Tag: Wwe Backlash Results

WWE Backlash live results: Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu, IYO SKY vs. Asuka

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: May 9, 2026
Location:  Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, FL

***************

Show Recap — 

COUNTDOWN SHOW 

Wrestlers were shown arriving. Triple H was shown, too, and he was booed by fans outside the arena watching the pre-show. Everyone else was cheered. 

Michael Cole, Big E, Corey Graves and Peter Rosenberg hosted the first portion of the pre-show. I believe this would be Big E’s first live appearance since the departures of Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. 

There was a sit-down interview with Seth Rollins. They were open about Rollins turning 40 soon, and he acknowledged he may not be doing this much longer. 

Fans chanted, “New Day rocks” as Big E talked about Rollins. He ignored it.

Jacob Fatu cut a backstage promo. He said he would kick Roman Reigns’ ass. Cole demonstrated the Tongan Death Grip on Rosenberg, who passed out. Rosenberg was pretending, unfortunately. 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Sami Zayn. He calmly stated that he didn’t appreciate people, including Kelley, disrespecting him, and it was Trick Williams who enabled them to do so. Zayn planned on winning the US title back. 

Because Backlash is held in Tampa, there was an FCW video package, which included interview clips of Bayley, Charlotte Flair, Rollins, Big E, and Sheamus. They also credited Dusty Rhodes, particularly when it came to wrestlers learning promos. Triple H was credited with transforming the old FCW into the new, shiny Performance Center. 

The Usos showed up to the panel to continue the FCW discussions. The fans were excited to see Jimmy and Jey. They also spoke briefly about tonight’s world title match.

The Miz and Kit Wilson told Kelley that they would get rid of Danhausen tonight. Byron Saxton interviewed Danhausen and asked for a hint about his partner. Danhausen warned him not to ask that question again, or else he’d be cursed. 

They counted down the top ten Roman Reigns title defences. Not included in that list was Reigns beating both Edge and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 37. 

Sonya Bryson-Kirksey sang the American national anthem. 

**********

BACKLASH 2026 RESULTS

Wrestlers arrived, the show intro aired, fireworks exploded in Tampa, and it’s time for the opening match. Michael Cole and Wade Barrett are tonight’s announcers. They didn’t waste time getting going, as the opening match began at 6:07 pm local time.

On the pre-show, they mentioned repeatedly that Seth Rollins was on the verge of turning 40, and he acknowledged that he wouldn’t be doing this forever. Bron Breakker, obviously, is a guy looking to take his place. Barrett said that seems to be the theme tonight (along with Jacob Fatu/Roman Reigns and Trick Williams/Sami Zayn). 

Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker (w/ Paul Heyman) 

They battled back and forth and fought around ringside, but Breakker cut Rollins off in the ring with a suplex and took over. The crowd was really behind Rollins. 

Breakker cut him off again by hitting a running shoulder tackle and multiple German suplexes. (With Brock Lesnar gone, at least for now, I wonder if Heyman suggested that Breakker start using this move more.) 

Rollins bit Breakker’s face out of desperation while on the top rope, but it wasn’t enough because Breakker hit a Frankensteiner anyway for two. With Rollins outside the ring, Breakker tried a running sneak attack, but Rollins superkicked him out of mid-air. 

Rollins hit a clothesline back in the ring for two. Rollins set up for a curb stomp, but Breakker got up to his knees, so Rollins hit a knee strike instead for two. (Rollins seemed to say something to Breakker as he made the cover, so I’m not sure if this spot got screwed up, but it looked fine.) 

Rollins went for the stomp, but Breakker blocked it by simply catching his foot. Breakker hit a press slam gutbuster and went for a spear, but Rollins kicked him to block it. 

Rollins tried a tilt-a-whirl into a DDT or a Pedigree attempt, but he slipped and fell down by accident. It seemed like they couldn’t get on the same page on the spot, but Breakker made up for it by immediately hitting a standing moonsault for two. 

Rollins responded with a buckle bomb, but Breakker popped right back with a clothesline. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.” Rollins wound up outside the ring, leaning against the announce table, so Breakker hit a flying clothesline off the apron. 

Breakker went to the top rope, but Rollins met him there and hit a superplex. Rollins tried to transition into the Falcon Arrow, but Breakker hit the Falcon Arrow instead for a nearfall. (The crowd popped big for that.) 

Breakker hit another Frankensteiner moments later. He tried another, but Rollins landed on his feet and fired up as Breakker looked on in disbelief. Rollins hit a superkick and a Pedigree. 

Rollins followed with a curb stomp, but Heyman went on the apron to distract the referee. Rollins smiled and grabbed a steel chair, realizing what was coming. 

Austin Theory and Logan Paul tried a sneak attack, but Rollins attacked them with the chair. He gave Theory a curb stomp and chased Paul to the back. 

Rollins sprinted back into the ring but was met with a Breakker spear for a nearfall. Breakker went for another spear, but Rollins countered it into a Pedigree (which didn’t look great). 

Rollins went for a stomp off the ropes, but Breakker speared him out of the air. Breakker followed with another spear for the pinfall win. 

— Cole called this the biggest win of Breakker’s career and stated, “Bron Breakker has arrived.” 

Match result: Bron Breakker defeated Seth Rollins (21:25)

This was a strong match despite some miscommunication in the middle, and it helped that the crowd was hot for the whole thing. It was nice to see Breakker go over; I was expecting Rollins to win after weeks of Breakker getting the better of him. Rollins has a bit of an out after the Vision got involved, so this isn’t over. 

******** 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Trick Williams in Gorilla. He said he was the puppetmaster, and this was his world. The time for games was over, and Sami Zayn would find that out tonight. 

United States Championship match: Trick Williams (c) (w/ Lil Yachty) vs. Sami Zayn

Williams booted Zayn in the corner to the cadence of “Whoop that Trick.” Zayn rolled to the outside to recover and chucked Williams into the steel steps when he joined him. Zayn was about to use the steel steps as a weapon, but stopped when Lil Yachty got in the way. 

