WWE announced today that Bad Bunny will host Backlash on Saturday, May 6, live from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Bad Bunny, who hails from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, expressed his excitement about the event, stating, “In 2005 when I was a kid, I wasn’t able to attend New Year’s Revolution at el Coliseo. Finally, 18 years later WWE returns to the island with a massive event and this time I won’t miss it.”
On May 6, WWE returns to Puerto Rico with a Premium Live Event for the first time in 18 years. @sanbenito’s ready. San Juan’s ready. …Are you ready? #WWEBacklashhttps://t.co/8eRlXBQZ4H
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque also expressed his excitement about bringing the event to San Juan, saying, “We’re excited to bring Backlash to San Juan as the demand for WWE premium live events outside of the continental United States continues to grow. Bad Bunny is one of the world’s most-popular entertainers and nowhere is that more evident than in his native Puerto Rico.”
Bad Bunny first appeared in WWE in January 2021 at the Royal Rumble. He later had his biggest match at WrestleMania 37 in April, where he teamed up with Damian Priest to defeat The Miz and John Morrison in a tag team match. Bunny also returned to the 2022 Royal Rumble, where he participated in the men’s Royal Rumble.
The Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where WWE Backlash will take place.
Backlash is the first WWE premium live event to take place in Puerto Rico since January 2005. This was New Year’s Revolution, which took place at the same arena where Backlash is scheduled to take place. It was also WWE’s first PPV event in Puerto Rico and Latin America.
The wrestling giant is also going to hold its King & Queen of the Ring in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on May 27, with London, England serving as the location for July 1’s Money in the Bank event.
WWE Backlash happens this Sunday on the award-winning WWE Network.
The event features a series of championship matches taking place from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. WWE has yet to announce the headliner of this event.
In addition to several title matches, WWE is booking Edge vs. Randy Orton, which is a rematch from their Last Man Standing Match at WrestleMania 34, in a singles match that is being hyped as the greatest wrestling match ever.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics, and more are on tap for this show.
SEScoops will have live coverage during the event. Afterward, check back for our WWE Backlash Results & Takeaways feature. Here is the final card for the show:
Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Nia Jax
Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus – Singles Match
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics – Title Triple Threat Match
WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. Andrade
The betting odds for all of the matches that will take place at the WWE Backlash pay-per-view event have been released.
The card for the show that takes place this Sunday from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center is likely or closed to be finalized.
Make sure to join us for match recaps and our takeaways from this latest pay-per-view event held by WWE.
The only title change expected involves the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles as Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are favored to win them back.
WWE Backlash Betting Odds
The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Odds call for all three titles to change. Here are the final betting odds courtesy of BetOnline:
Edge +120 vs. Randy Orton -160 – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre -950 vs. Bobby Lashley +500
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman -1250 vs. The Miz & John Morrison +550 – Handicap Match
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka -600 vs. Nia Jax +350
Jeff Hardy -140 vs. Sheamus -140 – Singles Match
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks 4/7 vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross 2/1 vs. The IIconics 5/2 – Title Triple Threat Match
WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews -550 vs. Andrade +325
WWE has announced a match between Randy Orton and Edge for the upcoming Backlash PPV and the bout is one of the most heavily promoted matches for the show.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer recently provided some updates on the match and he revealed that the fight between these two veterans has already been taped.
WWE has been promoting this collision as the “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” and the taped match was described to be “really, really good”
Meltzer further added that it was “two very smart workers working very hard to have the smartest match they possibly could under the circumstances.”
Though the reports of other parts of Backlash being taped are false and the rest of the PPV is expected to be broadcasted live from the Performance Center this Sunday.
Taping this match in advance gives the company a week to do some post-match editing and help the bout live up to the marketing tagline of being the greatest wrestling match.
Edge faced Randy Orton in a last man standing match at WrestleMania 36 from Performance Center which was his first singles match in over 8 years after his surprise in-ring return at Royal Rumble earlier this year.
However, the bout received criticism from fans for its slow pace and after this; Orton challenged Edge to a “straight-up wrestling match” at Backlash earlier last month.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Backlash PPV.
During Monday’s episode of RAW, Kevin Owens, Angel Garza, and Andrade faced off in a Triple Threat #1 Contender’s Match to determine who would be next line for a shot at the United States Championship.
As seen on the show, Andrade ended up winning the contest to become the new #1 contender. As a result, Andrade will challenge Apollo Crews for the United States Championship at Backlash.
WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network.
Updated WWE Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Nia Jax
Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus – Singles Match
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics – Title Triple Threat Match
WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. Andrade
It turns out that this year’s WWE Backlash pay-per-view event will not be live.
Instead, WWE taped the show on Sunday in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that WWE brought in Performance Center recruits this morning to film the show.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on whether WWE has any cinematic elements planned for the show.
Once filming was done for the show, WWE sent the recruits to Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University in order to be there for the live NXT TakeOver: In Your House special.
It was added that the recruits had a call time at 8:30 AM and expected to be working until midnight.
WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network.
Updated WWE Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
The fallout on television from WWE’s next pay-per-view event, Backlash, will be taped in advance.
Wrestling Inc has a new report that states WWE is going back to their previous idea regarding upcoming episodes of their weekly television shows – Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown.
WWE will be taping two weeks of television next week, which means the episodes airing after this PPV event will be filmed before the actual event takes place.
The company did the exact same thing with WrestleMania 36 back in April as they filmed the TV episodes before recording most of the pay-per-view.
After next week, stars will get the following week off. The current plans call for the next set of TV tapings after that will be the week of June 22nd.
Updated WWE TV Tapings Schedule
NXT Takeover: In Your House pay-per-view – Sunday, June 7th
RAW on the same night, SmackDown episode airing on June 12th and that week’s 205 Live & Main Event – Monday, June 8th
RAW for June 15th and SmackDown airing on June 19th in addition to that week’s 205 Live & Main Event – Tuesday, June 9th
WWE will tape two weeks of NXT for the same night and following week’s show – Wednesday, June 10th
WWE Backlash pay-per-view live – Sunday, June 14th
A new championship match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Backlash PPV.
During Monday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center, WWE held a match that would determine who is next in line for a title shot against Asuka.
A Triple Threat Match that saw WWE NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax and Natalya battle it out took place with the winner becoming the next challenger to the title.
Jax was victorious, earning the right to challenge Asuka for the RAW Women’s Title at Backlash.
WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Backlash PPV.
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman will make his next title defense against The Miz and John Morrison in a Handicap Match at this event.
WWE set up this contest on Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX when the show opened with Strowman interrupting The Miz and Morrison on The Dirt Sheet.
This led to Strowman beating the Miz in a non-title match. After the match, he was challenged by Morrison to a Handicap Match at Backlash with the title on the line, which was accepted by Strowman.
WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
WWE posted an interview between Cathy Kelly and Roman Reigns, who describes the pride he feels over his win against Samoa Joe at Backlash. Reigns said that Joe had been saying a lot of things about him in recent weeks, and his victory solidifies that this is still his yard:
Cesaro On Watching Backlash From Home
Not all WWE Superstars were used on last night’s Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) event. While there were no Tag Team Title matches on the show, that meant that SmackDown Live’s team, The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro), didn’t have a spot on the card.
The Swiss Superman took to Twitter to comment on what it was like watching the event from home instead of performing:
A segment during last night’s Backlash event featured Elias being interrupted by the likes of The New Day, Rusev and Aiden English, No Way Jose, and Bobby Roode. In the end everyone (except Rusev and English) were dancing with Jose’s conga line – including Roode. Roode actually twerked a bit for the crowd.
Rusev took to Twitter to comment on The Glorious One’s twerking abilities:
Happy #RusevDay Backlash ! Bob Roode twerking like a skunk was terrible
The card for the upcoming WWE Backlash event looks close to being finalized.
Jeff Hardy will be defending the WWE United States Title against Randy Orton at the show. As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Montreal, QC at the Bell Centre on the USA Network, the sports entertainment company made the match official.
Also, WWE added a stipulation to the WWE Title Match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura as it is now No DQ Match.
The Backlash pay-per-view event takes place on May 6, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured. Here is the updated card:
Tag Team Match: Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
As a reminder, this Friday, we will post our WWE Backlash Staff Predictions. Also, make sure to join us for our WWE Backlash Live Results & Discussion on Sunday night.
Do you plan on watching this event? Sound off in the comment section below.
WWE Backlash takes place this weekend from Newark, NJ at the Prudential Center. The show is presented by Hulu and WWE’s Elite Collection action figures by Mattel.
The card features seven matches with four championships on the line. Moving forward, all of WWE’s monthly special events will feature talent from both brands.
