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WrestleMania Backlash is officially in the books, and what a PPV it was. Minus the lumberjack match that featured zombie lumberjacks (that actually happened), the rest of the PPV was great from start to finish.
Even one bad match couldn't ruin the momentum of the PPV, and it was surprisingly the bouts from RAW that stole the show at WrestleMania Backlash. We say it's surprising because the build to the pay-per-view on the red brand has been poor, while SmackDown did a great job.
Weird things have happened in WWE before, and the fact that we've got a fun PPV is good enough. Here are some things WWE subtly told us at WrestleMania Backlash:
#5 The All Mighty reigns supreme at WrestleMania Backlash, but what's next?
In what was undoubtedly the match of the night, Bobby Lashley faced Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman in his first WWE Title defense since WrestleMania 37.
The match at WrestleMania Backlash had all the potential, and it exceeded expectations. Braun Strowman turned out to be a great addition to the title picture, and Bobby Lashley had his best match since becoming the WWE Champion in early March.
It was explosive as you can imagine, and Lashley was even sent behind the stage and brutalized - with his chances of retaining the WWE Title seemingly slim to none.
At the time, Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman had a mini-singles match and it was explosive. WWE's modern-day big men deserve a lot more credit than what they get, and the athleticism of all three men was on display.
Ultimately, Bobby Lashley barely managed to retain the WWE Title. Drew McIntyre hit the Claymore Kick on Braun Strowman, and the All Mighty quickly disposed of the Scotsman to pin Braun Strowman.
It was an indication that Braun Strowman is out of the WWE Title picture. As good as he is, WWE will likely go with the Bobby Lashley-Drew McIntyre rematch at Hell in a Cell 2021. We expect them to face off inside the cell, and for them to have a match even better than the one at WrestleMania Backlash.
The only problem is that it would be a mistake to continue putting Drew McIntyre in the WWE Title picture at Hell in a Cell because it's been a year non-stop of his involvement.
A bit of a break from the World Title picture might help Drew McIntyre post-WrestleMania Backlash, but we don't see that happening.
#4 Bianca Belair vs Bayley didn't reach a definitive conclusion at WrestleMania Backlash
Bianca Belair vs Bayley was the third to last match at WrestleMania Backlash. It was Belair's first title defense since winning the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37, and it didn't disappoint.
Bayley was the perfect WrestleMania Backlash title challenger, and she proved just that when she faced Bianca Belair. It was a good match, one where The Role Model constantly played with Belair's hair - much to the SmackDown Women's Champion's frustration.
The finish to the match at WrestleMania Backlash was a clever one, as Bianca Belair used her hair to tie Bayley's legs down and get the pin. It was the right result at WrestleMania Backlash, even if it was an obvious one. What was interesting, however, was the nature of the finish.
Bayley didn't get conclusively finished off by Bianca Belair. It was a finish that indicated that Bayley would still be in the SmackDown Women's Title picture - at least until Hell in a Cell 2021.
Carmella seems to be in the running for the SmackDown Women's Title, so don't be surprised to see her getting involved sooner rather than later.
#3 History was always going to be made at WrestleMania Backlash
The SmackDown Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania Backlash featured The Dirty Dawgs (Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler) defending their Titles against Rey & Dominik Mysterio.
There was only one story heading into this match at WrestleMania Backlash. Rey and Dominik Mysterio had the opportunity to make history and become the first-ever father-son duo to win Tag Team Championships in WWE.
It seemed like it was always going to happen, and we saw history being made. Perhaps the execution could have been a bit better. WWE chose to go with the "pre-match attack" angle as the Tag Team Champions took out Dominik Mysterio, leaving his father all by himself.
The Tag Team Title match at WrestleMania Backlash saw Rey Mysterio struggle for a large part of it, with Dominik only coming in towards the end. It was the biggest difference-maker, and Dominik Mysterio did well to sell his injuries.
The duo have made history, and they may have a reasonably lengthy reign from WrestleMania Backlash.
#2 Rhea Ripley remains the face of the RAW Women's division at WrestleMania Backlash
The opening match at WrestleMania Backlash truly set the tone for the entire PPV. That's usually the importance of a match that kicks off a PPV. It was a good story heading into the pay-per-view, but some felt that RAW Women's Champion Rhea Ripley wasn't given enough focus, with Charlotte Flair getting all the limelight.
Triple Threat matches are usually good, and the women took no time to kick things off. Rhea Ripley walked out the winner after pinning former Champion Asuka.
Despite the Japanese star's year-long dominance of the RAW Women's Title picture, that has officially come to an end. Her pinfall seemed to indicate that she will now be out of the Title picture post-WrestleMania Backlash, while Charlotte Flair could remain in it.
The confrontation between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair indicated that their feud will spill into the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. We wouldn't be surprised to see the two women competing inside the steel structure as well.
#1 Roman Reigns and the future of the Universal Title feud after WrestleMania Backlash
The Universal Championship picture has been kept interesting for all of Roman Reigns' Title reign, and he headlined WrestleMania Backlash. In his second Championship defense post-WrestleMania, Roman Reigns faced Cesaro.
The tension with Jimmy Uso was looming and we had a couple of segments featuring The Usos at WrestleMania Backlash. While Jey Uso wanted to accompany Roman Reigns to ringside, he didn't, but it made no difference.
Roman Reigns choked Cesaro out clean and post-match, the Swiss star seemed to get up in shock, unaware of what happened. Post-match, Seth Rollins came out and had a face-to-face confrontation with Roman Reigns before proceeding to attack Cesaro.
But that wasn't before Jey Uso had already come out, put a garland on Roman Reigns, and attacked Cesaro himself.
This could mean one of two things. The first one is that Seth Rollins will weasel his way into the Universal Title picture alongside Cesaro or they're splitting off into a separate rivalry for Hell in a Cell.
It doesn't make much sense for the Cesaro-Rollins feud to continue, but if it does, Jimmy Uso could be the man challenging Roman Reigns next. That would be an interesting direction as well.
