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WWE Backlash took over Sunday night as fans tuned in to watch their favorite WWE Superstars compete in some of the biggest matches of the year. WWE tried their best to put over quality instead of quantity in this show and all the matches were pretty entertaining.
Apollo Crews was booked to defend his United States Championship against Andrade, while Asuka was set to take on Nia Jax in her first major RAW Women’s Championship defense.
Best friends Sasha Banks and Bayley put their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on the line against The IIconics and Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss.
Bobby Lashley was set for the biggest match since his return to the company as he had his eyes on the WWE Championship held by Drew McIntyre. Jeff Hardy, on the other hand, looked to silence Sheamus once and for all at Backlash after The Celtic Warrior began targeting him ever since he made his return.
The main event of the night saw two veterans put up the best match they could to silence the cynics and remind the WWE Universe that they are amongst the best in the world.
In this article, we will look at the five things WWE got right on Backlash this Sunday night.
#5 Apollo Crews’ successful United States Championship defense
During the pre-show of WWE Backlash, Apollo Crews was set to defend his United States Championship against former Champion Andrade.
Kevin Owens joined the commentary team while Angel Garza and Zelina Vega joined Andrade at ringside. The challenger decided to gain an illegal advantage with a chokehold early in the match and then continued to dominate the Champion.
The contest got interesting as both men traded the action and showed that they have great chemistry in the ring. Garza then tried to get involved in the action and he looked to distract Apollo Crews to help out his partner. However, KO was present there and took out Garza to allow Apollo Crews to get back in the match.
Apollo Crews had a good defense at WWE Backlash
Apollo Crews hit a spinning powerbomb to pick up the victory and retain his title at WWE Backlash. This was a good match that allowed Apollo Crews to retain his title after several fans were expressing concerns about his future with the belt following the departure of Paul Heyman from the top of the RAW brand.
KO helping Apollo Crews to even things out could lead to a rivalry between the two men for the title down the line.
#4 The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match
The first match of the main show saw Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defend their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. The heels took on The IIconics and the team of Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss to defend their titles.
Cross was the shining star early on as she took the fight to the other two teams in this Triple Threat Match. Bliss was tagged in and did not disappoint as she too seemed determined to win back the Women’s Tag Team Championships for her team.
A brawl during the mid-portion of the match made things more exciting. Banks and Bayley continued to work well together as a tag team but it was Bliss and Peyton Royce who impressed the most.
Bliss managed to hit Royce with the Twisted Bliss and looked to pick up the win before Banks came into the picture with a rollup to steal the victory at Backlash.
WWE Backlash saw the women shine once again
This was a good match that allowed all three teams to do their best before Banks showed her real colors and retained the title at Backlash.
While it’s unfortunate that The IIconics weren’t given a chance to do something big in the match, they could remain in contention for the titles for longer as they were never pinned.
Banks and Bayley need the belts on them so that they can continue to work together for longer before eventually feuding down the line.
#3 The differences between The Miz and John Morrison
The Miz and John Morrison were informed that the one who pins Braun Strowman during the match would be crowned the new Universal Champion at Backlash, similar to the time Strowman lost his Intercontinental Championship in a handicap match to Sami Zayn.
The two heels tried their best to keep Strowman down by making quick tags and taking the fight to The Monster Among Men to stay on top at Backlash.
However, Strowman showed why he is the Universal Champion by taking the fight to the two men and throwing both of them out of the ring. However, the Champion lost control of the match as he ended up running himself into the ring post and suffered some damage.
While the former SmackDown Tag Team Champions were working well together initially, the A-Lister realized that he wouldn’t win the title if Morrison got the pin and pulled his partner off Strowman when The Shaman of Sexy went for the pinfall attempt.
The Miz may have cost Morrison the Universal Championship at WWE Backlash
He later realized what he’d done and helped Morrison pin Strowman once again, but it was too late by then. Strowman kicked out and then regained momentum as he hit the running powerslam on Morrison to pick up the pinfall victory.
The match was entertaining but both men together couldn’t push Strowman to his limits. However, WWE did the right thing by making out The Miz to be the bad guy as he pulled away Morrison during a pinfall attempt. And this could lead to some differences arising between the two men in the weeks to come.
#2 The battle between the two powerhouses for the WWE Championship
MVP accompanied Bobby Lashley to the ring for his biggest match since his return to the company at Backlash this Sunday. WWE was looking to book a big match between these two men, and the match turned out to be pretty good.
MVP helped distract WWE Champion Drew McIntyre as soon as he made his entrance, allowing Lashley to lock in the Full Nelson on the Champion and weaken him before the match could begin.
The Scottish Psychopath was greeted with a big clothesline by the All-Mighty as soon as the match began. However, the determined WWE Champion did not give up and continued to fight during his title defense at Backlash.
Lashley tried his best to dominate the man who defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 as Lana watched on from backstage. However, the WWE Champion kept on coming back into the match to show that he wouldn’t just be a sitting duck for one of WWE’s strongest athletes.
Lashley countered a Claymore attempt with a Spear but only managed to get a two count. This brought Lana out to the middle, who engaged in a war of words with the referee, allowing McIntyre to recover, send Lashley into Lana, and then deliver the Claymore to pick up the victory.
WWE managed to put on a decent show between the two powerhouses at Backlash
The match was better than expected and allowed the WWE Champion to overcome all odds at Backlash. It also allowed Lashley to come across as a threatening opponent and keep McIntyre down for most of the match.
Lashley losing due to Lana’s interference can allow him to part ways with the latter and come back for the title again sooner rather than later following the events at Backlash.
#1 The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever
When was the last time WWE labeled a match “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” way before it took place?
They seemed to be sure that when Randy Orton and Edge meet in the ring at Backlash to settle the score following The Viper’s loss to the Rated-R Superstar at WrestleMania 36, fans would get the greatest match ever.
Orton and Edge seemed determined to not disappoint the fans as they fought for almost 45 minutes and kept hitting each other with whatever they could during the match. However, several DDTs, a Pedigree, and a Rock Bottom weren’t enough to put either man down.
Even though it took forever for The Viper to bring out The Punt Kick, it was all that was needed to slay The Rated-R Superstar at Backlash.
Orton and Edge put on the Best Wrestling Match at WWE Backlash
This match had everything one could ask for, and even though it wasn’t the greatest wrestling match ever, it could end up winning the best match of the year award following Backlash.
WWE did all it could to deliver, and they did so very well by taking two of its oldest athletes and allowing them to put on an epic performance to main-event the night.