Breaking from the Backlash theme of previous years, only two matches are WrestleMania rematches (Styles vs. Nakanura and Jax vs. Bliss). The WWE Universal Championship won’t be defended, but we will get Daniel Bryan’s first singles PPV match since his recent return.
Following Monday’s RAW, here is the updated card for WWE Backlash:
WWE Champion AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair
Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
This Friday, we will post our WWE Backlash Staff Predictions. We started this new feature with Greatest Royal Rumble and got very positive feedback. Be on the lookout for the staff predictions and be sure to give your own predictions in the comments section of that article.
Join us here this Sunday for our WWE Backlash Live Results & Discussion.
– For those who are wondering, WWE’s next pay-per-view event, Backlash, is slated to have a one-hour Kickoff Show and three-hour pay-per-view event on the WWE Network. There is also scheduled to be a 30-minute post-show.
With the WWE making the decision to feature both RAW and SmackDown brands on PPV events going forward, there was some speculation that WWE would be switching to four-hour main shows with the move to dual brand pay-per-views. However, that is not the case.
– Former WWE Superstar Summer Rae aka Danielle Moinet is officially set to make a return to in-ring action by making her independent scene debut on May 25th, 2018 by competing at a Battle Championship Wrestling event in Burwood East, Victoria, Australia.
She’s advertised to compete in the ongoing women’s championship tournament. This marks her first match since 2016 and her first appearance at a wrestling show since her departure from the WWE back in October.
What are your thoughts on WWE keeping pay-per-view events outside of the traditional big four just three hours? Sound off in the comment section below.
Shinsuke Nakamura’s heel turn at WrestleMania 34 was seen as the start of a long-lasting feud between him and AJ Styles so their match at the Greatest Royal Rumble was expected to be just a stop on their rivalry instead of being a culminating bout.
Now WWE has confirmed that their match at the show was not the last encounter we’ll see between the two by announcing a rematch for the upcoming Backlash PPV next month.
The match between Nakamura and Styles at last night’s show ended in a double count-out after AJ speared the Japanese star onto the announcer’s table and they both kept brawling outside as the referee counted to ten.
Though the duo didn’t stop fighting even after the bell rang and the segment ended with the WWE Champion delivering a phenomenal forearm to the former NXT Star onto to the ringside floor.
After the show went off air, WWE announced on their website that the Phenomenal One will once again defend his title against the former NXT Champion at the upcoming dual branded PPV.
Following the announcement, here is the updated Backlash match card:
WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Miz
Raw Women’s Championship: Nia Jax (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
WWE Backlash will take place on May 6, 2018, at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.
Ronda Rousey was announced to have signed a fulltime contract with WWE. So it wouldn’t make sense for her to miss the first WWE PPV after her wrestling debut and if some recent reports are to be believed, then we may see her singles debut at the upcoming Backlash PPV.
Ronda is set to face Mickie James at an upcoming WWE Live Event in May and this bout was originally seen as something which wouldn’t have an impact on the main WWE Programming. However, the company seemingly started building a feud between the two during the main event of this week’s episode of Raw.
The main event of this week’s Raw was a 10 Women Tag match involving Mickie James and others and the closing moments of the bout saw James attacking Natalya. Ronda then came to aid of the former SmackDown Women’s Champion and attacked Mickie.
During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez talked about these events and speculated that Rousey could make her singles debut at the upcoming PPV against the former SmackDown Star Mickie James
It would make sense for Ronda Rousey to face a seasoned veteran like Mickie James in her singles debut as she would be able to produce a good match despite the UFC Star’s limited experience and also help in hiding her flaws
Whether or not this match actually takes place at the upcoming PPV will be revealed in future. For now, it’s only safe to say that the programming is pointing towards this rivalry for Ronda Rousey in near future.
WWE has confirmed both Raw and SmackDown’s Women’s Championship matches for the upcoming Backlash PPV in the last few hours.
First, the company announced on their site that the new Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax will be defending her title against the former Champion Alexa Bliss at Backlash in a rematch from WrestleMania 34.
After this, they revealed that Charlotte Fair will be cashing in her rematch clause against the former Ms. Money In The Bank and the current SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella at the upcoming PPV as well.
In addition to the Championship match, they also announced a contract signing segment between Carmella and Charlotte for tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live.
After this revelation, the number of bouts which have officially been announced for the upcoming show has become 4.
WWE Backlash Card
Raw Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella
Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns
The company is expected to announce more bouts for the upcoming PPV in near future but Officials are most likely holding off the announcements to create suspense for the matches taking place at the Greatest Royal Rumble event this Friday.
