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On paper, the 2018 Backlash pay-per-view had the potential to produce classic wrestling matches that could've surprised, amazed and most of all entertained wrestling aficionados.
However, just when a majority of the WWE Universe thought the WWE creative team could not mess up a show that required simple booking, Vince McMahon and Co. did the impossible and booked one of the worst Backlash pay-per-views in history.
While most would argue that the pay-per-view did have a few bright spots sprinkled throughout the show, those bright spots can only be accredited to the opening bout, which was the excellent IC Title match.
Therefore, from mind-boggling booking decisions to disappointing conclusions, WWE came out of this pay-per-view having created more obstacles for themselves than devising appropriate conclusions for many of their most prominent narratives.
#1 'The 7-foot giant' taps out
Over the last few decades, every wrestling fan has come to accept the fact that WWE is the land of the giants, as the company is often stubborn in pushing superstars that are larger than life.
Therefore, when Big Cass squared off against Daniel Bryan at Backlash 2018, fans were preparing themselves to witness their beloved hero been rag dolled around the ring by a future handpicked top star.
However, to everyone's amazement, WWE made one of their most unpredictable booking decisions of the year, as they had Big Cass tap out in the biggest match of his career.
While most would say that Cass is nowhere near being a top star on SmackDown Live, WWE was taking the correct steps to ensuring that Cass would one day flourish onto a giant with credibility.
Moreover, WWE should've booked Cass to squash Bryan, as this would've given him tons of credibility and it would've given Bryan another obstacle to overcome in his classic underdog fashion.
Baffling, confusing and mind blogging booking was prevalent in this match, as Corey Graves burying Cass on commentary, Cass tapping out and Bryan overcoming the odds so quickly, is not what most would expect from a match of this stature.
Now that the company has placed a huddle in the path of success of Big Cass, it might take more than a post-match beatdown to rejuvenate his career.
#2 Nia Jax struggles against Alexa Bliss
The anti-bullying narrative WWE has crafted around Nia Jax, and Alexa Bliss's crumbling friendship felt forced at times, and on the other hand, it hit the high notes the company had hoped it would.
However, while the creative team had done a commendable job over the last weeks in making Bliss a hateable villain and Jax the sympathetic babyface, their Backlash rematch was almost a carbon copy of their Wrestlemania bout, which saw Jax struggle to put Bliss away.
While it is smart booking by WWE to protect the credibility of the women's division by having them put on competitive matches, this programme needed to conclude decisively, which should've seen Jax dominantly destroy Bliss.
However, the WWE Universe was forced to witness another sloppy bout that did nothing for these stars involved as Jax and Bliss did not benefit from this disappointing rematch.
Even though the reason for the prolonging of this feud was to get their anti-bullying campaign marketed to many victims across the world, the company should've done so by having Jax who is the victim squash the bully in Bliss.
Moving forward WWE needs to book Jax like the in-ring monster that she is, as on this night they failed to do what Jax echoed in her promo, the bully needed to get their ass kicked.
#3 No heel turns
Going into Backlash 2018 wrestling fans were expecting the company to surprise them with unpredictable swerves, breathtaking in-ring moments and at least one long-awaited heel turn.
Moreover, when analyzing the possible heel turns the company could've booked for the pay-per-view, one could compile a lengthy list.
From Bayley turning on Sasha Banks to Finn Balor costing Seth Rollins his IC TItle, WWE had many chances to rejuvenate a Superstar's career at the pay-per-view, but they refused to capitalize on many of their opportunities.
Furthermore, the most notable missed opportunity of the pay-per-view arrived in the segment involving Elias, The New Day, Rusev Day, Breezango, No Way Jose, Titus Worldwide and Bobby Roode.
This segment felt more accustomed to being booked as filler on Monday Night Raw, but with the talent involved and the charisma of these entertaining stars rubbing off each other, it was surprisingly one of the best segments on the monotonous pay-per-view.
However, that segment should've had a purpose, and that was a heel turn from Bobby Roode, who instead of bouncing around like a corny babyface should've destroyed any of the faces at ringside and made his mark as a heel.
WWE instead used this segment as a disappointing time filler that had no real end goal in sight.
#4 The SmackDown Live Women's Championship match has no cliffhanger
A majority of fans knew going into the 2018 Backlash pay-per-view that the SmackDown Live Women's Championship bout was not going to be a classic match by any means, as Carmella does not have the in-ring capabilities to hang with a world-class performer such as Charlotte Flair.
However, while the match was what one would've expected, with Carmella doing her best to portray herself as a snarky heel and Charlotte trying to keep up with her shenanigans, it was a frustrating affair that didn't even produce one bright spot.
Therefore, many were expecting WWE to at least progress one of the narratives they excellently built on SmackDown Live last week, where Becky Lynch, Asuka, The IIconics were all given ample material to be used at this event.
However, none of those Superstars were even used to provide this uneventful match some cliffhanger that would've had fans interested in the future of the blue brand's women's division.
Whether it was an Asuka beatdown or Becky Lynch heel turn, WWE missed an opportunity to create intrigue around the SmackDown Live Women's Title scene, as Carmella's reign is proving to more disappointing than expected.
#5 A white-hot Samoa Joe losses clean
Samoa Joe walked into Backlash 2018, possibly the hottest heel in the company right now, as his promos on Roman Reigns failures, his warning to AJ Styles and his overall badass persona was at an all-time high.
Unfortunately, Samoa Joe came out of Backlash 2018, as a man that failed to deliver on the promises he kept dishing out week after week, and it is genuinely disappointing to witness a megastar such as Joe being defeated once again in a high profile situation.
Moreover, Joe was beaten clean although reports have circulated that WWE moved Joe to SmackDown Live because they wanted him to be a top star on the blue brand.
However, by being beaten by Roman Reigns at this point is his resurgence, WWE has made one of the biggest mistakes in Joe's career thus far.
While most would say that Reigns needed this victory more than Joe, as his recent singles run has been one of the worst in the company today, Joe especially needed to authenticate himself as a top heel on a night where stars needed to be established.
Moreover, Reigns should go on to eventually defeat Brock Lesnar down the line while Joe would have to start from scratch again, as most of his credibility has been compromised by eating the pinfall at Backlash 2018.
#6 Owens and Zayn's losing streak continues
When WWE announced that Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens would be facing Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley at Backlash 2018 in a tag team match, fans were quick to speculate if this match would have any stakes involved, such as a possible Raw Tag Team Title shot.
However, to the dismay of many in the WWE Universe, this was an unnecessary match that was just an excuse to fill time.
Therefore, many fans were at least being optimistic that this bout would at least produce a harmless entertaining wrestling match, but WWE failed in that area as well, as this tag team match was possibly the worst match on the card.
The reason why this bout could take the title of worst match of the night is due to the confusing booking WWE used to structure it. From Owens and Zayn arguing to Strowman and Lashley attacking the heels after the match was over, this match hurt the momentum of all competitors involved.
However, if there were a poll to decide which of these teams came out looking worse, it would be the heels, as Sami and Kevin are on a senseless losing streak.
WWE is comprising the credibility of their top heels on Raw, as Owens and Zayn are being handled inadequately over the last few weeks. Therefore, this decision will affect the company's future plans as the poor booking of their heels might lead to lackluster episodes of Raw.
#7 The World Title match doesn't headline the pay-per-view
They say that a company's pay-per-view can be a disappointing affair from start to finish, but if the main event is a spectacular sight to behold then fans leave the show excited as they just witnessed a classic.
However, while many expected the main event of the 2018 Backlash pay-per-view to be Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, WWE once again forcefully kept this match down in the card.
This decision by WWE is possibly the most confusing of the night, as to why would a singles match between Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe be more important than the possible crowning of a new World Champion.
The constant mistreatment of the WWE TItle is baffling, as, at Wrestlemania 34 Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles were theoretically supposed to headline 'The Show Of Shows' as Nakamura won the Royal Rumble match this year, but WWE overlooked their own rules in favor of a less entertaining main event.
Therefore, at Backlash 2018, many fans expected the WWE Title to get the respect of being the most prized possession in the company, but again management chose to keep it in the middle portion of the show with all the other disappointing matches.
While Styles vs Nakamura III did not live to its full potential, WWE should've given the WWE Title a boost of credibility in the main event spot of the night.
