WWE’s first Premium Live Show since WrestleMania took place last night, as WrestleMania Backlash took place from Rhode Island.
The event saw Ronda Rousey capture the SmackDown Women’s Championship and The Bloodline reign supreme in the night’s main event.
You can read the full results from the night here, but GiveMeSport have picked out five headliners coming out of WrestleMania Backlash 2022.
No one’s pinning Roman Reigns
Even on a quick search through Google you’ll find plenty of articles detailing who the man should be to down Roman Reigns - you’ll even find some musings from our good selves. However, it ain’t happening anytime soon, and last night was the proof.
Being included as part of a six-man tag main event alongside The Usos, it gave WWE the perfect opportunity to protect The Tribal Chief within a multi-man match and set up the next plot line in his almost perfect story at the top of WWE. However, the temptation to chuck in even a tiny chink in the armour of Reigns was dispelled in the culmination of the match. Not only did The Bloodline get the win, but it was The Head of the Table who put the explanation mark on his WWE status by getting the pinfall on Riddle.
WrestleMania rematches rule
The clue is in the title, so we shouldn’t expect too much more from WrestleMania Backlash then a ton of reruns from last month’s big event in Dallas. What was unexpected though was how much better the matches were second time around. Perhaps with the ‘grandest stage of them all’ pressure and time restraints off their backs, each match was given a little bit more time and thought and it resulted in better outings in every encounter.
AJ and Edge upped the ante for a crisper match than their WrestleMania clash, Omos had his finest outing yet when he defeated Bobby Lashley and Ronda’s win over Charlotte Flair was far superior to their efforts last month - maybe helped by the stipulation. Then there’s Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, who managed to top the emotion of their WrestleMania bout, by producing a match of the year contender to open the show. Who said that sequel’s never work?
Say farewell to The Queen
It’s fair to say that Charlotte Flair’s rivalry with Ronda Rousey never quite clicked as well as WWE would have hoped, but it did peak at last night’s WrestleMania Backlash show, with one of Rousey’s most entertaining matches thus far.
However, it looks as though last night may well be the last we see of The Queen for a while, giving these two some needed room to breathe. WWE have reported that Flair suffered a fracture of the radius following the armbar that made her tap out and lose her SmackDown crown. In reality, it’s being reported that Flair is set to take some time off from WWE to prepare for her upcoming wedding to AEW star Andrade. Opening the door for a fresh title feud on SmackDown, where Rousey has a plethora of opponents to choose from as her next challenger.
Judgement Day is here to stay
WWE has been lacking a dominate heel stable for a while now, and the good news is that Edge’s new crew look set to be sticking around. With Edge as the leader, there was always a fear the allegiance with Damian Priest could be shorter lived down to Edge’s lighter WWE schedule. Yet, if last night is anything to go on, Judgement Day is in for the long haul as they welcomed a new member into the fold.
Adding Rhea Ripley is a very smart move. She’s been somewhat spinning wheels since dropping the Raw Women’s Championship last year and a heel turn was much needed for The Nightmare. Cementing that turn by hooking up with Edge gives the group a new layer and opens up various options for both Ripley and Judgement Day itself, and we’re looking forward to seeing the results - and keen to see the group keep on growing.
McAfee’s name drop
WrestleMania Backlash was another fine night for the SmackDown co-commentator who’s already establishing himself as one the blue brand’s best ever. One of his most interesting lines of the night came during the Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey bout, where he dropped a name not heard on WWE TV for nearly a year.
Referencing a fan at ringside who was dressed as his favourtie former WWE Superstar, McAfee quipped that ‘The Fiend’ is here when the fan came into shot. Now this could be taken as a throwaway line from a talent who knows how to work a fanbase with his words, but it’s very rare to hear a name of a WWE star who has been released be referenced on WWE TV. Does it mean we could see a return for the man behind The Fiend? Doubtful. However, the mere mention of Bray Wyatt’s alter ego, is certainly not something WWE tends to promote from their announce team.