WWE Backlash will take place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on May 6, 2018.
Two more matches have been set up for next month’s WWE Backlash pay-per-view, the first event of the new monthly joint-brand PPV era.
After losing the RAW Women’s Championship to Nia Jax at WrestleMania, Alexa Bliss announced on RAW that she’s getting her rematch at Backlash.
The first Superstar traded to RAW as part of the Superstar Shake-Up was United States Champion Jinder Mahal. In his first match back on the RAW brand, Mahal lost the gold to Jeff Hardy, making Jeff the latest Grand Slam Champion in WWE. Later in the show, Mahal declared he’ll be getting his rematch at the Greatest Royal Rumble next Friday (4/27) from Saudi Arabia. Whoever is United States Champion coming out of the Greatest Royal Rumble will defend against Randy Orton at Backlash.
WWE Backlash Card
As of Tuesday 4/17, here is the updated card for WWE Backlash:
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
WWE Backlash takes place on Sunday, May 6th from Newark, New Jersey and streams live on the WWE Network.
Join us here on Sunday, 5/6 for WWE Backlash Results & Live Coverage.
– Paul Heyman had some high praise for Braun Strowman over the weekend. After witnessing first-hand what Strowman was capable of at the Royal Rumble last month, Heyman wrote on Facebook,
“Just for the record, this is one seriously talented and credible contender. Braun Strowman’s upside is … dare I say … MONSTROUS!”
Heyman’s official Heyman Hustle website just posted a new batch of photos (courtesy fo photographer Bruno Miguel Silveira) from the Royal Rumble that are really worth checking out.
– WWE posted a video of Nia Jax cutting a promo on the competitors involved in the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber match. Jax is currently set to face first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble winner Asuka at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view (PPV), and if she wins she’ll be added to the RAW Women’s Title match at WrestleMana – making it a Triple Threat match:
– RAW exclusive PPV Backlash will go down on May 6th in Newark, New Jersey from the Prudential Center. WWE has announced tickets will go on sale for the event on February 24th.
– WWE announced at last night’s SmackDown Live taping that the company would be returning to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey for the 2018 Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) event on May 8th. If you’d like to get tickets, the Ticketmaster pre-sale code is BACKLASH.
– Also at last night’s SmackDown Live, WWE signed an honorary new Superstar – Make A Wish kid, Kaitlyn Alexander. Kaitlyn chose “The Shadow” as her ring name and was introduced to the WWE Universe by SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan and ring announcer Greg Hamilton in a dark segment. Kaitlyn signed her WWE contract earlier in the day before the show:
It’s official! Meet @WWE’s newest superstar, Kaitlyn! What a privilege to meet her and her family today. ?????? pic.twitter.com/Rb44OOy4Ef
Dolph Ziggler has released a promo via Twitter hyping his bout against Shinsuke Nakamura at Sunday’s Backlash event on the WWE Network.
In the short video Dolph talks about the WWE Universe liking ‘shiny new toys’ and how he built a following and gained the respect of the fans organically. Ziggler also talks about the perception that he is a ‘gatekeeper’ for the NXT stars and how him beating Nakamura means the ‘entire business’ will win.
It is certainly worth checking out the 2 minute video below, Dolph speaks straight in to the camera and it is the most passionate and ‘real’ he has felt in a very long time.
Prediction: Tye Dillinger has already defeated Aiden English and will move to 2-0 against the former Vaudevillian.
Erick Rowan vs Luke Harper
Rowan has already picked up a victory over Harper recently on SmackDown. This match was made on Tuesday night’s episode of Talking Smack. Erick Rowan was a guest on the show and demanded that the match be made. SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon granted Rowan’s wish and the two former Wyatt Family members will battle on Sunday night.
Prediction: I’d like to believe that Luke Harper will pick up the win this Sunday at Backlash. Harper is very talented but has been completely wasted on SmackDown the past couple of months. Rowan has a new gimmick where he is hearing voices from his mask. It comes off as dumb rather than scary. Harper gets the win on Sunday and hopefully becomes relevant again on SmackDown.
Baron Corbin vs Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn made the move from RAW to SmackDown during WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. The brand switch hasn’t made a difference for Zayn, as he is right back to getting his ass kicked on a weekly basis. Zayn was attacked by Corbin during an episode of Talking Smack. Corbin has beaten down Zayn since then and it would be a major upset if Zayn were to pick up a victory at Backlash.
