SmackDown’s Backlash took place last night in Richmond, Virginia and it was one of the best PPVs the WWE has produced in recent memory. There are four championships on the Blue Brand and three new champions were crowned at Backlash, all of those, making the fans extremely happy. It was a brilliant show and so there are many amazing moments to choose form but here’s my list of the 7 best things we saw last night!
- The WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
What’s not to like about this match?! Everything we saw was pure perfection – from the entrances, to the wrestling, to the winner.
The 6-Pack Challenge could have been a complete flop. It could have been a case of a couple of main event names, shining at the expense of everyone else, but it wasn’t. The women of SmackDown delivered without exception and proved why they deserve to be called “superstars” and not “divas”.
Alexa Bliss and Naomi, who got eliminated first, were the two women, responsible for the most exciting wrestling moves in the fight. They also had the most impressive entrances, as well. Alexa Bliss, sporting what could easily pass for a Harley Quinn cosplay, was a sight to see.
Carmella and Nikki’s feud was inserted well into the development of the match and it didn’t look forced upon the audience, or out of place. Quite the opposite, actually. As long as Nikki doesn’t play an innocent martyr in the feud, I’d be interested in seeing what this rivalry has to offer.
As for Natalya, she was everywhere. Every time there was an opportunity, the Queen of Hearts was there to take it. She held the match together at multiple occasions but her best moment was the Powerbomb Superplex she hit mid-match.
And finally, the most satisfying thing about the 6-Pack Challenge was its winner – Becky Lynch. There would have been no better way to end this great fight than to crown Becky as the first ever SmackDown Women’s Champion. The Lass Kicker, having been walked over way too many times, fully deserved to become the face of the Women’s Division on the Blue Brand.
- Heel Usos
If you had asked me before last night, I wouldn’t have been able to remember the last time I had been excited to see the Usos. However, at Backlash, their entrance alone made me want to see more of them. Their entire attitude had changed and you could see it in every step they made towards the ring.
The Usos slipped into their new heel gimmick and it fit them like a glove. Gone are the colourful shorts and the neon-coloured face paint. Jimmy and Jey came out, stripped down from all the childishness and it was as if they had been reborn. The change was so overwhelming that for the first time in a while, the crowd actually chanted for the Usos. I’d actually like to see Jimmy and Jey in a heel championship reign after their performance at Backlash.
The Usos needed that turn desperately and they needed it to work. Their old gimmick was stale and outworn. Having been faces for so long Jimmy and Jey inevitably faced the danger of the fans not being able to accept them as heels. However, all doubt was erased at Backlash.
- The Miz – A Fighting Champ
Yes, Maryse helped Miz end his match victorious but what a match that was! This was the best performance Miz had had, possibly, in years. He proved that he is as much at ease in a wrestling ring, as he is in a TV studio.
The A-lister showed a great arsenal of escapes, counters, submissions and offense. The Miz survived everything that Dolph normally delivers and asked for more. On many occasions, it seemed like he was about to retain clean and no one would have complained about it. That’s how good Miz was at Backlash. Obviously, giving him a clean victory would have been out of character, hence the whole cheating angle. Yet, the Miz shone as bright as he possibly could have.
After the champ’s great mic work recently and all the attention it attracted, there was no way the Miz was going to lose the title at Backlash. It was only a deserved bonus to allow the A-lister to silence the critics and treat us to a great wrestling match.
- Kane Gets the Respect He Deserves
Kane is a legend and there can be no question about it. However, the last few years had been terrible for him. The Red Monster had been reduced to a degrading corporate role and the Demon that once induced fear into his opponents turned into the WWE’s resident jobber. It seemed like there was no way Kane’s name could be restored. And then came the New Era.
In the last few weeks, Kane showed up randomly a few times on SmackDown and choke slammed a few random jobbers. Equally as randomly, the Big Red Machine showed up with an impromptu No Holds Barred match against Bray Wyatt at Backlash. The match itself was unexpected but what was more surprising was that it actually turned out to be a good match. Kane looked intimidating once again.
True, Randy Orton did intervene, leading to Kane’s victory, but it takes nothing away from the Red Monster, since he wasn’t the focus in the story. In fact, this marginal role is exactly what I liked the most about it.
Kane is old now. It can’t be expected of him to be at the top any more. However, he can still be and eventually, go out as one of the scariest people in the WWE. As long as he stays barely involved with anything, but delivers great matches whenever he shows up and is there to land the occasional choke slam from time to time, I’d be happy. This would give Kane a similar position to the Undertaker and that legendary status is what suits him best.
- The Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt Feud
Despite not having an actual fight, or maybe because they didn’t get to fight, Bray and Randy raised the stock of their feud through the roof at Backlash.
Orton vs. Wyatt showed us a brilliant textbook example of a great story build-up. Bray proved how dangerous he was by taking Orton out before the match. He then went on to get the crowd to scream HOLY SH#T, as he nearly broke himself while putting Kane through the announce table with a vicious senton. But the Viper had the last laugh, allowing him to exit Backlash with more badass points he would have ever gained had he simply defeat Bray Wyatt.
A match would have had one of them lose momentum. The way their feud was booked at Backlash, both men left the PPV, looking stronger than before and their rivalry instantly became more exciting. After last night, I can’t wait to get more of Orton vs. Wyatt! Outstanding work!
- Heath Slater Finally Gets a Job
If there was a list of the top feel-good moments of the PPV, this one would have been up there with Becky and AJ Styles’ well-deserved victories.
Heath Slater, having gone through all sorts of degrading storylines, finally became champion again. At last, his endless charisma was noticed. I don’t think Slater has ever been as over as he is now and so there was no better moment to hand him the gold than last night at Backlash. Despite my keen interest in the Usos’ new heel gimmick, seeing Heath Slater finally reach the culmination of his “no job” story arc, was a rewarding experience.
Not only Slater acquired the sacred SmackDown talent contract, but he also did it in a spectacular fashion. Heath got punched around a lot in the early stages of the match and that was to be expected. It was also expected that after taking a beating Slater would give the hot tag to Rhyno. What no one saw coming was the end of the match where Heath Slater, single-handedly cleared house and took care of both Usos, in and out of the ring. I don’t remember ever seeing Heath Slater look that cool in a fight.
Overall, Slater’s victory was one of the best moments to be seen at Backlash.
- AJ Styles – the WWE World Champion
The Phenomenal One, AJ Styles became the WWE Champion last night. That’s a sentence most people thought we’d never hear. Only a year ago, the mere thought of this situation would have been considered ludicrous. Yet, at Backlash it became reality.
The fans love Ambrose and he’s been great in his role as a champion. Actually, this might have been his best title defence. However, the crowd never could take AJ Styles as a heel and so the fans had his back throughout. For a second time in a row, following Kevin Owens’ triumph after SummerSlam, the fans rejoiced at the sight of a heel, winning the main-event gold.
The only thing, casting a shadow on Styles’ moment, was the manner, in which he won. The low blow was predictable and it spoiled the ending of an otherwise great fight. Then again, for the sake of celebrating AJ’s hard-fought victory, I’m willing to look over the finish and just enjoy the match and the feel-good moment, brought to us by Backlash.
What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised