7 things that must happen at Backlash

Backlash 2018 poster.
The face of the future?

Sunday is Backlash, WWE's first true post-WrestleMania pay-per-view. With the roster shaken up, it will set the stage for the coming summer. The Road to WrestleMania is over, but the Road to SummerSlam begins on Sunday. To make the most of it, it's crucial to avoid major mistakes.

While Seth Rollins retaining the Intercontinental Championship is all but assured, the seven other matches are up in the air, each with consequences going forward. It's important to get them right.

#1: Bryan humbles Cass

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass Backlash
David conquers Goliath.

Big Cass has surprised many people in recent weeks. He seems to have shown visible signs of improvement from his injury-shortened singles run last summer, where he starred in one of the worst feuds of 2017 alongside Enzo Amore and Big Show.

Now he's back, targeting the recently-cleared Daniel Bryan. In this, Cass convincingly laid out his motivations, irate that a larger-than-life figure like him should be overshadowed on his return by the average Daniel Bryan. WWE picked the right rivalry to get Cass heel heat and it's worked. How Cass is in the ring, though, will be the question on everyone's mind come Sunday. Has he made improvements there as well?

The best way to find out would be for he and Daniel Bryan to work a somewhat lengthy match where Bryan has a hard-fought, perhaps even fluke, win. Cass crushing Bryan tells us nothing, while Bryan losing so early feels too much like a letdown. While Daniel Bryan is a made man in WWE and won't be terribly affected by a loss, fans aren't excited about a long rivalry with Big Cass.

A win here that maybe extends the feud to Money in the Bank at the latest keeps Bryan warm for the eagerly anticipated rivalries with The Miz, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, and AJ Styles to come later. Meanwhile, Cass looking strong in defeat can frustrate him and allow him too develop his character further. The most important thing is that he hold his end of the match, not win it.

#2: Lashley costs Strowman

Bobby Lashley Braun Strowman Backlash
Time to REALLY shake things up.

Ordinarily, this is just a lazily-booked rematch of what itself was a random tag team match two weeks ago on Raw. Something needs to give to make the most of it. That give should come in the form of Bobby Lashley costing Braun Strowman this match, whether intentionally or not.

Bobby Lashley's return was eagerly anticipated, but nothing much has come of it now that it's actually happened. He feels like the same bland babyface he was in 2007, despite the tremendous improvements he's made since then in other promotions. Those improvements need to be brought out of him and the best way to do it would be for him to have a rivalry with Braun Strowman.

Braun Strowman, for his part, has remained the hottest act on Raw, if not in the company, despite his not having a real program since his feud with Brock Lesnar. How much longer can this last? If "the plan" doesn't involve Braun Strowman taking Lesnar's title, a rivalry with Lashley could be intriguing in the meantime.

It would be two behemoths trying to murder each other, which was the crucial element in Braun Strowman's feud with Roman Reigns, 2017's best. It's time for a new, meaningful feud for the Monster Among Men, and Lashley would make the best opponent right now.

#3: Nia Jax crushes Alexa Bliss

Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss Backlash
Make part two brief.

This feud now feels like a ghost, something that's only happening because of that pesky and unnecessary rematch clause. It needs to be done away with. Alexa Bliss needs to step back from the title for a good long time. The match also needs to be shorter than their WrestleMania encounter, which was five minutes too long.

Get it over with and move on to the next title program. There's no use in continuing this feud. The longer it goes on, the louder it will scream "filler."

#4: Jeff Hardy remains United States Champion

Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton Backlash
The Charismatic Enigma should retain the red, white, blue, and gold.

In Jeff Hardy, SmackDown has a United States Champion that fans are finally into after the title spent months being passed around lacklustre mid-carders. That's not a situation to change right now, especially since Randy Orton, who's woefully miscast as a babyface, only won the championship to give him the "grand slam" participation trophy. Unless Randy Orton turns heel, Jeff Hardy is a far more compelling champion at the moment.

Additionally, this match probably has implications for the impending main roster debut of Andrade "Cien" Almas. He'll almost certainly come after the United States Championship this summer and a rivalry with Jeff Hardy would be far more interesting than one with the current Randy Orton.

#5: 'Mella keeps the gold...barely

Carmella vs. Charlotte Backlash
Time to see if 'Mella really is money.

As expected, Carmella's heat for cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase has already begun to fade. Her ring performances thus far don't inspire much confidence, either. Why then, keep the title on her? Because there's still some fuel left in the tank for her cowardly heel title run, even if it's already half-empty. Her purpose is to kill time before Charlotte and Asuka renew their rivalry later this year. It's that simple.

Carmella will certainly drop the title to one of them before SummerSlam , but her reign is a good change of pace before the queen and empress lock horns again. Too much of a good thing is bad. Therefore, Carmella can retain her championship via shenanigans while still giving time to prove herself worthier of a lengthier run later on.

#6: Joe puts Roman to sleep

Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns Backlash
Time for Joe to make good on his word.

Of all the possibilities here, this is the unlikeliest, but it would still be the right decision. Roman Reigns is simply damaged goods at this point. He had two matches that really mattered and lost them both. As if it were possible, fans detest him even more than they did before. A win here doesn't help him nearly as much as a loss hurts Samoa Joe.

Samoa Joe, on the other hand, is on poise to enter SmackDown's main event picture. After his fantastic promos, a loss would make him look like he can't keep his word. Beating Roman Reigns, even uncleanly, would make him look like an even more serious threat to both AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura as he vies for the WWE Championship.

#7: Nakamura steals the gold

AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura Backlash
He'll do anything to win.

Shinsuke Nakamura's heel turn has, in just four weeks, made him hotter than he's ever been since coming to WWE. The no disqualification stipulation means that there's not much room to work with here. Things need to conclude somehow. That conclusion should be Shinsuke Nakamura using every cheap trick in the book to walk away with the gold he's sold his honor for.

Shinsuke Nakamura needs this win to keep his momentum, even if his reign turns out to be short. He's hotter as a heel than AJ Styles is as a babyface at the moment, and AJ trying to get his crown back from its usurper while also having to fight Samoa Joe for SmackDown's throne would make for a fabulous start to the summer on the blue brand.

This isn't unlikely, as Styles and Nakamura were advertised in triple threat matches for house shows this summer, alongside Baron Corbin, who's now gone. One has to think Samoa Joe has taken his place. We should be thankful for it.

Even if AJ Styles gets his title back before SummerSlam en route to a singles program with Samoa Joe, a win here would make Shinsuke Nakamura. He could use it far more than AJ Styles could. He's already a made man.