Prediction: The announcers will praise Sami Zayn for not giving up, but he will ultimately lose the match. JBL will say something like “yeah, but you’ve got to know when to just stay down” as Corbin is punching Zayn in the face. Corbin hits the End of Days and wins in dominant fashion.
Becky Lynch, Naomi & Charlotte Flair vs Carmella, Natalya & Tamina Snuka
Natalya, Carmella, Tamina Snuka and James Ellsworth have named themselves the “Welcoming Committee” and have made Charlotte Flair’s life a living hell since she came over to SmackDown. They tried to recruit Becky Lynch, but Lynch beat them down instead. Charlotte Flair has her eyes set on Naomi’s SmackDown Women’s Championship, but agreed to put that on hold in order to deal with the Welcoming Committee.
Prediction: Charlotte and Naomi will get frustrated with each other during the match. Ellsworth will probably try to interfere and get kicked out. If the Welcoming Committee is going to remain a stable on SmackDown, they need a victory here.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos (c) vs Breezango
Breezango have been on a roll lately. They defeated The Colons on Tuesday night and are heading into WWE Backlash with confidence. The Usos have been cutting promos on Breezango after their matches on SmackDown.
Prediction: I think Breezango will win the SmackDown Tag Team Championships in the future. However, The Usos should retain the titles on Sunday. The New Day should be making their SmackDown debut soon and I’d like to see them feud with The Usos.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Dolph Ziggler
Shinsuke Nakamura will wrestle in his first match on WWE’s main roster this Sunday at Backlash. Ziggler has pretty much built up this match by himself, as Nakamura has only made a couple of entrances and thrown out an insult or two in the past few weeks. Ziggler believes that Nakamura has done nothing to deserve such praise from the WWE Universe and wants to embarrass Shinsuke at Backlash.
Prediction: I would be shocked if Shinsuke Nakamura lost this match. Nakamura will pick up the victory but Ziggler will attack him after the match. I’m guessing this feud will continue after Sunday night and that is fine by me. Ziggler and Nakamura can put on an incredible match and I predict that they will steal the show on Sunday night.
United States Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs AJ Styles
AJ Styles earned a shot at Owens’ United States Championship a few weeks back. There hasn’t really been much to this feud until the most recent episode of SmackDown. Owens cost AJ Styles his match against Jinder Mahal. Owens has declared himself the new “Face of America” and AJ Styles wants to take his title and bring it back to the USA.
Prediction: Kevin Owens will either get himself disqualified or cheat to win. There is no reason to take the United States Championship off of Owens right now. AJ Styles can absorb a loss, he is practically untouchable. Styles should be in the WWE Championship picture anyway, so a loss here really doesn’t matter. This match also has the potential to be the best match of the night.
WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton vs Jinder Mahal
Mahal has gotten the upper-hand on Orton pretty much since winning the Six-Pack Challenge to become #1 contender. Mahal has attacked Orton during the House of Horrors Match at Payback, stole Orton’s WWE Championship and planted Orton with a Khallas to close out Tuesday’s SmackDown.
Prediction: Jinder Mahal has done the best he could with this opportunity. He has cut a few solid promos and has done his best to make this feud feel legitimate. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. I think several factors have prevented this feud from being great. First, people just didn’t want to accept Jinder Mahal as the #1 contender. Fans complain that they want to see new people get opportunities in WWE. When that finally happens, they get annoyed that it wasn’t the guy or girl they wanted. Thus, WWE was immediately fighting an uphill battle when they pushed Jinder Mahal.
WWE didn’t do enough to get the doubters to change their minds. I gave the feud a chance, but I got bored with it rather quickly. Another reason why this feud hasn’t worked is because Randy Orton is the WWE Champion. Orton hasn’t brought anything to the table since taking the WWE Championship off of Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania 33. If the WWE Champion was beloved by the WWE Universe, maybe fans would have reacted to Jinder Mahal more. Instead, the ratings for SmackDown have plummeted and this feud was ultimately a failure.
Randy Orton will retain his WWE Championship this Sunday at Backlash. One can only hope that his next feud is entertaining. SmackDown has been quite boring since he became the top guy on the show. Maybe after Backlash, Randy Orton will finally decide to …entertain.
Who do you think will win this Sunday at Backlash? Share your predictions in the comments below.