Zayn hammered away at Williams in the ring. Fans booed this, and Zayn smirked while looking around in confusion. A few fans chanted for Zayn, but they were drowned out by chants of “Sami sucks,” and Zayn looked around at them again. 

Williams fought back with an upkick and neckbreaker. They traded counters until Williams hit a Book End for two. Zayn responded later with a sunset flip powerbomb off the ropes for two. They traded counters again, but this time Zayn got the better of it and hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. 

Zayn feigned a knee injury after springboarding off the ropes. Williams waited a moment before going after him, and Zayn caught him in a small package for two. Lil Yachty argued with the referee, and the distraction allowed Zayn to hit Williams with a candy cane kendo stick for a nearfall. 

Zayn aggressively booted Williams until the referee stopped him for some reason. As the ref checked on Williams, Lil Yachty hit Zayn with the kendo stick, and Williams followed with a Trick Kick for a nearfall. 

They wound up outside, and Zayn decked Yachty with a right hand. Yachty went down like a man who’s never taken a bump in his life (not an insult). Zayn also hit him with a kendo stick. 

Williams went after Zayn, but Zayn gave him a DDT onto the top of the steep steps. Before entering the ring, Zayn gave an unsuspecting Lil Yachty a Helluva Kick into the barricade. (I laughed, especially when Lil Yachty went down awkwardly again.) 

Back in the ring, Zayn went for a Helluva Kick, but Williams dodged it and hit a Trick Shot for the pinfall win. 

— Lil Yachty quickly recovered from Zayn’s finisher and joined Williams in the ring to celebrate. He tossed cash into the air. 

Match result: Trick Williams defeated Sami Zayn to retain the United States Championship (12:45)

This match was alright. They worked around Williams’ limitations as best they could. The crowd liked Williams, and they resented Zayn. 

Zayn has lost two in a row to Williams, so he’ll have to find something else to do now. 

******** 

The Miz and Kit Wilson entered first, and there was a long video package to explain why this match was happening. 

Danhausen entered on his custom vehicle and walked over to the cloning machine box to reveal his partner. The box opened, and a little person dressed as Danhausen popped out. They entered the Danhausen-mobile and rode around ringside. They entered the ring, and Miz laughed at Danhausen’s partner. 

The crowd seemed to play along during the entrance, but there was a smattering of boos when the bell rang and the match actually started with this man as Danhausen’s partner.

Danhausen & Mini-hausen vs. The Miz & Kit Wilson

The Danhausen clone could actually wrestle and used a tilt-a-whirl leg scissors takedown to knock Miz out of the ring. This cheered up the paying audience. 

The heels took control after posting Danhausen. They beat up little Danhausen for a while until he hit a springboard moonsault to knock down Wilson. Danhausen made a hot tag and ran wild on both guys, and his offence included a German suplex on Wilson and a tornado DDT on Miz. 

Danhausen hit a running boot on Wilson, but he wasn’t the legal man. Miz booted Danhausen into the corner, so little Danhausen tagged himself in and wiped out both heels with a suicide dive. Mini-hausen chased Wilson up the ramp, but Wilson kicked him in the head and shoved him back into the box. 

The cloning box percolated and reopened, and about five or six more little Danhausens entered. The original clone gave Wilson an airplane spin. He tried to curse Wilson, but Wilson held up a mirror, so Mini-hausen wound up cursing himself. Miz gave him a Skull Crushing Finale, but Danhausen broke up the cover. 

Danhausen tagged in and gave Miz a Thesz press (at least he tried to). Miz tried to use a fire extinguisher, but he was cursed, I guess, and it went off in his face and in his partner’s. 

Mini-hausen wiped out Wilson with a dive, and Danhausen hit Miz with a pump kick for the pinfall. 

— Cole said, “This is wrestling!” and Barrett vehemently disagreed, asking, “What happened to the business I love?” 

Match result: Danhausen & Mini-hausen defeated The Miz & Kit Wilson (11:38) 

This nonsense match was longer than every women’s match on both nights of WrestleMania 42. 

********

They announced a two-night AAA Triplemanía in September (over two non-consecutive nights). 

There was a commercial for Riyadh season. 

IYO SKY vs. Asuka

Kairi Sane did not appear. The post-match could leave people speculating on Asuka’s future. 

The match started with chants of, “We want Kairi.” It wasn’t super loud at first, but it got much louder as Asuka controlled the opening moments of the match. 

Sky fired up with some offence, which got the crowd to focus on the match instead. Asuka took control after driving Sky’s head into the ring post. The crowd chanted for Sky to get back into the match before once again chanting for Kairi Sane. (The chants pretty much stopped after this.)

Asuka hit kicks to the chest until Sky blocked one and hit a double foot stomp. Sky followed with a back elbow, an uppercut, a missile dropkick, and a running meteora in the corner for two. Asuka responded with strikes of her own and a knee strike for two. 

Sky hit a German suplex into a bridging cover for two. Asuka tried an armbar, but Sky quickly escaped. They traded kicks, and both women went down. Asuka tried an armbar again, but Sky slipped out and applied her own version of the Asuka Lock until Asuka got a rope break. 

Asuka went to the top, but Sky hit an uppercut and hurricanrana. However, Asuka rolled through into a cradle for a nearfall. Sky avoided a running hip attack and dropkicked Asuka out of the ring. Asuka blocked a dive and placed Sky on the announce table. 

While standing on the announce table, Asuka tried to mist Sky, but Sky held up Barrett’s laptop to block it. Sky tripped Asuka and hit a flying crossbody off the table. The crowd chanted for Sky as she hit an Asai moonsault. 

Asuka dodged a moonsault and locked in the armbar. Sky countered it, but Asuka caught her in the Asuka Lock. It looked like Sky was about to pass out, but she just barely caught Asuka in a cradle for two. 

Asuka blocked a kick and hit a German suplex. However, Sky blocked a kick moments later and hit a German suplex of her own. Sky followed with a running corner meteora and a moonsault for the pinfall win. 

— Sky bowed to Asuka after the match. Asuka broke down in tears and gave Sky a big hug. They embraced and Asuka held up Sky’s hand. 

That’s interesting. 

