Smackdown Live’s first post-Mania pay-per-view, Backlash, is this Sunday and will be held in Chicago, Illinois.
Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan have often referred to Smackdown Live as the ‘land of opportunity’ and you certainly can’t argue with that if you take a look at the match card for Backlash. Breezango and Jinder Mahal have seemingly come from nowhere to earn themselves Championship matches this Sunday.
WWE Backlash 2017: Results, Live updates
It is a great opportunity for these superstars to show what they can do, but in front of a Chicago crowd, which is notorious for being intense and unforgiving, it could truly be a make or break situation for the likes of Mahal and the ‘Fashion Police’.
A strong performance on Sunday could launch their careers and see them become bonafide superstars of the Smackdown roster, but will either of them pick up the win at Backlash?
Let’s take a closer look at the match card for Backlash as we predict who the respective winners and losers will be…
Pre-show: Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English
The only pre-show match announced so far sees the ‘Perfect 10’ Tye Dillinger take on the newly re-packaged ‘Drama King’ Aiden English.
Dillinger has already beaten English twice on Smackdown Live in recent weeks and I expect him to pick up the win again on Sunday.
Although English could benefit from a victory to help legitimise his new gimmick, Dillinger needs to build up some momentum if he is to be a success on the main roster. Also, a feel-good victory for Tye would please the Chicago crowd and get them ready for the main show.
Predicted winner: Tye Dillinger
Erick Rowan vs. Luke Harper
The match between the two former Wyatt Family members is a tough one to call as both are in need of the win.
However, I believe that Rowan will win this one as he has recently debuted a new take on his gimmick. His appearance on ‘Talking Smack’ was interesting and got people talking about him, therefore I think WWE will capitalise on this momentum and give Rowan the win on Sunday.
Hopefully, the finish will protect Luke Harper though as I believe he has the greater potential out of the two to be a star on Smackdown Live.
Predicted winner: Erick Rowan
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
Zayn vs. Corbin is another match involving two men that could both do with a win.
There were a lot of fans that wanted to see Sami move to Smackdown Live in the hope that it would reignite his career and give him more opportunities to compete at the top of the card. But, so far, he has been fairly inconspicuous on Tuesday nights and unfortunately, I think that will mean another loss for him at Backlash.
Corbin’s push has been stop-start but he has looked strong recently, despite losing to Randy Orton in the main event of last week’s show, so I think he’ll get the victory and move on to bigger things, possibly going on to win the Money In The Bank briefcase at Smackdown’s next pay-per-view.
Predicted winner: Baron Corbin
Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
One of the main attractions at Backlash is the long-awaited in-ring debut of Shinsuke Nakamura in a match against Dolph Ziggler.
Although I am intrigued to see Nakamura’s debut, the wait for it has been far too long in my opinion and has taken away some of the excitement of seeing him on Smackdown Live. Therefore I believe he simply has to win on Sunday.
Nakamura has the potential to be the main attraction on the blue brand and I expect that he will remain undefeated on the main roster until at least Summerslam, if not longer.
Predicted winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Naomi, Charlotte & Becky Lynch vs. Natalya, Carmella & Tamina
The 6-woman tag match this Sunday is quite unpredictable and largely depends on WWE’s long-term vision for Smackdown’s Women’s division.
It appears as though Charlotte and Naomi are set for a Championship feud in the near future, so you’d expect that their team will walk out with the win. But if the ‘Welcoming Committee’ are going to continue as a unit after Sunday, then they surely need the victory.
It’s a tough one to call but I’m going with the face team, with Charlotte possibly turning on Naomi after the match.
Predicted winners: Naomi, Charlotte and Becky Lynch
United States Championship match: Kevin Owens (C) vs. AJ Styles
You would think that a Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles match on pay-per-view would be a big deal, but their feud has been fairly underwhelming thus far.
I still expect them to have a great match on Sunday, potentially the match of the night, but I can’t say that I’m particularly invested in their current storyline.
As for the winner of the bout, I would like to see Styles leave Backlash as Champion to inject some life into the feud and keep it going for another month or so. Obviously, this would all but end Owens’ current ‘Face of America’ gimmick, but I’m not sure that’s working as well as anyone would have hoped.
I think WWE will use Backlash to move Owens away from this persona and also bring some meaning and prestige to the U.S. Title by putting it on AJ Styles.
Predicted winner: AJ Styles
Smackdown Tag Team Championship match: The Usos (C) vs. Breezango
Tyler Breeze and Fandango have been one of the most entertaining aspects of Smackdown Live in recent weeks, but who would have thought we would be saying that a few months ago? But I can’t see them winning the tag team title this Sunday.
It seems like this is somewhat of a transitional feud for The Usos and, although Breezango have certainly made the most of it, I think Jimmy and Jey will retain and go on to feud with The New Day when they make their imminent return.
Hopefully, Breezango can continue to build on their momentum after Backlash, but I don’t think it is their time to win the tag team championships just yet.
Predicted winners: The Usos
WWE Championship: Randy Orton (C) vs. Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal… Jinder frigging Mahal!
He is surely not going to become the WWE Champion, is he?
I know WWE love to shock the fans, but I can’t see them putting the title on Mahal, especially considering the low ratings that Smackdown Live has had in recent weeks. It’s been something different, but I don’t think Jinder has impressed anywhere near enough to deserve having a run as Champion and therefore Randy Oron will surely retain his title.
Neither Orton or Mahal are the most popular performers on Smackdown right now and it will be intriguing to see how the Chicago crowd react to this match and whether this bout will close the show. But regardless, I have to go with Orton walking out of Backlash still the WWE Champion.
Predicted winner: Randy Orton