– WWE has provided a storyline update on “injuries” of Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. After both men missed last night’s RAW, WWE.com writes:
“At WWE Payback, Strowman re-aggravated injuries to Reigns’ ribs, and The Big Dog suffered additional internal injuries on top of the ones he sustained when The Monster Among Men toppled an ambulance with Reigns inside it during the April 10 edition of Raw. Strowman, meanwhile, has a torn rotator cuff.”
A torn rotator cuff would keep Strowman out for months, so it will be a superhuman feat when Strowman is back in action at Extreme Rules on June 4th.
– In the main event of last night’s RAW, The Miz defeated Finn Balor and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match to become the #1 contender for Dean Ambrose’s Intercontinental championship. After the victory, The Miz tweeted the following mocking Balor:
– The official promotional artwork for WWE Backlash has been released and it features SmackDown Live newcomer Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura is set to make his main roster pay-per-view debut at the show, which takes place on Sunday, May 21st from Rosemont, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
WWE Backlash 2016 aired live on Sunday, September 11th from the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA.
– Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan come out to the ring to open up the show and announce that the Women’s title match is up first.
– Becky Lynch def. Natalya vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella vs. Nikki Bella: The new SmackDown Women’s Title is on the line in this elimination match. The women brawl out of the ring to the floor at ringside early on, leaving just Becky and Naomi on the mat going back and forth. Naomi hits a series of kicks on Becky, but Becky is able to hit a back body drop sending Naomi to the outside. Carmella comes in and hits a hurricanrana on Becky for a near-fall. Nikki and Carmella go up to the top rope, but Natalya runs over and throws them both off with a superplex-powerbomb combination. The women brawl at ringside and Naomi drops them all with a suicide plancha. Back in the ring, Natalya gets Alexa in the powerbomb position then Naomi comes off the top with a blockbuster on Alexa for the elimination. Natalya eliminates Naomi shortly after with a Sharpshooter. There are a series of two fast eliminations when Nikki eliminates Natalya then Carmella eliminates Nikki with quick rollups. It’s down to Carmella and Becky, and Becky hits a series of t-bone suplexes. Becky locks in the Dis-arm-her shortly after and Carmella taps out. Becky is now the first ever SmackDown Women’s Champion.
– The Miz runs into a kid who says he’s on Nickelodeon who took The Miz’s locker room. The kid plugs his Nickelodeon show and says he’d rather meet John Cena instead.
– Backstage we see Bray Wyatt slamming a door on Randy Orton’s leg. JBL wonders if Orton will be able to compete tonight.
– The Usos def. The Hype Bros: After back and forth action early on, Ryder hits a double baseball slide to both Usos outside, then follows up with a missile dropkick on Jimmy. Mojo follows up with a double shoulder block and sends both Usos flying into the fan barricade. The Usos turn the tides with Jey drops Ryder with a clothesline at ringside, then rolls him back in the ring for a pendulum backbreaker and a snap suplex for a near-fall. The Usos keep Ryder grounded and take control of the match. Mojo gets the hot tag and hits Stinger splashes on both Usos. Mojo and Jimmy brawl outside while Ryder and Jey go to the top rope back in the ring. Ryder hits a Frankensteiner on Jey for a near-fall. Jimmy gets Ryder in an STF-like submission hold and Ryder taps out. The Usos advance to face Rhino and Slater for the Tag Titles later.
– Ryder and Slater are in the back cutting a promo in the back about their Tag Title match later. Slater starts talking about some bad crab dip he had, and Rhino has to remind him that they’re still live. Slater acts like he soils his pants and walks off screen.
– The Miz (c) def. Dolph Ziggler: The Miz’s Intercontinental Title is on the line in this match. Before the match, Miz cuts a promo on Daniel Bryan before the match saying he wants to renegotiate his contract. The Miz takes control of the match early on and puts Ziggler in a bow and arrow stretch. Miz catapults Ziggler to the floor at ringside and Ziggler is selling a shoulder injury. Back in the ring, The Miz hits a series of dropkicks and the continues working Ziggler’s back. Miz hits the Awesome Clothesline in the corner and then hits a double axe handle to the face off the top rope. Miz goes for a Skull Crushing Finale but Ziggler rolls out and hits a dropkick. Ziggler hits the Fameasser but Miz kicks out at two. Ziggler gets Miz in a sleeper hold, then follows up with a Tornado DDT for a two count. Ziggler goes for a Superkick but Miz ducks it and hits a DDT, then follows up with a Figure 5 leg lock. Ziggler grabs the ropes to break the hold then drops The Miz with a superkick, but Miz gets his foot on the rope to break the hold. Maryse sprays something in Ziggler’s eyes from ringside and he falls into The Miz who hits the Skull Crushing Finale for the win.