Match result: IYO SKY defeated Asuka (18:06)

A really good match that built as it went. 

******** 

Steve Keirn and Dan Spivey were in the crowd, along with members of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have some extra time on their hands. 

John Cena’s announcement 

Cena entered. He said he had to consider what the next stage of his career would be. The crowd chanted, “One more match,” and Cena said he knew that was coming. He thought a lot about his final match and how it went. 

Cena was happy with it and happy with the event being a showcase of the future. He wanted his final opponent to earn the spot, and that’s what happened. 

That night gave a spotlight to some of the new NXT stars like Sol Ruca, Je’Von Evans, and Oba Femi. (Femi got a big reaction.) Cena was impressed with Femi and his win over Brock Lesnar. 

Cena was so happy with how that night went that it led to his announcement tonight: the John Cena Classic. 

Over one evening, the best of today would face the best of tomorrow. Members of WWE and NXT would battle for the chance to win a new championship. The championship would have Cena’s name on it, and he would strive to make the event a memorable one. 

Cena also announced that fans would vote to determine the champion. During this showcase event, even if a wrestler didn’t win their match, they could win over the fans with their performance, and that wrestler could still be voted by the fans to become the new champion. 

Cena was excited and wanted to make this an annual event. He thanked the company for making this happen and thanked the fans for their support.

(To summarize, there will be an event with matches where the actual results don’t matter, only the individual performances, because a fan vote will determine the winner. At least, the results will matter as much as the fans determine they do. It doesn’t really sound like a title that will be defended; rather, an annual trophy like the Andre the Giant battle royal, but we’ll see. The live fans cheered the pandering announcement. It certainly different.) 

******** 

World Heavyweight Championship match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu

Reigns knocked down Fatu with a shoulder tackle and posed to the crowd, but Fatu immediately got to his feet and stared down Reigns. Fatu no-sold a clothesline and knocked Reigns out of the ring. Fatu went for a dive, but when it seemed like Reigns blocked it, Fatu applied the Tongan Death Grip instead. 

Fatu let go of the hold because they were outside the ring. When Fatu went after him again, Reigns wrenched him against the ropes. Reigns drove Fatu’s hand into the ring post to prevent him from doing the move again. There were loud duelling crowd chants. 

Reigns hit clotheslines in the corner, but Fatu stopped it by simply grabbing Reigns’ arm. Fatu hit a clothesline and drove Reigns shoulder-first into the ring post. Fatu missed a corner splash, and Reigns came back with more clotheslines and a big boot. 

Reigns hit a Superman punch, but Fatu kicked out at one and popped right to his feet. Fans chanted for Fatu, who no-sold Reigns’ offence before hitting a clothesline and a senton. Fatu headbutted Reigns ten times in the corner and hit a running hip attack. 

Fatu set up for another hip attack, but Reigns exploded out of the corner with a Superman punch for two. They went to the outside, where Fatu powerbombed Reigns through the announce table. Fatu rolled Reigns back into the ring, but Reigns speared him for a nearfall. 

Reigns went for another spear, but Fatu countered into a pop-up Samoan drop. The crowd went crazy as Fatu followed with the Mighty Moonsault, but Reigns kicked out. 

Fatu went for a senton bomb, but Reigns got his knees up to block it. They slowly got to their feet and traded right hands. Fatu got the better of the exchange as Reigns fell into the corner. Fatu immediately hit consecutive running hip attacks. 

Fatu applied the Tongan Death Grip. Reigns appeared to be going out, but he fired up and put his fingers in Fatu’s eyes. Reigns shoved Fatu into the corner as he did, and the referee was knocked down (he was only dazed, not knocked out). 

Fatu tried a pop-up Samoan Drop, but Reigns countered with a Superman punch, and he followed with a spear for a close nearfall. (This was one of those nearfalls that was probably a three, but it wasn’t the finish, so the ref held up the count.) 

Fatu applied the Death Grip, and Reigns held onto the top turnbuckle for leverage. The buckle cover came off in the process. Fatu still held the Death Grip, but Reigns shoved his head into the exposed buckle and followed with a spear for the pinfall win. Reigns retains. 

— Fatu attacked Reigns after the match and put him in the Death Grip. The ref tried to stop him, so Fatu gave him a Samoan drop. 

Officials ran out to stop Fatu, but he superkicked Shane Helms and shoved Adam Pearce out of the ring. Fatu put Reigns in the hold again as five officials desperately tried to stop him, and he eventually let go. 

Fatu left the ring, but he returned to put Reigns in the hold again. Fatu let go of the hold and held the title belt up high as the show ended. 

Match result: Roman Reigns defeated Jacob Fatu to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (18:03)

This was a really good match. On some level, we’ve probably seen a few too many Reigns main events, but Fatu comes across as totally unique from everyone else on this show, so this felt different, and he should really win the title at some point. 

WWE Backlash live results: John Cena vs. Randy Orton, Gunther vs. Pat McAfee

Posted on by Marc Quill

WWE Backlash heads to the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, headlined by new WWE Champion John Cena defending against former champion and longtime rival Randy Orton.

This will be Cena’s first title defense since winning the title from Cody Rhodes at last month’s WrestleMania 41 and his first singles match against Orton since February 2017.

After winning it at WrestleMania 41, Jacob Fatu defends the United States title for the first time as he faces former champion LA Knight, Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest in a four-way.

New WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defends for the second time since WrestleMania 41 as he faces Penta in a rematch from April.

WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria defends against former partner Becky Lynch after Lynch turned on her on the Raw after WrestleMania.

Following his attack against Pat McAfee at the Raw after WrestleMania, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther takes on the announcer in his first bout since the 2024 Royal Rumble match.

The pre-show begins at 5 PM Eastern with the main card kicking off at 7 PM Eastern on Peacock (U.S.) and Netflix (everywhere else).

**********

Countdown to Backlash

– Michael Cole, Big E, and Wade Barrett welcomed us to the Countdown show as various wrestlers were shown arriving to the arena ahead of tonight’s show.

– An interview Barrett conducted with Randy Orton earlier in the week was teased.

