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In the first pay-per-view since WWE's biggest annual event, WrestleMania Backlash looked to set the trend for what comes next in WWE. Several storylines played out while other feuds just started.
Cesaro battled Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship in his first shot at a world championship. Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley tried to hold off both Asuka and Charlotte Flair as they were all coming for her title. Bianca Belair also battled Bayley as she looked to hold on to her SmackDown Women's title.
The WWE Championship Match saw Bobby Lashley battle two monsters in the form of Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman.
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The top championships all saw amazing matches, with some twists that fans might not have seen coming. Rey and Dominik Mysterio also looked to make history by trying to become the first-ever father-son duo to win tag team gold. The night also saw Damian Priest try to end his feud against The Miz in a rather unconventional Lumberjack Match at WrestleMania Backlash.
With so many wrestlers showing off what they could do, some wrestlers stood out from others. The following are five wrestlers who performed the best at WrestleMania Backlash.
#5 Bianca Belair's unorthodox offense helps her win at WrestleMania Backlash
Bianca Belair and Bayley faced each other for the SmackDown Women's title. The match was a technical masterpiece between the two stars. Bayley used her experience to gain the advantage, not shirking away from using underhanded methods.
She dumped Belair on the steps, putting a target on her ribs. She tore at Belair's earrings and also hit a flying elbow. She went on to use everything that she had to gain an advantage over her opponent. She used the champ's hair to pull Belair into the Bayley to Belly, but she would regret it.
Belair used her hair to trip Bayley and then used it to keep her down for the 3-count. As a result, Belair came away with the win. It was a match between two styles of wrestling and Belair came out of it looking even stronger than before after her WrestleMania Backlash match.
#4 Rhea Ripley retained the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania Backlash
Three women battled for the RAW Women's Championship in the opening match of the WrestleMania Backlash event. Charlotte Flair tried to stake her claim, while Asuka looked to get back the title that was once hers. Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley looked to retain her title while the odds were clearly stacked against her on the night.
All three women looked to take one of their opponents out early on so that the match could come down to two of them. Unfortunately for them, it didn't work. All three women pulled out all the stops as they wrestled like there was no tomorrow.
However, one woman was consistently a part of the match, and that was Rhea Ripley. She stayed in action, taking all the punishment from Asuka and Charlotte at different moments, and interfering in key moments to ensure that neither was able to sneak the win.
In the end, she showed experience beyond her years as she took advantage of Charlotte's assault on Asuka. Charlotte hit Asuka with the big boot, but she was outside the ring. Ripley hit Asuka with the Riptide for the win at WrestleMania Backlash.
#3 Rey Mysterio made history at WrestleMania Backlash
At WrestleMania Backlash, Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio defeated Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to become the first-ever father-son duo to win tag team gold in WWE. They became the SmackDown Tag Team Champions on the night, but it was Rey Mysterio who stood out from the crowd.
There's a reason why Rey Mysterio is considered to be a legend in wrestling. During the match against Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler, he showed why that was. Thanks to an attack from The Dirty Dawgs before the match, Dominik was not able to start along with his father.
While he would later join the bout, it was Rey Mysterio who fought alone for the most part. He survived the assault again and again as if it were nothing.
He brought his best offense as he looked to take on both Superstars as if they were nothing. He was punished, but he survived, and it was like watching Rey Mysterio of old, who was always the ultimate underdog. After the match at WrestleMania Backlash, Rey Mysterio stood tall with his son, having made history.
#2 Bobby Lashley retained his WWE title at WrestleMania Backlash
Bobby Lashley went into Wrestlemania Backlash without his champion's advantage. It showed, as he was in trouble early on, facing two giant opponents in the form of Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre. The three RAW superstars all looked to gain the advantage early on in the match as they looked to win the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania Backlash.
The match saw a lot of hard-hitting offense as no one was willing to back down from each other. The three men put themselves through hell, with Braun Strowman in particular taking some crazy bumps.
Bobby Lashley was dominant from the start of the match, and he survived assaults from Strowman with steel steps. He took the match to the ramp, where he battled Drew McIntyre before he was sent through the LED boards by the former WWE Champion.
While it looked like Lashley was out of the picture, things changed fast. Strowman and McIntyre beat each other down, with Strowman even putting McIntyre through the announcers table with a powerbomb. McIntyre came back and hit Strowman with a Claymore, but he would not be able to win.
Lashley showed his experience by interfering at the last minute, throwing McIntyre out of the ring and then hitting Strowman with a spear. He retained his championship yet again, taking advantage of McIntyre's hard work. He came out of Wrestlemania Backlash looking stronger than before.
#1 Roman Reigns dominates at WrestleMania Backlash
Roman Reigns faced Cesaro in what was one of the biggest matches of the night at WrestleMania Backlash. It was Cesaro's first chance to challenge for the WWE Universal Championship, or any world championship for that matter. It was a big night for the Swiss superstar as he appeared to live up to the same potential that the fans knew he was capable of.
Meanwhile, Roman Reigns showed the dominance that he has become known for since his return to WWE at the SummerSlam 2020 event.
He dominated most of the match, shutting down whatever offense that Cesaro was able to build up from time to time. He went after Cesaro's arm, hurting it until it was painful for Cesaro to even use it in any offense.
He used the arm injury to rule over Cesaro for the rest of the match, quashing whatever attempt Cesaro made to get back into things. In the end, a Guillotine Choke from Roman, which he refused to release, saw Cesaro fade away. The referee called the match and he retained his title at WrestleMania Backlash.
Once again, Reigns was able to win against a skilled opponent. He defeated Cesaro cleanly. It will take an incredible star to come knock Roman Reigns off his perch.
