the dark while getting scared by goblins and ghouls every five minutes. Though I’m sure my depiction is inaccurate, the match didn't add as much hype as the stipulation would. Add it in and people start thinking, “Bray won’t win because you can’t have both champions on Raw," but what if he does? This idea of knowing the unexpected could happen and then not knowing what to expect after is great; it gets attention, and people care. The only upside of the match is Bray might be victorious and look strong when he goes back to Raw (even without a title). Having the other titles be defended doesn’t make up for the absence of a world title match; if anything, it diminishes its importance, and the importance of the guy holding the belt himself.

Pay-per-views are supposed to hold weight and make these storylines significant. "Payback" seems like filler, and largely in part to its lack of substance. Of course, I had hoped I'd be wrong but you shouldn't be surprised if I’m right.