As with WWE’s other programming since mid-March, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated changes to the Backlash PPV. The event was originally scheduled to take place in Kansas City, Missouri. WWE taped the PPV last week at the Performance Center in Orlando where most WWE shows have been held since mid-March. Despite the addition of the NXT kids as a crowd behind a Plexiglass, it hasn’t given more “beauty” to the shows or PPVs, as we could notice last Sunday at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
WWE did not present the Backlash PPV last year in June 2019 due to its contracted obligations to Saudi Arabia. Braun Strowman will defend his Universal Championship in a handicap match against former SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Miz and John Morrison. Drew McIntyre puts his WWE Championship on the line against Bobby Lashley, with his new manager MVP by his side. Edge will continue his rivalry against Randy Orton in the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” The RAW and Tag Team Women’s titles will be on the line, as will the United States Championship. Jeff Hardy will put his redemption in jeopardy when competing against Sheamus.
Note: this year’s Backlash has already been completely pre-recorded. While some of the matches have reportedly been changed from what was previously advertised, we’ll do out best to bring you the most accurate card possible. Furthermore, nobody at SteelChair has any insider information to any of the match results, just to ensure these predictions are purely that, predictions.
United States Championship
Apollo Crews (c) vs Andrade w/ Zelina Vega
Apollo Crews began his reign as United States Champion hunting for a worthy challenger; now the man whom he took the title from wants to end the search for him. Crews will face Andrade for the United States Title at WWE Backlash after the former Champion won a Triple Threat Match on RAW to earn the opportunity.
In a matchup with Kevin Owens and Angel Garza, Andrade capitalised on an opening provided by a KO Stunner to Garza and pinned his close friend to claim his place in the championship match. The week prior, Crews teamed with Owens to defeat Andrade and Garza in red brand tag team action.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Apollo Crews – it seems a little early for him to lose this title. Plus the tension between Andrade and Angel Garza could affect the finish of this match.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Apollo Crews, with a little help from Kevin Owens and a big mess in Zelina’s team.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match
Bayley & Sasha Banks (c) vs The Iiconics vs Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
In the short history of the Women’s Tag Team Championship, there have only been four teams to hold the gold, and three of those four teams are competing in this match, making this a rather historic moment. Furthermore, Bayley is not only the first-ever Women’s Grand Slam Champion, but she is also the first woman to simultaneously be a Tag Team and Women’s Champion. Bayley has been a focal point of the Women’s division for over a year, and with the absence of Becky, one could argue that Bayley is now The focal point of the Women’s division. The subtext here is that Sasha Banks has been relegated to being Bayley’s lackey in recent months, and it seems as though she’s happy just to be in the shadows. But is she really, or is Sasha just biding her time until she can betray Bayley.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross – Sasha Banks has a pretty bad track record of losing Championships in her very first defence. When you factor in that Sasha and Bayley could have some tension here, maybe Bliss and Cross Apple Sauce can capitalise and win back their titles for the third time.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Bayley & Banks as the cheap winners they are.
Jeff Hardy vs Sheamus
Ahead of his recent return to action, Jeff Hardy has spoken quite candidly (both in and out of character) that he expects this to be his last run with WWE and he hopes that he can have one last run as World Champion. It is also expected that Sheamus is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Both men are around the same age, and both men have had issues with injury – Sheamus missed a lot of 2019 through concussion issues. The Celtic Warrior also has unfinished business, with the Intercontinental Championship being the only accomplishment missing from his career. Although one has to imagine that another World Championship reign isn’t out of the question.
This storyline has received it’s fair share of criticism in the way they’ve handled Jeff’s issues with addiction, and rightfully so, but that’s something that also makes this feud a little more personal. Sheamus is the perfect heel in this sort of scenario, the villain who will do anything to sabotage his opponent and further his own cause. Up against him is the lifelong fan favourite in Jeff Hardy who is on a quest for redemption.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Sheamus – Jeff Hardy has gotten the better of Sheamus on more than one occasion lately, and I think this has done some damage to the Celtic Warrior. With the current talent pool feeling a little thin on the Smackdown side of things, I feel like they may need Sheamus as a credible challenger for Strowman and the Universal title sooner rather than later. In the more immediate future, a win here for Sheamus would presumably extend this feud until Extreme Rules next month.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Sheamus, even if he will smell like pee spirit. WWE haven’t found any better idea than playing with Hardy’s old demons and it makes this match something odd and unpleasant.
RAW Women’s Championship Match
Asuka (c) vs Nia Jax
Asuka has been ecstatic since Becky Lynch’s pregnancy announcement awarded the Raw Women’s Championship to the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match winner. Many have celebrated The Empress of Tomorrow’s status as a Grand Slam Champion, but don’t count Nia Jax as one of them.
Kairi Sane honoured her Kabuki Warriors teammate with a championship celebration on RAW, but the mood quickly shifted as Jax called the legitimacy of Asuka’s reign into question. The former Raw Women’s Champion showed further disrespect by ending Sane’s backstage flute solo with a brutal attack. The Empress of Tomorrow got the better of Jax in their confrontation, but a message had clearly been sent.
Despite the building tensions, Jax went out and earned the opportunity to challenge Asuka, as the imposing Superstar bested Charlotte Flair and Natalya in a Triple Threat Match to secure the title opportunity and stared down Asuka after finalising their championship showdown.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Asuka. Personally, I’m a little disappointed that Asuka didn’t actually defeat Becky Lynch to win the title (especially after Becky’s very lengthy reign), but I completely understand why that couldn’t happen. So winning a title defence on PPV will certainly solidify Asuka, who is now the second Women’s Grand Slam Champion in WWE.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Asuka. Nia Jax has been in hot trouble since Kairi Sane’s injury. WWE can’t bet on someone his peers see as a threat.