– After a video package on Lyra Valkyria defending her Women’s Intercontinental Championship, Jackie Redmond was shown backstage talking about remarks that both Lynch and Valkyria gave to her ahead of their match. We then went to Byron Saxton interviewing Valkyria herself.

– NXT’s Vic Joseph joined the panel to talk about Valkyria’s career progression. The discussion turned to Penta versus Dominik Mysterio shortly after.

– The panel recapped the events that led up to Gunther facing Pat McAfee tonight. Michael Cole reiterated that he was entitled to share his opinions without having to face any reprisal. He said that McAfee would not go down without a fight, even in defeat, as he wished McAfee the best of luck in his match tonight.

– LA Knight was interviewed backstage about his chances of winning the U.S. Championship Fatal Four-Way match later tonight. Following that, a special look at the history of WWE in video games was shown.

– Peter Rosenberg and Jackie Redmond replaced Cole and Barrett on the panel as the talk turned to the card for tonight’s show. We then went to Barrett’s sitdown interview with Randy Orton.

– Orton said that the John Cena of 2025 is “selfish” when asked to describe him in one word. He then talked about the first time he met Cena in Ohio Valley Wrestling two decades ago, before he discussed how the many battles with Cena were the most fun he had in his career. Now, in Orton’s mind, he believed that Cena was being selfish because he wasn’t thinking of others with his recent change in attitude. Orton promised that if given the chance, he’d punt Cena tonight before going on a retirement run of his own that would last 5-10 years, and he’d have fun going on that run.

– The panel talked about the U.S. Championship Fatal Four Way match, which was confirmed as the opening match for the evening before the focused switched to Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Title.

**********

Backlash 2025

– Following the U.S. Anthem being sung, we were shown footage of various wrestlers arriving at the arena before our commentary team of Michael Cole and Wade Barrett welcomed us to the show proper ahead of our opener.

Fatal-Four Way for the United States Championship: Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre vs. LA Knight vs. Damian Priest

The bell rang with Knight and Fatu, as well as McIntyre and Priest brawling it out in their own separate skirmishes. The U.S. Champion was sent into the turnbuckle as Knight had control early.

McIntyre was taken down by a Samoan Drop from Fatu, before he got crushed with a running corner hip charge from the U.S Champion. As Fatu went up top, McIntyre raked at the eyes and looked to hit a superplex before Knight intercepted the Scotsman and hit him with repeated stomps. Knight then headed up top to attempt to slam Fatu, but got pushed aside. McIntyre showed impressive core strength and got himself back up to throw Fatu onto Knight, but the U.S. Champion recovered and unleashed a flurry on Priest and Knight. We then got Fatu getting blasted with a BFT from Knight, who then got thrown down with South of Heaven by Priest, followed by McIntyre’s Claymore on his hated rival. Priest fell onto Fatu, but McIntyre pulled him away as the count was made.

Knight’s BFT got countered, as McIntyre nailed him with a Future Shock DDT. This led to a Claymore on Knight, and it appeared we’d have a new U.S. Champion. That was until Priest pulled the referee at the last second before he could make the three count. The two bitter rivals brawled and sent each other crashing over into the timekeepers’ area.

Fatu and Knight were left in the ring as the U.S. Champion had his challenger dead to rights for a jumping moonsault, but Knight dodged at the last minute. A set of dual elbows from Knight nearly had the match won, but Fatu kicked out at two.

In the crowd, Priest and McIntyre fought as their fight escalated to a high platform. Priest dropped McIntyre with a South of Heaven chokeslam through a pair of tables in the ensuing melee. Back at ringside, Knight continued to dominate by throwing Fatu into the ringpost once more, as he then planted him onto the announce table. Knight headed up to the top rope and looked to have Fatu done and dusted with a diving elbow, until Solo Sikoa pulled Fatu out of harm’s way. As Knight stared down Sikoa, a mystery person attacked him before the assailant stepped over the barricade.

The assailant was revealed to be Jeff Cobb, who waylaid Knight before the challenger got thrown into the ring. As Fatu recovered, he stared down Cobb and Sikoa briefly before he entered the ring to continue the attack on Knight. One hip charge and moonsault later, and Fatu made the winning pin to retain his U.S. Championship.

Post-match, Fatu continued to stare down Sikoa and Cobb and appeared to leave on his own without the two.

Jacob Fatu def. LA Knight, Drew McIntyre, and Damian Priest to retain the United States Championship (Fatu pinned Knight)

Solid opening bout with lots of big meat being slapped around and Jeff Cobb’s surprise debut spicing things up. The interactions between champion Fatu and Cobb make it clear that there’ll certainly be a feud inevitably coming between these two down the line.

**********

Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Becky Lynch

Lynch and Valkyria opened with a shoving contest, followed by the challenger keeping Valkyria grounded early on. Valkyria eventually recovered as we got a stalemate between these two.

Valkyria trapped Lynch in a swinging pendulum submission hold, as she then caught her in a surfboard stretch submission to maintain control against the veteran. Lynch got dropped with a dropkick from Valkyria, but she recovered to avoid a top rope attack from the Women’s IC Champion. Lynch continued to punish Valkyria to keep her grounded.

Valkyria stormed back with an impressive superplex, but Lynch kicked out in the nick of time. Lynch responded with a neckbreaker, but Valkyria kicked out. Valkyria got the better of Lynch and connected with a top rope legdrop. One, two, no! In the middle of the ring, a skirmish between champion and challenger turned into a duel of armbars that ended with Lynch seemingly having the Dis-Arm-Her locked in.

Lynch caught Valkyria with the Manhandle Slam, but the plucky Women’s I.C. champion managed to kick out at to, much to Lynch’s shock. Frustrated, Lynch headed to the timekeepers area to take a steel chair, but that was a distraction as she exposed the turnbuckle behind referee Jessika Carr’s back.

Lynch sent Valkyria into the middle turnbuckle as she hit another Manhandle Slam, but Valkyria kicked out yet again. Lynch tried to send Valkyria into the ringpost, but the referee saw it. In the ensuing scuffle, Lynch connected with Night Wing, but Lynch kicked out thanks to the referee taking too long.

