What’s the story?
WWE returns to New Orleans, Louisiana in three weeks and have announced three Backlash rematches for the edition of SmackDown Live which will take place on June 13th.
Dolph Ziggler is scheduled to take on Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles will challenge Kevin Owens for the United States Championship and Randy Orton will challenge Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship.
In case you didn’t know...
Backlash took place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois and was headlined by the three rematches being advertised for the upcoming SmackDown Live episode. Nakamura, Owens, and Mahal all walked away victorious in their matches, but Mahal made headlines by winning the WWE Championship.
The heart of the matter
The WWE announced the match on its website and recalled several big moments that New Orleans has witnessed over the years like Brock Lesnar ending The Undertaker’s Streak and Stone Cold Steve Austin being the first man to win the third Royal Rumble.
The following is the official statement released on WWE.com regarding the three matches announced for the show:
New Orleans has witnessed some of the biggest moments in WWE history. Even more of those epic moments in time will be created when SmackDown LIVE comes to The Big Easy on June 13, the last WWE event in New Orleans before WrestleMania 34. The WWE Universe in The Big Easy will witness a huge spectacle, featuring a triple main event with Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal battling for the WWE Championship, Kevin Owens and AJ Styles clashing for the United States Title and Shinsuke Nakamura taking on Dolph Ziggler in a WWE Backlash rematch.
What’s next?
Many fans are expecting Mahal’s reign to be relatively short and there is a chance he could lose the title at this show. Tune in to SmackDown in the next couple of weeks to see what becomes of the United States and the WWE Championship.
Author’s take
Without seeing the viewership for tomorrow’s episode of SmackDown, there’s no telling how Mahal’s victory has affected ratings going forward.
These matches may have been announced as an attempt to boost interest for that particular edition of SmackDown, or it could be WWE promoting a big show to remind fans in attendance that they’ll be back next year for WrestleMania 34.
Whatever the reason, it’ll be nice to see the belts defended on television; even if they are just rematches.
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