Edge vs Randy Orton
The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever is a very subjective thing. You’d get a different answer on the greatest match depending on who you ask. But the majority of those matches are declared great in the aftermath and not usually ahead of time. This is certainly a lot of pressure to put on the shoulders of Edge and Orton. Edge had been retired for over nine years and has yet to wrestle a singles match.
While Orton sometimes receives criticism for working a rather slow style, but promos ahead of Mania suggested that Orton seems to up the ante whomever he works with, and there would seem to be some truth to that. Whether they can live up to the billing of Greatest Wrestling Match Ever remains to be seen, but the advantage to prerecording this show enables WWE to edit the match accordingly.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Edge – I don’t see this being a back and forth feud (but then I thought that with their WrestleMania match) with Edge only being back on a part-time basis, like Lesnar. After this, I’d have thought we’d next see Edge in a marquee match at SummerSlam, and presumably against someone else.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Edge – This story can’t end as a tie as Edge is meant to take time off to make a movie. Also, this idea of Greatest Match Ever has been a pure cliché, every fan has THEIR greatest match and I don’t think Edge and Orton can provide that now, in 2020.
Ric Flair’s Prediction: Flair was asked about his predictions and what makes a great match. Here are his answers.
“Randy, I think merely for the reason Edge has been off almost nine years. I think it’s increasingly difficult, in our sport as it is any other sport but especially ours because there are so much timing and the condition and difference. In our business, time off is our worst enemy. I think Randy is going to win the match for a number of reasons. It could be some physical issues to fatigue, it’s a lot of pressure. I think for Randy it’s going to work because he’s been so successful for so long, and as for Edge, he’s trying to come back and get back in that position that you’re in at the highest level when you were forced to lead due to your neck injury.”
“You could tell Randy was the star of the day in terms of physical gifts. Randy’s got that look that comes along once in a lifetime, incredibly handsome, a physique, a natural arrogance that was meant to be. You could see right away that he was going to be a star and he brought an extremely high level of athleticism, 6’4, 250 pounds, a million-dollar look. He had money written all over him, right next to the word ability was a dollar sign.”
To create the greatest match ever, “it takes two very strong very high-profile personalities that really understand who they are without each other and who they are with each other, knowing and thinking that the match they’re going to have today could be the best. Just knowing how good you are, then it’s music, chemistry.”
WWE Championship
Drew McIntyre (C) vs Bobby Lashley w/ MVP
The business of professional wrestling can often be circular. McIntyre (then Galloway) and Lashley have previously feuded over the TNA/Impact World Championship, back in 2016, but you won’t find WWE paying lip service for that period of time. But things have been rather different for both men during their second runs in WWE. Drew finally emerged as a main event level talent upon winning the Rumble this year, and then building on that by defeating both Brock Lesnar and The Big Show at WrestleMania.
Whereas Bobby Lashley’s storylines have been very soap opera heavy until recently. There was the lengthy love triangle storyline between Lashley, Lana and Rusev, and from that point onwards, Lana (now Lashley’s on-screen wife) has proven to be more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to accompanying Bobby at ringside. It’s the emergence of MVP as Lashley’s new manager that seems to have awoken something else within the former ECW Champion. Since aligning with MVP, Lashley has also added a Full Nelson sleeper hold to his arsenal, adding another edge to his game.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Drew McIntyre – I’ve genuinely been longing to see this match for some time. The issue, in my opinion, is that WWE have rushed to this match. They’ve only recently started rebuilding Lashley as more of a beast, but it seems too soon for him to be considered a genuine threat to McIntyre’s title reign. I like Lashley with MVP, but I wouldn’t have considered Bobby to be ready for World title contention before September. For that reason, I can’t look beyond McIntyre right now.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Bobby Lashley. I am the news editor here, I read way too many things…
WWE Universal Championship Handicap Match
Braun Strowman (C) vs The Miz & John Morrison
Strowman successfully defended his title at WWE Money In The Bank after Bray Wyatt came calling for his old friends. Wyatt has yet to reemerge since the Black Sheep betrayal, but new foes have stepped up to try and remove the gold from the champion’s shoulder.
The Miz and John Morrison found themselves in the path of the Strowman Express after Otis called on the Universal Champion in a battle against the outspoken tandem. Ever the “gracious losers,” Miz & Morrison provoked Strowman with a mocking puppet show on “The Dirt Sheet” that led to The Monster Among Men crushing The Awesome One in an ensuing match. Unable to turn the page, Miz & Morrison presented the Handicap Match challenge for WWE Backlash and promised to make the Universal Champion’s life a living hell in the lead-up to the clash.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Braun Strowman – while I have been enjoying the comedy of the Miz & Morrison comedy act, I personally find it a little out of place in a World title feud. But I understand that WWE have had to change their post WrestleMania plans and SmackDown’s roster is a little thin in the absence of Roman Reigns. It would also be very unfortunate for the Monster Among Men to lose a singles title in a handicap match for the second time this year.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Braun Strowman after a failed Otis attempt to cash in his MITB contract. Miz and Morrison deserve to become Champion but the way the match was built is really made to push Strowman until Roman Reigns comes back.
Special thanks to DS Communication for Ric Flair interview – All pics courtesy of WWE