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WWE WrestleMania Backlash was the first pay-per-view after WrestleMania 37. The event was highly anticipated, with several major championship matches scheduled for the night.
Bobby Lashley was scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman, while Roman Reigns put Universal Championship on the line against Cesaro.
Bayley challenged Bianca Belair for her SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania Backlash. Damian Priest faced The Miz in a unique lumberjack match.
Rey and Dominik Mysterio set out to make history at WrestleMania Backlash, while Rhea Ripley competed in one of the biggest matches of her career.
Last but not least, Sheamus issued an open challenge for a future opportunity at his United States title to warm up the WWE Universe before the main show.
Take a look at the five things WWE got right at WrestleMania Backlash this year.
#5 Ricochet answered Sheamus’ open challenge at WWE WrestleMania Backlash
The pre-show of WWE WrestleMania Backlash saw Sheamus come out to issue an open challenge. However, the Celtic Warrior made it clear that his open challenge did not include putting his United States Championship on the line.
Many had expected Humberto Carrillo to come out again or for Mansoor to show up. Instead, Ricochet arrived in his street clothes to accept Sheamus’ challenge. Ricochet and Mustafa Ali have been tearing it up on WWE Main Event, and it was good to watch The One and Only come out for a match at WrestleMania Backlash.
The Celtic Warrior controlled the match from the start and kept Ricochet down with his superior strength. The high-flyer answered with a standing shooting star press followed by a springboard moonsault.
Ricochet caught Sheamus with a backstabber and then hit the 450 splash for a near fall. Sheamus replied by connecting a knee to Ricochet’s face for the win at WrestleMania Backlash.
It was a good match for Ricochet to have following his return. He could get a renewed push following his performance at the pay-per-view. The events that took place after the match signal a potential long-term rivalry between the two men.
Ricochet could work his way up if he is given enough chances. The match may have given him the boost he needs to once again become a prominent figure on RAW.
#4 A Riptide helped Rhea Ripley retain the RAW Women’s Championship at WWE WrestleMania Backlash
Rhea Ripley competed in one of the highest-profile matches of her career at WWE WrestleMania Backlash. Ripley put her RAW Women’s Championship on the line against Asuka and Charlotte Flair.
Flair tried to roll out of the ring early but Asuka and Ripley worked together for a short time to take her out of the equation temporarily. The Queen used her heelish tactics to make a comeback, and to gain the upper hand by taking down Ripley.
Asuka started to gain some momentum and hit Flair with a flurry of strikes before locking her in an armbar. Later in the match, Asuka and Ripley teamed up again to deliver a brutal double suplex to Flair.
The Queen came back into the match once again before hitting a Natural Selection on both Ripley and Asuka but could not win the match, when she tried to pin them both.
After a kerfuffle between the three women, Charlotte found herself outside the ring allowing Ripley to finally catch Asuka with the Riptide. This allowed Ripley to pick up the win and retain her title at WrestleMania Backlash.
This was a fast-paced contest that allowed all three women to shine. Ripley retaining her title was the right decision and fans will likely watch her have a good reign. The best part was that The Nightmare retained her title convincingly at Wrestlemania Backlash.
#3 Dominik Mysterio won the titles for himself and his father at WWE WrestleMania Backlash
Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode were in no mood to part with their SmackDown Tag Team Championships at WWE WrestleMania Backlash. As a result, the two heels attacked and injured Dominik Mysterio during the kickoff show.
Rey Mysterio was forced to make his way out to the ring alone as Dominik was seemingly unable to compete in the match after the attack. The two heels dominated Rey and continued to tag each other in to not let Rey gain control of the match for long.
They attacked Rey’s left leg to try and take the 619 out of the equation. The veteran ate several big moves from the SmackDown Tag Team Champions but refused to give up.
Unsurprisingly, Dominik made his way to the ring later in the match to help his father out.
He positioned himself on the ring apron while holding his ribs as Rey kicked out of a Zig Zag. Rey tried to make a comeback into the match and hesitated to tag Dominik in. However, the younger Mysterio tagged himself into the match before being taken down by Ziggler and Roode.
Rey made his way back into the ring and hit a 619 to Roode before tagging Dominik in to hit the Frog Splash. This earned them the SmackDown Tag Team Championships and made them the first-ever father-son duo to hold tag team gold.
The match was predictable but WWE tried its best to make this feel-good moment even better at WrestleMania Backlash. All the superstars involved played their parts well and kept the action ticking. It’ll be interesting if WWE heads towards a program between The Mysterios and The Usos after WrestleMania Backlash.
#2 Bobby Lashley retained his WWE Championship at WrestleMania Backlash
A Clash of the Titans took place between Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre at WWE WrestleMania Backlash. Lashley defended his WWE Championship against the two men in a Triple Threat Match.
Strowman went after Lashley and McIntyre early, forcing the two enemies to work together for some time. They took Strowman out with a Suplex before turning their attention back to each other.
The Monster Among Men used the ring steps to level Lashley and regain control. Later on, McIntyre threw Lashley into the LED boards on the entrance ramp, taking him out for some time.
The Scottish Warrior impressed the WWE Universe by hitting a Michinoku driver to Strowman. He tried to hit a Claymore on the outside, but Strowman caught him and powerbombed him through the announcement table at WrestleMania Backlash.
McIntyre recovered to connect with a Claymore inside the ring, but Lashley appeared to throw him out of the ring before hitting a Spear to The Monster Among Men. The All Mighty pinned Strowman to retain his WWE Championship after a brutal match at WrestleMania Backlash.
The match was great and established Lashley as a solid champion. It was expected that Strowman would take the fall, and WWE did well to protect both Lashley and McIntyre in the match.
There are a few big names Lashley could face next following WrestleMania Backlash. WWE must take McIntyre out of the WWE Championship scene for some time to let some other superstars grow.
#1 Roman Reigns made Cesaro pass out at WWE WrestleMania Backlash
One of the most anticipated matches of WWE WrestleMania Backlash saw Roman Reigns defend his Universal Championship against Cesaro. This was Cesaro’s first singles world championship match in WWE.
Reigns had issues with Jey and Jimmy Uso throughout the night. This allowed the creative team to further build this match before the two competitors entered the ring.
Cesaro proved to be too good for Reigns early on and kept the pressure on the Universal Champion. The Tribal Chief then decided to focus on Cesaro’s injured arm, trying to deny him of some of his stronger moves. The Swiss Superman fired back with some uppercuts and a big boot before going for the sharpshooter.
Cesaro kept the pressure on and impressed with his performance, but his arm gave out when attempting a Neutralizer. Both men kept countering each other’s signature moves and kept the action ticking very well.
The Tribal Chief locked in the guillotine and Cesaro managed to break the hold. However, another attempt late in the match forced Cesaro to pass out at WrestleMania Backlash.
The match was better than expected and gave Cesaro a chance to shine. Reigns did incredibly well throughout the contest and gave The Swiss Superman a few big spots. After the match, Seth Rollins attacked Cesaro and further damaged his arm.
It looks like Cesaro’s rivalry with Rollins will be renewed before he gets another shot at the Universal Championship following WrestleMania Backlash.
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