After a pinfall exchange, Valkyria scored a flash rollup pin to retain. However, the Women’s I.C. Champion had no time to celebrate as Lynch snapped and locked Valkyria in the Dis-Arm-Her. The usual gaggle of former wrestlers, referees, and Adam Pearce made their way to the ring to stop Lynch’s rampage.

Lyra Valkyria def. Becky Lynch via pinfall to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship

A heck of a title bout that did not miss a step. Would not be against Lynch and Valkyria running back for the third time.

**********

Intercontinental Championship Match: “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio versus Penta

Lots of fast-paced offence to start us off with neither Dominik or Penta getting any sort of clear advantage, at least until Penta landed a Backstabber on his opponent for a two-count. Dominik secured the advantage as he sent Penta for a ride on the ropes, which then led to an impressive suicide dive turned into a DDT at ringside. Dominik sent Penta into the ring and landed a slingshot splash for another near-fall.

Dominik continued to have the command on Penta at this stage in the match. Penta fought out of a chinlock as he connected with a slingblade on the Intercontinental Champion. With Dominik on the outside, Penta headed up top and stepped on the top of the turnbuckle post itself as he connected with a splash on his champion opponent at ringside. In the ring, Dominik caught Penta and looked to connect with the Three Amigos, but Penta fought out of it. A 619 attempt from Dominik was dodged by Penta, who then delivered a crucifix bomb pin for the near-fall.

Dominik channeled his girlfriend Liv Morgan as he hit Penta with ObLIVion, but that was not enough to get the victory. The battle spilled onto the apron with Penta landing the Mexican Destroyer piledriver right on the apron! Carlito made his way down the ring at this point as Finn Balor and JD McDonagh entered. Some miscommunication between Balor and McDonagh led to the referee catching the Judgment Day duo in the act, prompting to a kickout. Penta responded in kind with a dive over the referee to take out Carlito and McDonagh. On the apron, Balor provided a distraction as El Grande Americano (who may or may not be Chad Gable) headbutted Penta, which gave Dominik the opening to connect with the Frog Splash to retain his coveted Intercontinental Championship.

Dominik Mysterio def. Penta via pinfall to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Decent match, but having yet another match conclude with interference after the opener had a similar finish seems rather disappointing and feels more at home on a weekly WWE show rather than a PPV. That said, it’s nice to see Dominik progress as an in-ring talent, and he got some nice moves in during this match, like the suicide dive/DDT combo.

**********

Gunther vs. Pat McAfee

Gunther started things off by pushing McAfee into the corner before the two sized each other up once more. Gunther nonchalantly threw McAfee from a headlock position as he then utilized his technical prowess to trap McAfee with an arm wrench. McAfee escaped and barely avoided a Gunther chop attempt with a dodge. McAfee answered with a headlock of his own as he got sent to the apron. McAfee responded to Gunther mocking him with an attempt at a strike (after slipping off the top rope), but got met with a clothesline from the Austrian.

McAfee tried to hit Gunther with some chops of his own, but got floored by a hard chop by Gunther. With McAfee prone in the corner, Gunther continued to punish him with his patented chops, which began to turn McAfee’s chest red. Gunther absorbed a punt kick to the back from McAfee and once again looked to have the upper hand.

McAfee hyped himself up as he tried once again to hit Gunther with chops, but he got dropped with a fierce boot to the face. Gunther taunted Cole and invited him to get into the ring to witness the brutality firsthand. McAfee recovered, but couldn’t maintain a second win as Gunther connected with a German suplex. Gunther tried to apply his sleeper hold, but McAfee attempted an escape. Another German suplex from Gunther kept McAfee’s comeback a fleeting one.

Gunther continued to play with his food as he put McAfee on the top rope and looked for an avalanche German suplex. McAfee managed to avoid that calamity, and tried for a moonsault. Gunther avoided it, and tried for a German suplex. McAfee landed on his feet and hit a series of punts on Gunther. That, however, wasn’t enough to even get a two-count as Gunther kicked out at one. McAfee and Gunther faced off in the middle of the ring and exchanged strikes until McAfee’s attempt at keeping Gunther floored was met with a powerbomb.

In the middle of the ring, McAfee was trapped in a Boston Crab by Gunther as Michael Cole got off his commentary seat and tried to will McAfee on. Gunther took notice and dragged Cole into the ring as he attempted to hit a powerbomb on the commentator. McAfee intervened with a boot, but was met with a boot from Gunther for his troubles. Cole grabbed onto Gunther’s feet as McAfee tried for a pin, but Gunther kicked out.

McAfee’s sleeper hold attempt was stopped as Gunther destroyed him with a lariat. Gunther caught McAfee with his patented sleeper hold and appeared to have it all wrapped up. McAfee struggled and tried to fight out of it, but simply could not escape as Gunther scored the victory via referee stoppage.

Post-match, Gunther appeared to give McAfee credit for his efforts in the match.

Gunther def. Pat McAfee via submission

I can’t quite put into words how I felt about this match, since this wasn’t really going to be a classic bout. In any case, this match was certainly one of the matches of all time. Gunther did the best he could and certainly played his role, and I can’t really say much about McAfee’s in-ring abilities (or lack thereof). In short, this felt like a match that lasted a bit too longer than it should’ve.

**********

Undisputed WWE Championship Match: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

As expected, Orton got a huge hometown reaction from the crowd inside the Enterprise Center, complete with the now-familiar singalong of “Voices” serenading Orton’s arrival to the ring for this main event.

Following the introductions, the bell rang as Cena and Orton locked up in the middle of the ring with a test of strength that nobody won out in. The two would then stare one another down as Cena offered a handshake, before he poked Orton in the eye. The Viper answered back with a shot of his own to Cena’s eye, which sent the WWE Champion outside to reassess the situation.

In the ring, Orton dropped Cena with a shoulder block as he then applied a headlock. Cena escaped, but got taken down with another shoulder block, which caused him to take a powder and attempt to walk out on the match. Orton ran him down and refused to let Cena escape. In the ring, Cena struck Orton with a surprise clothesline to gain control of this match. Orton fought back and caught Cena with a set of 20 punches in the corner.

