WWE Backlash is an event that has been around, in essence, since 1999. It initially began its pay per view journey as an In Your House event, although despite not being recognised as a stand alone event, it was still positioned as the follow-up WrestleMania show in late April which would eventually become its trademark.
Following a few years of existence, Backlash soon became a Raw-exclusive event following the brand extension, and SmackDown superstars were only part of the show in the year where it became dual-branded. Following the second brand split a few years back, however, SmackDown assumed control of the PPV name in 2016 and 2017.
In the 2020 edition, which will take place on June 14th, both WWE Raw and SmackDown Superstars will compete on the show, and will be the first Backlash event since the 2018 split, and fifteenth in total.
| Year | Location |
| 1999 | Providence, Rhode Island |
| 2000 | Washington, D.C. |
| 2001 | Rosemont, Illinois |
| 2002 | Kansas City, Missouri |
| 2003 | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| 2004 | Edmonton, Alberta |
| 2005 | Manchester, New Hampshire |
| 2006 | Lexington, Kentucky |
| 2007 | Atlanta, Georgia |
| 2008 | Baltimore, Maryland |
| 2009 | Providence, Rhode Island |
| 2016 | Richmond, Virginia |
| 2017 | Rosemont, Illinois |
| 2018 | Newark, New Jersey |
| 2020 | WWE Performance Center, Florida |
| Year | Main Event Match Card | Championship(s) on line |
| 1999 | Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock | WWF Championship |
| 2000 | Triple H vs. The Rock | WWF Championship |
| 2001 | Stone Cold & Triple H vs. Kane & The Undertaker | WWF, IC and Tag Team Championships |
| 2002 | Triple H vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan | WWF Undisputed Championship |
| 2003 | Goldberg vs. The Rock | Grudge Match |
| 2004 | Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels | WWE World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2005 | Batista vs. Triple H – World Heavyweight | WWE World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2006 | John Cena vs. Edge vs. Triple H | WWE Championship |
| 2007 | John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge | WWE Championship |
| 2008 | Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. JBL vs. John Cena | WWE Championship |
| 2009 | John Cena vs. Edge | WWE Championship |
| 2016 | Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles | WWE Championship |
| 2017 | Randy Orton vs. Jinder Maha | WWE Championship |
| 2018 | Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe | WWE Championship |
| No. | Matches | Stipulations |
| 1 | Edge vs. Randy Orton | Singles match |
| 2 | Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Bobby Lashley | Singles match for the WWE Championship |
| 3 | Braun Strowman vs. The Miz and John Morrison | Handicap match for the WWE Universal Championship |
| 4 | Asuka vs. Nia Jax | Singles match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship |
| 5 | Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus | Singles match |
| 6 | Bayley and Sasha Banks (c) vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) | Bayley and Sasha Banks (c) vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) |
| 7 | Apollo Crews (c) vs. Andrade | Singles match for the WWE United States Championship |
| Stipulations | Fights | Results |
| Singles match for the WWE United States Championship | Apollo Crews (c) vs. Andrade | Apollo Crews (c) defeated Andrade (with Angel Garza and Zelina Vega) |
| Triple threat tag team match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship | Bayley and Sasha Banks (c) vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) | Bayley and Sasha Banks (c) defeated Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross and The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) |
| Singles match | Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus | Sheamus defeated Jeff Hardy |
| Singles match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship | Asuka vs. Nia Jax | Asuka (c) vs. Nia Jax ended in a double countout |
| 2-on-1 Handicap match for the WWE Universal Championship | Braun Strowman vs. The Miz and John Morrison | Braun Strowman (c) defeated The Miz and John Morrison |
| Singles match for the WWE Championship | Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Bobby Lashley | Drew McIntyre (c) defeated Bobby Lashley (with MVP) |
| Singles match | Edge vs. Randy Orton | Randy Orton defeated Edge |
Despite being put on the shelf for a few years prior to Raw and SmackDown receiving two separate rosters again, it seems as if Backlash is here to stay this time around. It’s a show that has a steep history in World Wrestling Entertainment, as it signifies the pay per view ‘season premiere’ of sorts in the wake of WrestleMania. Backlash will always have an illustrious history and intriguing future, and you can go back and watch every past edition of the show on the WWE Network.