Therefore, if the Universal Title is viewed as a silly red prop by most fans and the WWE Title is continuously being overlooked as unworthy to even headline a B grade pay-per-view, WWE is ruining the credibility of both World Title belts.
#8 No plans for Strowman and Lashley
As mentioned in an earlier point, the tag team match that was Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley was possibly the worst match on the entire Backlash match card, as the booking from a narrative standpoint was terrible.
This match was terrible cause the heels came out of this match looking like mid-card jobbers, and the babyfaces, Strowman and Lashley were in a worse state themselves.
Therefore, instead of Strowman getting his usual monster pop, strong booking, and progressive career direction, WWE confirmed with his unusual booking on this night that they are clueless on how to handle Strowman at the moment.
While Strowman might be rehabilitated on Raw this week, Bobby Lashley is in worse shape even though he hasn't lost a match since he returned. Many fans came into this show with the expectation that at a point in this match Lashley was going to betray Strowman and turn heel, as Lashley is better suited as a no-nonsense ass kicker.
However, confusion was the only thing prominent in this match, as Strowman and Lashley awkwardly destroyed Owens and Zayn in underwhelming fashion.
This was a night where WWE could've given Strowman a direction to work with for the next few months, as the chances of Strowman facing Lesnar for the Universal Title is unpredictable as management is intent on pushing Roman Reigns in that spot.
Therefore, with all of WWE's undecidedness, these two monsters are left waiting on the sidelines for a real narrative.
#9 No electric set up for future narratives
The main criticism many fans directed towards this pay-per-view were that the matches were mediocre at best and the concluding narratives were wrapped up in an anticlimactic manner.
However, one of the biggest mistakes WWE made, was not leaving fans with a set up for a future story down the road. As many segments and matches throughout the show did nothing but repeat similar booking patterns seen over the last few months.
As Sasha Banks and Bayley continued their monotonous tease for a rivalry with no real action, the entire Elias's segment involving other underused superstars did nothing to set up any angles between those talented wrestlers, and Carmella defeating Charlotte clean was a disappointing way to continue this feud.
While many would argue that most of these twists and swerves are better to be kept for episodes of Raw and SmackDown Live, this was a pay-per-view that that should've made fans want to tune into those shows, as WWE could have set up future matches and feuds in exciting ways.
From Randy Orton viciously assaulting Jeff Hardy to Ronda Rousey confronting Nia Jax for a future Raw Women's Title shot, the WWE Universe could've left the first co-branded pay-per-view of the year excited for future shows.
However, the only real set for a future match was another controversial ending to Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles which will most likely conclude at Money in the Bank or Summerslam 2018.
WWE had the chance to create intrigue, excitement and most of all interest for the future of the product.
#10 Roman Reigns: Same story, different day
No matter how many times Micheal Cole yells "The Big Dog" or the commentators try and justify the hostility Roman Reigns receives from the WWE Universe as unnecessary hate, the fact of the matter remains, nothing will change for Roman Reigns if WWE does not change him.
After WrestleMania had concluded and Roman Reigns lost clean to Brock Lesnar, fans were convinced that Reigns would be evolving his stale John Cena like character. Therefore, over the last few weeks, wrestling fans witnessed Reigns wear gold watches, chains, and bracelets to the ring, and many took this as a sign of a much-anticipated heel turn.
However, WWE did the unthinkable again and continued to push Reigns as an unwanted babyface. Also, from the Greatest Royal Rumble to Backlash 2018 Reigns has had possibly the worst booking of his entire singles run, as his persona, connection with the fans and status as 'The Guy' were all up in the air.
However, the truth is that none of this is Reigns fault, as its WWE's unwillingness to at least tweak his character which now puts him in an unfavorable state.
Therefore, this all led to Backlash 2018 where the WWE universe witnessed one of the worst matches between Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe in the main event of the night.
Instead of booking Reigns as a different man that is just here to kick ass and take names WWE booked him in typical superhero fashion, as he was dominated throughout the entire match but unsurprisingly made a comeback to win the match.
Even though Reigns may have won this match, this was a bad night for him as WWE continues to distance him from the crowd and present him as the most hated babyface on the roster.