Orton began to target the downed Cena with his patented stomps, followed by a knee drop to the face of the Champ. Cena reversed an Irish whip from Orton and trapped him in a sleeper hold. This led to a series of dueling sleepers from both men that ended with Orton delivering a back suplex on Cena as both men were left down and out in the ring. Cena recovered and hit his shoulder charges, spinout Protoplex, followed by the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Orton fought out of an AA attempt from Cena as he answered with a vintage powerslam. Cena countered a draped DDT attempt with a rollup, followed by the STFU locked in. Orton escaped the hold and connected with his trademark DDT to leave Cena out cold.

The Viper sized up his prey as he looked for the RKO, but Cena countered and attempted an Attitude Adjustment. Cena appeared to connect, but Orton countered it into a sort-of RKO as he was being dropped on his back. Once both men got back to their feet, we got an exchange of strikes between Orton and Cena. In the melee, Cena caught Orton with the Attitude Adjustment. One, two… Orton kicked out!

Cena tried for another AA, but Orton used the ropes to escape. Cena’s attempt at hitting the shoulder tackles was met with an RKO out of nowhere. Cena managed to roll out of harms way to avoid Orton pinning him. Orton tried to go for the Punt with Cena in position, but the Undisputed WWE Champion escaped and hit one more AA. However, Orton kicked out at 2.99999999 to keep this match going.

Cena mocked Orton’s pose and tried for a Punt of his own. Orton dodged, and looked for an RKO, but Cena pushed him right into the referee. Cena hit an AA on Orton and grabbed the WWE Championship belt from ringside. As Cena entered the ring, he got met with an RKO from Orton. One, two…. Cena kicked out! As Cena rolled out of the ring, Orton looked towards the commentary table and cleared it away with bad intentions on his mind. Cena once again pushed Orton into the referee, which sent him into the steel steps as a result.

Cena took Orton and put him on his shoulders, as he looked for an AA onto the table, but Orton escaped and turned the tables with an AA of his own to Cena. The table itself fell apart five seconds after after Cena kicked around while sprawled in pain. Orton looked around under the ring and found a table as he set it up next to the ring. Cena took advantage and once again tried the AA, but Orton escaped yet again and threw Cena with an AA through the regular table.

Inside the ring, Cena got himself up and was taken down by an RKO. As a referee ran down to make the count, Cena kicked out at two. Orton argued with the referee as Cena grabbed the WWE Championship belt. Orton hit an RKO on Cena, but there was no referee to make the count. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis and several officials ran down to the ring to survey the chaos, much to Orton’s irritation.

Orton snapped and dropped Aldis and the other officials with a barrage of RKOs, to the St. Louis crowd’s delight. Cena was again in position for a Punt, but R-Truth ran in to stop Orton at the last second. He got dropped with an RKO for his troubles. This allowed Cena to hit a low blow on Orton, followed by a shot with the title. As the referee crawled back to the ring, Cena made the pin and that’s it, over. The so-called “Last Real Champion” retains in the Backlash main event.

After the match, Cena took the microphone and had the music cut. He said that he didn’t need music, and he needed competition. Cena said that this is what the “Last Real Champion” looks like and despite the obvious set up for a surprise, the show just ended there.

John Cena def. Randy Orton via pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship

That got a bit overbooked towards the end, but it was the fun kind of overbooked, which did make the main event a decent way to end an otherwise okay show that felt like “Saturday Night Raw” at times. Of course, the main highlight of the night was the excellent Lynch/Valkyria Women’s I.C. Title match, but other than that, everything just felt like a “kinda there” moment.

It’s clear that the 5-match PLE format that the Paul Levesque-led WWE braintrust have adhered to is a double-edged sword. When the majority of the matches are solid, it elevates the show greatly. On the other hand, when the show is filled with 3-4 mediocre-to-decent matches, it ends up making the show fall a bit flat. Unfortunately, Backlash 2025 falls under that latter category.

WWE Backlash live results: Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: May 4, 2024
Location: LDLC Arena in Lyon-Décines, France

**********

Show Recap —

KICK-OFF SHOW

Paul Levesque, Cody Rhodes, AJ Styles, Damian Priest, Jey Uso, Tiffany Stratton, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill were shown arriving to the arena at various times. 

Jackie Redmond, Big E and CM Punk hosted the pre-show panel from their studio (not in France). Punk wished he was in France for the show. 

They plugged Rhodes vs. Styles and Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton.

There was an Andre The Giant tribute video.

Byron Saxton interviewed Jey Uso. Jey had goosebumps. He called tonight a career-defining moment. Damian Priest was a beast but Jey had to prove he could stand on his own as World Heavyweight Champion.

Big E, somewhat oddly, spoke about Jey’s comments from a few days ago where Jey said he was disappointed with his match against Jimmy Uso at WrestleMania. (Odd thing to bring up given that he won that match.) Big E said Jey would be extra motivated tonight, not only to win the title but to have a match people will remember. 

There was a video of Kayla Braxton and Kevin Owens hanging out around France.

Saxton interviewed Belair and Cargill. Belair was tired of talking about Damage CTRL and proceeded to talk about them. Belair wanted to take their titles so Damage CTRL could disappear back to Raw. Cargill said they didn’t have time for this and they left.

They cut to a live shot of the live crowd chanting for Punk. He appreciated it and promised to be there with his boots on the next time they were in France.

Saxton walked down the aisle to take in the red-hot live crowd.

Randy Orton and Kevin Owens were shown arriving. Owens snuck into Rhodes’ locker room to steal a banana. 

Big E mentioned that Tama Tonga was in Guerrillas of Destiny with Tanga Loa in New Japan and Punk was taken aback that he mentioned any of those things. Punk admitted he still wasn’t sure where the line was regarding what they could mention and what they couldn’t. Big E didn’t care if he got in trouble. 

There was a pre-taped interview with Styles. He told Braxton that his new attitude was due to his renewed focus. He was tired of being complacent. Styles didn’t want to hurt Rhodes, but he did need to beat him. While discussing the match, Punk took a not-so-subtle shot at Drew McIntyre (without mentioning his name).

