Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles: Winner and Reaction from WWE Payback 2016

In his first title defense since beating Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 32, Roman Reigns defeated AJ Styles on Sunday night at Payback to retain the most coveted prize in sports entertainment.

WWE shared a photo as Reigns hoisted his belt:   

The match originally ended with Styles winning by count-out. But Shane McMahon appeared to announce he would not allow such a finish, and the match kept going. After another five minutes of action, Reigns hit Styles with a low blow, and the referee disqualified the champion:

This time it was Stephanie McMahon who ensured the match would go on, announcing it would now be a no disqualifications match.

Minutes later, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson emerged and begin assaulting Reigns:

The Usos would then come to Reigns’ side and even the score by attacking Gallows and Anderson. This allowed Reigns the chance to toss Styles off the top rope:

Ultimately, Reigns hit Styles with a spear and was able to retain his title. 

Despite the choppy flow, the reviews were mostly positive for a match that featured a ton of big spots and plenty of hard-hitting action: 

After the match, using suggestions from both Shane and Stephanie, Vince McMahon announced a rematch for the title at Extreme Rules on May 22, per WWE. 

Reigns provided his thoughts on the match via Twitter: 

Styles earned a shot at the strap after defeating Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Cesaro in a Fatal 4-Way match the night after WrestleMania, and he immediately established himself as a worthy No. 1 contender.

Reigns was somewhat dismissive of the Phenomenal One's chances of winning at Payback, but a new dynamic in the form of Anderson and Gallows debuting leveled the playing field in the eyes of many.

Anderson and Gallows came to Styles' aid on a number of occasions leading up to the pay-per-view, which caused the Big Dog to be suspicious of the working relationship between the former Bullet Club members, according to WWE Universe on Twitter:

While Styles stressed that he didn't need help from Anderson and Gallows to win the title, he seemed to get on the same page as the former IWGP Tag Team champions on the go-home episode of Raw prior to Payback, via WWE's official Twitter account:

Styles attempted to stop his friends from taking out Reigns on that same episode, though, which led to the combatants taking each other out in a heated exchange. After Payback, clearly the trio is all on the same page now. 

The leader of the Roman Empire made his feelings regarding Styles, Anderson and Gallows clear but also refused to back down despite his perception that he was at a disadvantage:

Because of the uncertainty surrounding the former Bullet Club and its status as a unit in WWE, the Payback main event was unpredictable.

One school of thought suggested that Reigns wouldn't drop the title so quickly after winning it, especially in the wake of two short runs with the belt previously. Conversely, the formation of a new super stable could have potentially trumped that and moved Styles to the pinnacle of the company.

The company ultimately gave Reigns a vote of confidence as its top guy despite negative crowd reactions in recent weeks and months, and every indication is that WWE will move forward with the former Shield powerhouse as its headliner.

While Styles didn't capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career, he put on a great performance, had the fans firmly behind him and furthered his reputation as a fantastic in-ring performer and the ultimate underdog.

The Phenomenal One is a key part of WWE programming moving forward. But Reigns clearly isn't going anywhere either, and Sunday's result suggests that WWE is fully invested in him regardless of how the WWE Universe reacts.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.