Backlash France will go down in the annals of WWE’s history books, though not entirely for all the right reasons.Â
WWE’s first Premium Live Event in France took place at the LDLC Arena in Lyon and marked the first televised title defense of Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The American Nightmare retained against AJ Styles, over two decades after the Phenomenal One faced (and defeated) Cody’s father Dusty. Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair captured the WWE Tag Team Championships at Backlash; the first title in WWE for the ex-AEW star.Â
An Unfortunate Record
The crowd in the LDLC Arena was electric for Backlash France and the proceeding night’s SmackDown, prompting a noise level warning sent to Triple H. Unfortunately, that excitement wasn’t shared among fans watching at home, or at least those without access to the WWE Network or Peacock. As explained on Wrestling Observer Radio, the event saw the lowest amount of pay-per-view buys for any WWE event in history. Dave Meltzer added that there is a “considerable margin” between Backlash and the previous record-holder for the worst pay-per-view buys.Â
While this isn’t fortunate for Backlash France, it’s no secret that pay-per-view buys have dwindled over the past decade. Thanks to the creation of the WWE Network and its subsequent acquisition by Peacock, audiences worldwide have ditched traditional viewing methods in favor of streaming platforms.Â
The time of the event will have also played into how many people watched the show. Because of the time difference between the U.S. and France, the show started at 1 pm for fans in the States. Nevertheless, the show proved to be a success in other ways, including the largest gate for any arena event in WWE history. WWE will host two more PLEs in Europe this year, a sign that the company is all in on international events.Â