They cut to Michael Cole and Corey Graves who spoke about how insanely loud the crowd was. Cole said he got a noise level warning on his smartwatch. 

********

BACKLASH FRANCE 

They aired the same clips from the pre-show of Cody Rhodes, AJ Styles, Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, Damage CTRL, Damian Priest and Jey Uso arriving earlier today.

There was a Backlash intro video. There were no fireworks but the noise of the live crowd more than made up for that.

Street Fight: Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga (w/Paul Heyman) defeated Kevin Owens & Randy Orton (19:34)

Owens entered first to a huge reaction. He stood in the aisle for a long time soaking in the reaction as his music played. (It went so long I thought it might’ve been a mistake but they wanted to let the crowd reaction continue.) Orton entered next and the fans loudly sang his song.

Cole and Graves noted that they may not need to speak at all today because of how loud it was. The Bloodline was booed and we got “We want Roman” chants.

Before the match began, Owens started brawling with Tonga so Orton followed suit with Sikoa. The fight spilled to the outside where a bunch of officials and security ran in to separate them. Owens handed out stunners to two security guards.

Nick Aldis entered to make this a street fight. The crowd, of course, popped big.

There was a wild brawl that went through the crowd until the Bloodline was finally sent back to ringside. Owens gave Tonga a splash off the barricade. Orton stood on the barricade as if he would do one too but he simply stepped down and posed for the crowd. They chanted for Orton as he gave Tonga a back suplex onto the announce table. Owens gave Sikoa a DDT on the steps.

Orton whacked Tonga right in the head with a trash can lid. Owens did the same to Sikoa. There were chants of “ECW.” Owens and Orton used a kendo stick before grabbing a table, delighting the crowd. Owens put Tonga through a table with a frog splash off the apron.

Almost eight minutes into the match, the Bloodline finally got some offence when Sikoa cut off Orton and put him through a table with a Samoan drop. Owens tried going after Sikoa but he dropped Owens with a clothesline. Tonga hit Owens with a kendo stick as the crowd called him an asshole.

The Bloodline ganged up on Owens until he tackled Tonga but Sikoa hit him with a trash can. Heyman looked on with an apparent look of concern as Bloodline beat up Owens. The Bloodline grabbed a table but Owens fought back and drove Sikoa through the table. Tonga knocked him down with a clothesline.

Orton got back in before Tonga could hit Owens with a chair. Orton ducked a chair shot and hit clotheslines, a powerslam, a draping DDT and RKO but Sikoa broke up the cover.

Sikoa cleared the announce table and the crowd actually booed because it was a bad guy doing it. They chanted “Solo sucks” as he placed Orton on the table. Orton blocked a Samoan Spike and gave Sikoa an RKO on the table (which didn’t break).

Owens hit Tonga in the back with four different chairs. He set up the chairs on their legs and placed Tonga over the tables but Tonga got up. They battled on the ropes until Owens put Tonga through the chairs with an avalanche fisherman’s buster, which was insane.

Owens had it won but the cover was broken up when Tanga Loa yanked the referee out of the ring. Tanga Loa hit Orton and Owens in the face with the steel steps.

Sikoa gave Owens a uranage onto a chair before hitting the Samoan Spike for the pinfall win.

— After the match, Heyman kneeled by Owens’ fallen body and asked the Bloodline to stop there.

Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Tango Loa stood tall and did the Bloodline pose. Heyman joined them.

This was quite the spectacle. 

********

Triple Threat Match: Bayley defeated Naomi and Tiffany Stratton to retain the WWE Women’s Championship (13:34)

Naomi and Bayley seemed particularly pumped up by the fans’ reactions to their entrances. The crowd sang the Bayley song. There were some “Tiffy time” chants too. The crowd chanted something in French and Bayley clapped along while mouthing, “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

They traded some three-way spots which led to Stratton taking control. Bayley tried fighting back but Stratton hit an Alabama Slam. Naomi was supposed to break up the cover but she was late so Bayley kicked out anyway.

Naomi speared Stratton through the ropes. Stratton fought back and hit a handspring back elbow to Naomi into the barricade. Stratton was distracted by the crowd so Bayley hit a suicide dive. Naomi came off the barricade with a blockbuster on Bayley. Naomi gave Stratton a split-legged moonsault but Bayley broke up the cover.

Naomi gave Stratton a sit-out powerbomb for two. Naomi applied Feel the Glow but Bayley broke it up with a flying elbow drop for two. Bayley gave Stratton a Bayley-to-belly for two. (The crowd chanted “Simplement deux” after every two count.)

Stratton gave Naomi an Alabama Slam onto the edge of the announce table and did the same to Bayley. Stratton tried PME on both women but they both moved and gave her a 3D. The crowd chanted “This is awesome.”

Bayley and Naomi exchange blows. Naomi tried a cradle but Bayley countered into one of her own for the pinfall win. Bayley retains.

There were some rough spots at the beginning but this wound up being pretty good. Obviously, the crowd helped.

— Naomi hugged Bayley after the match and raised her hand. The crowd applauded.

******** 

Jey Uso warmed up in the back when he was approached by the Bloodline. There was a brief staredown before Bloodline walked off. Heyman approached Jey with a look of concern. Heyman shook his head and walked away.

Damian Priest defeated Jey Uso to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (15:46)

Jey entered through the crowd and his entrance looked terrific. Priest had new music.

Jey used his Yeet pose to control the crowd the way Daniel Bryan did in that cage match angle with Bray Wyatt years ago. As the match started, he did the pose to each side of the arena. He was going to ignore the stage side as wrestlers often do, but because there were way more fans there than usual, they called for him to do it for their side and he did.

Priest took control early after driving Jey into the barricade. Jey fought back with strikes, a thrust kick, an uppercut, an enziguri, and a flying cross body.

As the referee checked on Priest, JD McDonagh showed up and used the middle rope to crotch Jey Uso (which didn’t look great). Priest followed with a spear for two.

