WWE’s Backlash pay-per-view comes to you LIVEEEE tonight from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It is the return of the dual-branded PPV, and I could not be happier about it. Two (possibly three if there was a TakeOver) major WWE events per month was quite tiring, and it required the creative teams to really dig deep to find enough content to cover a full pay-per-view. This is a much better format.
Preshow
Match #1: Ruby Riott vs Bayley
WWE have been teasing a full-fledged Sasha Banks/Bayley program for months now but have failed to pull the trigger. Should they wait till Summerslam, it’s quite possible that the fans will genuinely lose interest, which is a shame considering what they can accomplish together when given the chance.
For now though, Ruby Riott is shining bright. It’s only been a few months since her NXT call-up and yet she has fully adjusted to the main roster style, and her character is refreshing in the women’s division. She defeated Sasha this past Monday on RAW, so I fully expect her to defeat Bayley here. She’s a perfect choice to win the women’s Money In The Bank match, so you really need to slowly build her up until that moment.
Main Card
Match #1: Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton- United States Championship match
Well, this is VERY cool for those who have been fans for a decade or so. These two had EXCELLENT matches together in 2008 and now a decade later, both still on top of the wrestling world, they’re going at it again.
Jinder Mahal won the US title at Mania, then Randy Orton earned the opportunity to face him for that title. In the mess of the Superstar Shake-Up, Jinder lost the title to Jeff and now here we are. I’d LOVE for these two to get a good 12-15 minutes and give us something a little old school.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Match #2: Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass
Daniel Bryan wrestling again is great for the business, but I would not have picked a returning “Big” Cass as his first one-on-one opponent at a major event. Cass isn’t exactly a light worker, which makes me nervous. Yes, Bryan did wrestle for over an hour in the Greatest Royal Rumble, so he’s certainly good to go for real, but he was able to pick his spots in that match and work with guys who could protect him. Cass will always be green to me, but we’ll see what happens. I don’t know how you book this, considering this is Bryan’s big comeback and because Vince seems to be super high on Cass, so maybe a false finish? If I’m writing it, I just have Bryan win clean and move on with his life, but I would not be surprised if Cass absolutely wipes the floor with him.
Winner: Big Cass
Match #3: Nia Jax vs Alexa Bliss- RAW Women’s Championship match
Nothing of interest has really been done to further this storyline since Mania, where Nia won the title in “convincing fashion. The build to that moment was months in the making, so I can’t see Alexa winning the title back AGAIN so quickly. Nia as champion is a nice change after seeing the title flopped around between 3-4 names for what feels like a REALLY long time, and even though she still has a tremendous amount of work to do, being in that position will push her to be better.
Winner: Nia Jax
Match #4: Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley vs Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
Strowman and Lashley, each of whom have had monumental moments in recent weeks, are a formidable team. They should be tag champions right now, but I’m not even going to get into that. Zayn and Owens are sort of in limbo right now when they should have so much more to do, but it’ll be hard to justify them beating those two monsters right when they’re hot. If I’m right about these and this show ends up being a very heel-heavy night, no way these two are winning anyway.
This is way down the line, but I NEED to see a Finn Balor/Sami Zayn IC title feud in the fall. Like….please
Winners: Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley
Match #5: Seth Rollins vs The Miz- Intercontinental Championship match
It’s amazing how truly over Seth Rollins is. The reaction he got from the crowd in Canada this past week was absolutely surreal, but the man works hard for it. Miz is at a point in his career where he could be a legitimate world champion, unlike his first run in 2011, but with Brock Lesnar at the top of RAW, that is not a viable option. Instead, he serves as fodder, despite how great the matches and programs are, to guys like Seth and Finn Balor, simply because of the way heels are booked.
We’ve seen this match countless times before, but it always delivers. A Finn Balor interference is predictable but would make ME very happy, so I’d love to see it. Finn tries to run in and distract Seth, only for Seth to still win the match and feud with Balor over the title through the summer. Ironman match anyone??
Winner: Seth Rollins
Match #6: Charlotte Flair vs Carmella- Smackdown Women’s Championship match
Carmella finally cashed in her Money In The Bank contract on the Smackdown post-Mania and stole the title from Charlotte. On paper, this is an absolute mismatch and normally it would be a very quick, one-sided thing, but I’d love to see Carmella work a little bit and prove herself to the detractors. 2-3 months with the title, sneaking her way to victories over the likes of Charlotte and Naomi would do wonders for her.
I don’t think Charlotte needs the title back yet, and I’m sure the Iconic Duo will be a factor into why she doesn’t take it back tonight.
Winner: Carmella
Match #7: Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles- No Disqualification match for the WWE Championship
WWE overhyped the Mania match between these two, despite what they really intended it to be. No matter how good it was, it was ALWAYS going to be compared to their excellent match in Japan from a few years ago, so of course it wasn’t going to live up to everyone’s expectations.
The finish to the match in Saudi Arabia was perfect. Now we have a stipulation attached….one that Shinsuke, now a full-fledged heel, will benefit from. Even with that in mind, part of me thinks that because AJ has taken so many hits over the last few weeks, as the face, that he’ll come out on top. Backlash does not seem like the appropriate stage for Shinsuke to finally capture the big title, but if he loses clean again here, then he doesn’t appear to be a viable contender anymore. So maybe he will take it, and the two of them, or maybe a third person, can kill it all summer.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Match #8: Roman Reigns vs Samoa Joe
As monumental of an event as Shinsuke’s first main roster title victory is, Samoa Joe defeating Roman Reigns in the main event of a major PPV is worth pushing it back for. Roman lost clean to Brock at Mania and in controversial fashion in Saudi Arabia, so he doesn’t have a lot of ground to claim right now. Samoa Joe missed another Mania, but has already expressed, after being drafted to Smackdown, that he will be going after the WWE Championship. If he is to do that, he will need to built up like the monster he is. Roman losing damages him a little bit, but it benefits Joe so much more. These two are awesome together, so I’m looking forward to it.
Winner: Samoa Joe
nwademusic 