WWE Backlash has been the stage for a number of great moments in WWE history. Despite this, the pay per view was off WWE programming for seven years until it made a return in 2016 as a Smackdown Live exclusive event.
It maintains its status as a Smackdown Live exclusive event this time around as well and it is now less than two weeks away. It will be the first Smackdown Live PPV since Wrestlemania 33 and there are some great things to look forward to.
Disregarding the whole Jinder Mahal thing, we have the debut of Shinsuke Nakamura against Dolph Ziggler as well as the United States title match between the current champion, Kevin Owens, and the challenger, AJ Styles.
With all this to look forward to, we figured we could whet your appetite by taking a stroll down Backlash history lane and handpicking some of the best moments from past editions of the pay per view.
So, without any further ado, here are the top 7 moments from Backlash history:
#7 Goldberg’s WWE pay per view debut
When Goldberg made his WWE debut by crashing Rock Appreciation Night and taking out The People’s Champ, there was some legitimate excitement in the air to see him inside a WWE ring for the first time. The fact that the first time would be against The Rock just made it that much better.
After a few weeks of build up, the match was finally set for Backlash 2003. Goldberg lived up to all the hype as he proceeded to mow down the future Hollywood megastar and made an instant impact in Vince McMahon’s house of big dudes.
This was the perfect introduction to Goldberg’s ferociousness and Backlash marked the true start of his short time with the WWE.
#6 Randy Orton and Cactus Jack go hardcore
Back in 2004, Randy Orton wasn’t the established star he is today. He was seen as a prodigiously talented – if somewhat vanilla – professional wrestler who hadn’t done anything truly special yet. All that changed at Backlash 2004.
Orton and Mick Foley were involved in a feud that would mark the Legend Killer as a true star of the industry. The two squared off at Backlash in a Hardcore match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship which the younger superstar held.
In what was an epically brutal encounter, Orton retained the belt and won the respect of a number of fans and marked himself out as a future World Champion. Today he has won 13 WWE World Titles.
#5 Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock main event the first Backlash
The first edition of Backlash aired back in 1999 as ‘Backlash: In Your House’ and featured a main event between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in a No Disqualification Special Guest Referee Match with Shane McMahon taking up the role of Special Guest Referee.
The two put on an absolute clinic with Austin triumphing against the odds and his victory forcing a seething Vince McMahon to acknowledge him as the WWF Champion. This was also the event where two versions of the WWF Championship – the original design as well as the Smoking Skull belt design – were present and were both handed over to Austin.
#4 Hulk Hogan wins the WWE Championship
Hulk Hogan defeated Triple H to win the WWE Championship at Backlash 2002. This was a huge moment for a number of reasons. It was the first time that Hulk Hogan shed his Hollywood gimmick for a pay per view since his return to the WWE.
And, secondly, it was the first time Hogan got his hands on the WWE Championship since his glory days in the 1990s.
It was a true moment of nostalgia for every wrestling fan in attendance to see Hogan turn back the clock to the 1980s and 1990s when he ruled the roost in the WWE. He might not enjoy the same popularity these days but it was a special moment back then.
#3 The ‘I Quit’ match between The Hardy Boyz
Now, we come to the first of our two entries from Backlash 2009 – the last edition of the PPV till its return in 2016. An ‘I Quit’ match between Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy was one of the high points of a PPV that was pretty damn good.
It was a hard hitting encounter with just the perfect sort of ending to the match. I won’t spoil it for you in case you want to check it out, and I strongly suggest that you do go ahead and watch it.
#2 AJ wins the WWE Championship
The one thing that no wrestling fan on the planet believed would happen actually happened at Backlash 2016. AJ Styles won the WWE Championship after defeating Dean Ambrose. Mr TNA was the WWE Champion.
It was a joyous moment for every AJ Styles fan – basically, the entire planet – and it ranks as one of the greatest WWE moments of all time.
#1 Last Man Standing
The second of our entries from Backlash 2009 saw Edge and John Cena go at it in a hellacious Last Man Standing match to close out the pay per view and it is one of the finest matches in all of WWE. It’s definitely the best WWE match to happen at a Backlash pay per view.
Just like the ‘I Quit’ match, I won’t spoil the result but this is one match that you really must see.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