– Bray Wyatt def. Randy Orton: Bray Wyatt is out to the ring next. The ring announcer announces that Randy Orton will not be able to compete tonight, so the referee counts to 10 for an official forfeiture ruling on the match, and Wyatt wins. The announcer says that Wyatt will still wrestle tonight, except it’ll be against Kane in a no holds barred match.
– Kane def. Bray Wyatt: The action goes to ringside early on and Kane starts stripping the Spanish announce table. Bray drills Kane with the ring bell. They go back in the ring and Bray hits a flying knee that drops Kane. Kane comes back with a big boot that sends Bray rolling out to the floor. Kane starts walking out but Bray hits him in the knee with a steel chair. Bray rolls back in the ring and continues the beatdown on Kane with the steel chair. Kane comes back with a running DDT on Bray onto the steel chair. Kane hits a side walk slam and goes for a chokeslam, but Bray gets out and throws Kane outside. Bray follows him outside and drops Kane with a clothesline. Bray lays Kane on the Spanish announce table, then climbs ontop of the English announce table. Bray hits a Senton Bomb on Kane through the announce table. Back in the ring, Bray goes for the Sister Abigail but Kane gets out and hits a chokeslam for a 2 count. Bray comes back and hits a Rock Bottom on Kaneonto the chair for a 2 count. Randy Orton slowly walks down the ramp and distracts Bray. Orton slides in the ring and hit sthe RKO on Bray, then Kane follows up with a chokeslam for the win.
– AJ Styles is in the back lecturing some local independent wrestlers. AJ tells them they’re destined for failure, but they can always tell people they met The Face that Runs the Place. AJ says tonight he’ll become the WWE World Champion.
– Heath Slater & Rhino def. The Usos: The SmackDown Tag Titles are on the line in this one. After exchanging offense in the opening moments, the Usos take control of the match after hitting a vertical suplex that sends Slater crashing into the ring post. Jimmy follows up with a superkick for a two count. The Usos keep Slater grounded and the story of the match is the heels keeping Slater from making the hot tag. Rhino gets the hot tags and clears the ring. He hits a belly to belly suplex on Jimmy then goes for the Gore, but Jimmy dodges it and Rhino hits the turnbuckle. Slater tags himself in and hits a pair of neckbreakers on the Usos. Slater hits a DDT on Jimmy for a two count. Jimmy comes back with a superkick, but Rhino goes him behind the ref’s back. Slater rolls over and pins Jimmy for the win, and Slater and Rhino are the new SmackDown Tag Champions. Slater and Rhino cut a promo after the match, with Slater announcing to his wife that they’re upgrading to a double-wide.
– AJ Styles def. Dean Ambrose: The WWE World Championship is on the line in this one. Ambrose and Styles go back and forth in the opening moments until Ambrose capitlizes with a big dive off the top rope onto AJ all the way to the ringside floor. Back in the ring, Ambrose hits a sitout wheelbarrow facebuster for a two count. Ambrose goes for a vertical suplex, but AJ reverses it for one of his own that sends Ambrose flying into the turnbuckle. AJ starts working the left knee of Ambrose to set up for the Calf Crusher later on. AJ reverses another vertical suplex attempt, this time into the Calf Crusher. Ambrose reaches the ropes, but AJ gets him in another one. Ambrose fights his way out and slingshots AJ into the ring post. Ambrose hits a splash in the corner and a facebuster for a two count. Ambrose goes for another Facebuster but AJ stops him and hits a spin-out powerbomb for a near-fall. AJ follows up with a springboard 450 splash off the top for another near-fall. Ambrose comes back with a swinging neckbreaker and a series of knees to the head, then a dropkick that sends AJ to the floor at ringside. Ambrose follows up with a suicide dive that sends AJ falling into the announce table. Ambrose throws AJ into the crowd, then climbs the announce table and jumps off, hitting AJ with a double axe handle. Ambrose throws AJ back in the ring and goes for the Dirty Deeds, but AJ pushes him into the referee and the ref is down. AJ kicks Ambrose below the belt then hits the Styles Clash. The ref gets back up and counts the three, and AJ Styles is our new World Heavyweight Champion.
