On the heels of a wildly entertaining WrestleMania, WWE’s next pay-per-view seems unlikely to continue that momentum.
WrestleMania Backlash will take place in Providence on Sunday. In addition to featuring rematches from WrestleMania 38, the PPV will help set the stage for some of the more important events that WWE has coming up this summer.
The lack of a men’s world title match is the biggest reason that WrestleMania Backlash doesn’t feel much more important than an episode of Raw or SmackDown. Instead of having a title defense, undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns will team with his cousins The Usos in a six-man tag match against Drew McIntyre and RK-Bro. The Usos and Randy Orton and Riddle were originally scheduled to face off in a tag team title unification bout, but it was changed to a six-man tag with no stakes at all.
Reigns not having a title defense at the PPV is disappointing. After WrestleMania culminated with Reigns defeating Brock Lesnar to unify the WWE and universal titles, the undisputed championship should be the main focus of WWE programming right now. The lackluster follow-up makes it seem like the title unification stipulation was just a gimmick to add more hype to the Reigns vs. Lesnar main event.
It makes sense that WWE is holding off on having McIntyre challenge for Reigns’s title. The company has Hell in a Cell coming up next month and then three stadium shows from July to September. A Reigns vs. McIntyre championship match could headline any of those events. But there being so few wrestlers ready to challenge Reigns is an indictment of WWE’s booking. While no one would have believed there was a real chance of Reigns losing, a one-month program with someone like Shinsuke Nakamura would have been a better choice than Reigns not defending his title at all.
Still, the lack of importance doesn’t mean that WrestleMania Backlash won’t deliver in the ring. The six-man match should be excellent even without any official stakes attached. As for the rest of the card, a few WrestleMania rematches stand out as potential highlights. Ronda Rousey will challenge for Charlotte Flair’s SmackDown women’s championship in an “I Quit” match, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will run back their classic from WrestleMania, and AJ Styles will again face off against Edge.
WrestleMania Backlash will stream live on Peacock starting at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday. Here’s a rundown of the card, along with predictions for each match.
Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. Drew McIntyre and RK-Bro
Picking Roman Reigns to win is usually the safest bet you can make in WWE, but Reigns and The Usos losing feels like a lock here. The purpose of this match will be to establish McIntyre as the first challenger for Reigns’s title. WWE could have McIntyre pin Reigns to really add anticipation to that eventual championship match, but it’s probably more likely that McIntyre beats one of the Usos.
Prediction: Drew McIntyre and RK-Bro win
“I Quit” match: Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown women’s championship
The “I Quit” stipulation for this rematch stems from how Flair vs. Rousey at WrestleMania ended. The story of that match was that Flair tapped out to Rousey’s armbar but the referee was knocked out and didn’t see it. Flair took advantage of the ref bump and kicked a distracted Rousey in the face to retain the SmackDown women’s title.
With the lame finish, the first match was a disappointment. It continued what has been an underwhelming run for Rousey in her second stint with WWE. Rousey is still a special performer, but her character has yet to connect with the audience as it did during her first WWE run.
Turning Rousey heel would be the easiest solution, but there are other options to fix the problem. Demolishing Flair, becoming the new SmackDown women's champion and reminding everyone that she’s the Baddest Woman on the Planet would go a long way toward getting Rousey back on the right track.
Prediction: Ronda Rousey wins
Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins
Cody Rhodes has been presented like a superstar in his return to WWE thus far. For as much as WWE too often fails to acknowledge that other pro wrestling exists, Rhodes has been allowed to keep everything that made him special in AEW.
The result of this match will say a lot about how committed WWE is to making Rhodes stand out from the rest of the roster. Even though he already has a win against Rollins from WrestleMania, Rhodes needs to win again Sunday. If he doesn’t, the perception will be that he's just another person who WWE is willing to do 50-50 booking with.
Rhodes has declared that his mission in returning to WWE is to fulfill his family’s destiny by finally winning the WWE world championship. Reigns vs. Rhodes is the best main event that WWE could book for SummerSlam in July. Rhodes shouldn’t lose before that happens.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes wins
AJ Styles vs. Edge
A distraction by Damian Priest led to Styles losing to Edge at WrestleMania. This time, Priest will be barred from ringside for Styles and Edge’s match.
The feud between Styles and Edge feels destined to continue past WrestleMania Backlash. Styles can set up a future rubber match by defeating Edge here—or a new member can join Edge and Priest’s Judgment Day faction and cost Styles the match. Priest being barred from ringside is the perfect setup to introduce a new member of Judgment Day. Tommaso Ciampa would be a good option to join the group.
Prediction: Edge wins
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos
Lashley vs. Omos is another WrestleMania rematch. Lashley won the first bout, but MVP turned against Lashley on Raw the next night and became Omos’s new manager.
If he’s going to maintain any credibility, the 7'3" Omos can’t afford two straight losses. Interference by MVP will help him get the win.
Prediction: Omos wins
Happy Corbin vs. Madcap Moss
The partnership between Baron Corbin and Madcap Moss dissolved after Corbin blamed Moss for his loss to McIntyre at WrestleMania. WWE sees Moss as a future star, and he’s going to win this feud with Corbin, but there’s no chance this will be the only match between the two. Corbin will extend the feud by cheating to win.
