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Another WWE Performance Center pay-per-view is in the books, with Backlash wrapping up the first half of special events for 2020. This was a pretty good show, featuring six matches on the main card ranging from average to brilliant. The major hype behind this show was the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" between Randy Orton and Edge, a tagline that definitely divided opinion.
Along with the in-ring action, Backlash also saw a wild and outlandish cinematic brawl between the Street Profits and the Viking Raiders. Despite being entertaining in places, it was not an official match.
And it seems like most of the card featured matches midway through a storyline, with Extreme Rules coming up next month. Anyway, Backlash was still a fun watch and played host to some great matches. But did the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" live up to its billing? Find out.
Here is every match from WWE Backlash 2020 ranked, from worst to best.
#6 Braun Strowman vs The Miz and John Morrison (2-on-1 Handicap Match for the Universal Championship)
This was a very basic handicap match, with the two cowardly heels teaming up to take on the dominant babyface champion. The Miz and John Morrison certainly lasted longer than they were expected to at Backlash, getting a considerable amount of offense on Braun Strowman. But it was nothing out of the ordinary at all.
Miz and Morrison even had the match won, but the Awesome One pulled his tag team partner off Strowman in a momentary lapse of judgement. The Monster Among Men quickly dispatched of the former SmackDown Tag Team Champions after that, setting up some tension between them.
It was obvious that this was a filler program for the Universal Champion before Bray Wyatt makes his return to WWE, but it was still too predictable. And while they are still one of the most entertaining acts in WWE today, Miz and Morrison did not look particularly great at Backlash.
Despite not being a terrible match, this handicap match was the worst on Backlash. It was just a little too basic for a pay-per-view title match. Hopefully, WWE doesn't rush through the break-up between The Miz and John Morrison on SmackDown.
#5 Asuka vs Nia Jax (RAW Women's Championship)
Asuka had a typically great showing at Backlash, carrying Nia Jax to a solid effort for the RAW Women's Championship. She did a stellar job at making Jax look like a major threat to her title, selling for her larger rival in abundance. The Empress of Tomorrow was also particularly inventive in her offense and counters in this match.
However, the double count-out finish may have been a little underwhelming. This rivalry will continue into Extreme Rules and if the two can maintain the decent chemistry they have shown so far in WWE, it will be pretty great.
Unfortunately, their match at Backlash did not live up to some of Jax and Asuka's best ones against each other. A non-finish in a pay-per-view championship match is always disappointing and Backlash was no exception. But what came before it gave us a decent account of the top of the RAW women's division.
This was not one of the best matches at Backlash, particularly because of the finish. But we saw enough decent action to know that both Asuka and Nia Jax are capable of a much better contest.
#4 Bayley & Sasha Banks vs Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs The IIconics (WWE Women's Tag Team Championship)
Backlash opened with the triple threat Women's Tag Team Championship match, which was an exciting affair. It was a nice showcase for WWE's youngest women's title as all three teams had a good night. We got some subtle progression in the Bayley and Sasha Banks angle, with the former talking backstage over the latter's entrance.
There was some solid tandem offense on show at Backlash, with the IIconics having one of their best showings in WWE to date. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross also did a pretty fine job in this standard multi-team pay-per-view opener.
The Legit Boss scored the victory for her team, rolling up Bliss after she had Peyton Royce beat. It remains to be seen how this story moves forward, with fans growing more and more desperate to see Sasha turn on her best friend and go for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
But for now, we can enjoy the two of them have the title reign they should have had last year. Sasha and Bayley had a solid title defense at Backlash, one of the better women's tag title matches since the belts were introduced.
#3 Jeff Hardy vs Sheamus
After their questionable urine-related segment on this past SmackDown, Sheamus and Jeff Hardy had one hell of a brawl at Backlash. The two WWE veterans put on a great performance, laying into each other with a multitude of stiff moves. And it seems like there is more to come.
Sheamus and Hardy put a lot of effort into this, resulting in one of the better matches at Backlash. The Celtic Warrior picked up a surprisingly clean victory as well, with two brutal Brogue Kicks on the 3-time WWE World Champion.
With both Superstars having one victory over each other, we could see a blowoff match between Sheamus and Hardy in the near future. And if it resembles this match in any way, it will be a success. The Charismatic Enigma is definitely sore after all the physicality in the match.
It was thanks to matches like this that helped Backlash become a solid show while reminding the fans just how good Sheamus can be in the ring. He has evolved a lot over the years and now looks better than he ever has in WWE.
#2 Drew McIntyre vs Bobby Lashley (WWE Championship)
Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley went at it immediately at Backlash, with the challenger not even waiting for the bell to begin his assault on the WWE Champion. Lashley locked in the Full Nelson on McIntyre, leaving the Scotsman in jeopardy right from the beginning.
The match was extremely physical, something you would expect from these two powerhouses. McIntyre and Lashley brought the fight in what was a brutal and tactical encounter, filled with power moves and inventive counters. But these two might not be done with each other yet, with the feud likely to extend beyond Backlash.
While the WWE title match was pretty good, it did come with some baggage. Lana made an appearance towards the end of the match to complain about a two-count, eventually leading to a distraction for Lashley. McIntyre duly capitalized with a Claymore Kick to retain his title.
That interference from Lana was shoehorned in, taking away a little bit from the match. This was still really good. Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley certainly did well, but they can do even better. If they do face each other at Extreme Rules, it will probably be an improvement on their Backlash match.
#1 Randy Orton vs Edge
While the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" tagline is subjective and had put a lot of pressure on both Superstars, Randy Orton and Edge definitely delivered at Backlash. It was a really great match, to say the least. Going at it for 45 minutes, the two legends went toe-to-toe in a battle of wills.
There were impressive moves, counters, and even tributes to some of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. There was an Angle Slam, a Rock Bottom, and even Eddie Guerrero's Three Amigos among other moves in this contest. The pace gradually picked up, with the Rated-R Superstar's grit matching up to Orton's natural ability.
While WWE used some ambitious production techniques, the in-ring quality was what made this an excellent presentation, and the best match on Backlash. The inventive ways in which Edge and Orton countered each other's moves, using technical and fundamental strategies, made for an even more exciting contest.
Eventually, after multiple false finishes involving other WWE legends' moves along with the Spear and RKO, it was Randy Orton who came away with the victory. It was such a hard-fought battle, that the Viper had to bring back the Punt Kick to put the WWE Hall of Famer down.
But Edge's performance in this match was phenomenal, especially with this being his first straight-up wrestling match in over nine years. Both he and Orton can be very proud of what they accomplished at Backlash.
While you may or may not think that this was the greatest wrestling match ever, Randy Orton and Edge pulled off a monumental effort to legitimately make their Backlash showdown one of the greatest matches in WWE history.