WWE Backlash is tomorrow and it is Smackdown’s first exclusive PPV. The build has been pretty uneventful leading up to this show. I’m hoping it is not just a throwaway PPV and that something memorable actually takes place on Sunday. As of now, there are only 6 matches on the card. That can be either good or bad. It could indicate that that every match will be given some time on Sunday night. If you take a cynical approach, it could mean that Sunday’s PPV will clock in at 2.5 hours and will stink. Another possibility is that there will be a random match thrown in there or a pointless promo to fill time. For example, Kane gives a Chokeslam to some someone you’ve never heard of.
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Tournament Match: The Usos vs The Hype Bros
The Usos turned heel on Smackdown last Tuesday when they brutally attacked American Alpha after they lost in embarrassing fashion. It would make zero sense for the Hype Bros to win this match. The Usos need to win and advance to face Rhyno & Heath Slater in the finals of the tournament.
Predicted Winner: The Usos
Intercontinental Championship Match: The Miz (c) vs Dolph Ziggler
This is a tough one. Personally, I don’t really see the point of giving Dolph Ziggler the IC title right now. The WWE spent the last month building Ziggler up and he lost every big match. It doesn’t make sense to me to just give him the Intercontinental Championship. Ziggler should hold the IC title again in the future. However, now is not the time. I think that the title should stay on The Miz until the WWE elevates someone fresh to take it from him. The Miz will win this match in cowardly fashion and retain his title.
Predicted Winner & Still Intercontinental Champion: The Miz
Smackdown Women’s Championship Six Pack Challenge: Becky Lynch vs Naomi vs Alexa Bliss vs Nikki Bella vs Natalya vs Carmella
The most likely performers to win this match are either Becky Lynch or Nikki Bella. Total Bellas is premiering next month and Nikki Bella is returning from injury. It would make sense to have Nikki Bella be the first Women’s Champion on Smackdown. I’m hoping that is not the case and Becky Lynch wins this match and becomes the first Women’s Champion for the Smackdown brand.
Predicted Winner & Women’s Champion: Becky Lynch
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos vs Rhyno & Heath Slater
I believe that The Usos will have won their qualifying match earlier in the show and that they will win this match as well. Slater and Rhyno would make entertaining champs but I think it makes more sense for The Usos to become Tag Team Champions. This would then allow American Alpha to chase the belts and eventually defeat The Usos for the titles down the road. Heath Slater will have to get his contract some other way.
Predicted Winners & Smackdown Tag Team Champions: The Usos
Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton
Bray Wyatt simply has to win this match. If Wyatt loses yet another match, how can anyone take him seriously? It just becomes silly if Wyatt loses. Bray Wyatt cuts a promo every week on Smackdown and has seemingly never backed it up. I hope that he gets the victory on Sunday and defeats Orton clean. It is more likely that Wyatt will get the victory with the help of outside interference. Luke Harper may make his return or Erick Rowan may get involved. I’d much rather see Wyatt simply defeat Orton on his own but odds are that will not happen. Randy Orton does not need to win this match and it would accomplish nothing if he did.
Predicted Winner: Bray Wyatt
WWE Championship Match: Dean Ambrose (c) vs AJ Styles
I have a bad feeling about this match and I hope I’m wrong. It just feels like the WWE is going to try and prolong this feud. I haven’t been that entertained by Ambrose’s title reign so far. I’m not completely against Ambrose retaining. However, if this match ends in a DQ or something along those lines it will be pretty disappointing. Unfortunately, I think that is exactly what is going to happen on Sunday. I think Styles deserves to be WWE Champion. He has made an incredible impact in the short amount of time he has been in the WWE. I just have a hunch that Ambrose will somehow retain his title on Sunday.
Predicted Winner & Still WWE Champion: Dean Ambrose
What do you think will happen tomorrow night at WWE Backlash? Share your predictions in the comment section below.
WWE Backlash 2016 takes place this Sunday at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA. WWE has yet to announce any matches for the Kickoff show on WWE Network. Our live coverage and discussion starts at 7 PM ET on Sunday.
WWE World Championship
– Dean Ambrose (c) vs. AJ Styles
Smackdown Women’s Championship
– Becky Lynch vs. Nikki Bella vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella vs. Natalya
Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi-Final
– The Usos vs. The Hype Bros
Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals
– Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. To be announced
Singles Match
– Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
Intercontinental Championship
– The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