Priest argued with McDonagh so Jey knocked them both down with superkicks. Jey followed with an Uso Splash for two. They exchanged strikes as the crowd chanted, “Yeet” and “No Yeet.” The crowd really got loud after both guys went down. They got up and Priest hit a Razor’s Edge for two.

Jey blocked a chokeslam and hit a spear for a nearfall.

Jey went to the top but Finn Bálor entered through the crowd. Jey superkicked him off the apron but Priest dropped Jey with a clothesline. Priest followed with the South of Heaven chokeslam for a nearfall. The crowd exploded for the kick-out. (This match is just ok but this crowd is making it feel way better.)

Priest hit a couple of kicks to the head as the crowd booed. The fans Yeeted and Jey responded with superkicks and a leaping superkick in the corner. Jey hit a spear and hit another Uso Splash, seemingly for the win, but McDonagh placed Priest’s foot on the bottom rope to break up the cover. The crowd called JD an asshole.

Jey wiped out McDonagh with a suicide dive and speared Bálor. Jey went back to the top but Priest knocked him down and hit a chokeslam off the ropes for the pinfall win.

— Bálor and McDonagh put the boots to Jey after the match but Priest shoved them off. Priest got in Bálor’s face but McDonagh got between them. Priest told them to stand there and pose with him, so they did.

(The story was that McDonagh and Bálor came down on their own to help.)

******** 

Philippe Chéreau announced (in French) that today’s show was the largest gate in any arena show in WWE history.

Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill defeated Kairi Sane & Asuka to win the Women’s Tag Team Championships (17:21)

The champs entered first. Asuka and Sane danced at ringside to Belair’s music as they waited.

Belair and Cargill had the early edge and worked over Sane. Belair missed a dive and Asuka kicked her as Sane distracted the referee. Sane hit a wild flying crossbody on Belair to the outside.

Asuka and Sane worked over Belair after that. Sane hit a flying forearm for two. She was annoyed at the referee for taking too long to count. Asuka set up for a vertical suplex but Belair hit one instead. Belair tried for the hot tag but Sane leapt off of Belair’s back and knocked Cargill off the apron.

Asuka applied a Disarmer but Belair got to her feet while hoisting Asuka on her shoulders. Sane tagged in and saved her partner. Belair fought them off and made the hot tag to Cargill.

Cargill hit a springboard crossbody to both women and dropped Asuka with a pump kick. Cargill handed out Stinger splashes (and Cole referred to it as such) and gave Sane a spinebuster but Asuka broke up the cover.

This was followed with a messy sequence. Asuka and Sane took turns hitting Cargill with strikes and Sane hit a reverse DDT. Sane tried to make a cover but the ref told her that she wasn’t legal. Cargill and Sane kept wrestling even though Sane was apparently not legal. Asuka got on the apron and tagged in and the ref acknowledged the tag, even though Asuka was supposedly legal. Sane tagged back in so they could go back to whatever they wanted to do before.

Sane and Asuka each applied armbars to Cargill and Belair but Cargill and Belair hoisted them up and hit one-armed powerbombs. (This was the spot they were building to.)

This was followed by a cool double-team sequence by Belair and Cargill. They teamed up to spike Sane before Cargill hit a suplex for two.

Sane hit Belair with the Insane Elbow but Cargill broke up the cover. Cargill caught Sane off the top and effortlessly transitioned into Jaded. (That spot was awesome and probably should have been the finish.)

Belair gave Asuka a KOD onto Sane and pinned Sane for the pinfall win. Belair and Cargill win the titles.

This was an entertaining match outside of that one sequence they messed up earlier. 

********

They announced first round Raw matches on Monday for the Queen of the Ring and King of the Ring. (Smackdown matches will be announced later.)

  • Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile
  • Shayna Baszler vs. Zelina Vega
  • Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka
  • Iyo Sky vs. Natalya
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Bálor
  • Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio
  • Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov
  • Gunther vs. Sheamus

The announcement of Gunther vs. Sheamus got a big reaction.

********

The crowd loudly sang Rhodes’ song. This might have been the loudest a crowd has sung his song. They also had a ‘Phenomenal’ song/chant for AJ Styles.

Jessika Carr was the referee. Cole said she was the first woman to referee a WWE Championship match in the main event of a PLE.

Cody Rhodes defeated AJ Styles to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship (27:17)

They were having a mostly even match until Styles drove Rhodes’ shoulder into the turnbuckle. Styles targeted his shoulder and the announcers mentioned the potential shoulder injury Rhodes may have sustained in his match against Carmelo Hayes.

Styles cleared the French announce table and the crowd booed, again, because it was a bad guy doing it. Rhodes fought him off and they battled on the ropes. Rhodes tried a delayed superplex but Styles slipped out. I’m not sure what the planned spot was but Rhodes fell back into the ring. Rhodes sold his back and Styles hit an electric chair drop.

Styles tried a Lionsault but Rhodes got his knees up. Rhodes hit a powerslam and Disaster Kick for two. The crowd serenaded Styles and Rhodes as they traded counters until Styles hit a fireman’s carry neckbreaker for two. Styles dropped him onto the apron with a suplex moments later.

Styles tried a PK but Rhodes caught him and powerbombed him through the announce table. Both men simultaneously slipped back in the ring at a nine count. They exchanged strikes before knocking each other down with kicks.

They both fired up and traded strikes until Rhodes hit jabs and a Bionic elbow for two. Rhodes went for a Cody Cutter but Styles caught him. They traded reversals until Styles suplexed him right into the turnbuckles. Styles followed with a springboard 450 for two.

Styles hit a burning hammer but Rhodes kicked out at one, fired up and hit a Cody Cutter for a nearfall. The crowd chanted “Fight forever,” perhaps because they didn’t want this show to end.

Styles blocked a Cross Rhodes and hit a Pelé Kick. Styles dropped his elbow pad and went for a Phenomenal forearm but Rhodes hit a thrust kick to the gut. Rhodes applied a Kimura but Styles got to his feet and slammed Rhodes. Rhodes scaled the ropes and hit a Cody Cutter off the top.

Rhodes emphatically hit a Cross Rhodes for the pinfall win. Rhodes retained.

This was great. The crowd was something else.