WWE Backlash Review 05/21/2017

Hello Misfits! It’s the Wrestling Classic here with my Backlash review. I was 7-2 with my predictions for the event, only getting the women’s match and Luker/Rowen predictions wrong. This was one of those shows that proved that Smackdown is the land of opportunity. Breezango is the number one contender for the tag team championships and Jinder Mahal is in the main event wrestling Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in the main event. If you asked me a couple of months back if I thought Breezango or Jinder Mahal would be number one contenders for major championship’s, I would have said no. This was also the card which featured the in ring debut for Shinsuke Nakamura.

The 2017 edition of Backlash comes from the All State Arena in Chicago, IL.

– The opening video package was actually pretty cool and then we get all the pryo and ballyhoo. The announce team tonight is Tom Phillips, JBL and Byron Saxton.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Dolph Ziggler
in 16:02 by pin
I think it was smart kicking off the show with this match because one it’ll get the crowd excited right off the bat because of the two competitors involved and because it would get this moment out of the way, separate from the other big moment of the night. The match was good and they did the most to make sure Ziggler wasn’t completely buried. It appeared as if Shinsuke had to put in the work to defeat Ziggler. Similar to when Shinsuke made his NXT debut against Sami Zayn and it wasn’t a squash match but instead a highly competitive match which Shinsuke coming out on top. I think they tried to have that same magic here but it just didnt happen. As much as I didn’t want Ziggler to get buried which he didn’t, this didn’t do anything for him. When Zayn/Nakamura fought, both guys left being very over with the crowd. Unfortunately, I think that has to do with Ziggler. Maybe he’s lost that status he used to have in this New Era. For example, if Nakamura was facing Owens, Styles or even Zayn again for his debut, I think him working a 50/50 match for his debut wouldn’t have been that weird but because it’s Ziggler we hoped it would be more one sided. In the end though, the match was solid and competitive but never reached that absolute classic level. Which sort of sucks when this was supposed to be Nakamura’s debut and he’s been portrayed as this mega superstar that everyone was supposed to anticipate to see wrestle.
Rating – ***1/2

Tag Team Championship
The Usos (C) def. Breezango
in 09:32 by pin
I was split about who I wanted to go over in this match, but happy with either decision. The match started off with a lot of comedic stuff which oddly considering Breezango’s characters, I didnt expect. I thought they’d come into this match serious and determined but I should have known better when Tyler Breeze came out dressed as a janitor. Fuck me right? However, I enjoyed the silly stuff to be honest. The Breeze rolling to the opposite side of the ring while one of the Jey tried going for a splash actually made me laugh a little out loud. Breeze gained the upperhand for his team when he got back into the match dressed as an elderly women which had the crowd chanting “let’s go grandma.” The second half picked up the pace with less comedic stuff and it was good. I honestly would have preferred seeing Breeze and Fandango take this opportunity seriously but it seems as if they’re just perceived as a comedy act by the WWE and good buffer until the New Day return to face The Usos. I enjoyed the comedy but the wrestling fan in me really wanted to see a competitive back and forth match that was filled with balls to the wall action. All four guys are super talented and had potential to put on a pretty solid match. Instead they settled with comedy over wrestling here. I hope Breezango don’t get demoted in the tag division now because I am a big fan of both men.
Rating – ***

Sami Zayn def. Baron Corbin
in 14:35 by pin
This was a solid back and forth man. Corbin playing the big bully and Sami Zayn playing the kid with too much heart. Now imagine that kid with a lot of heart overcame the bully because he capitalized on the bullies mistake due to over confidence. That’s basically what happened here. Zayn got the much needed victory here. Although Sami Zayn had a rough start on Smackdown since coming to brand, this win was bigger than anything that happened to him during his time on Raw following his feud with Owens. Corbin didn’t lose looking completely horrible either. He dominated most of the match and it didn’t look like Sami could beat him but it was just one error that messed things up for him. In a way, it helps for this rivalry to continue, because I’m sure a loss like this won’t sit well with the Lone Wolf.
Rating – ***

– Jinder & The Singhs arrive; they roll out a special carpet for Jinder to walk on. Jinder then says Chicago and the US are full of haters that hate him for who they think he is, for how he looks and talks. Tonight he turns it into goodness, something positive and something spiritual and almost holy. He is a peaceful man, but once provoked becomes an animal. He will turn the doubters and discriminators into believers

Natalya, Tamina & Carmella w/ James Ellsworth def. Becky Lynch, Charlotte & Naomi
in 10:05 by submission
This was what we expected from six woman match. It was decent but it wasn’t anything spectacular. Everyone got a moment to shine. Then it broke down into chaos, interference and falls getting broken until Natalya got Becky Lynch to tap out to the sharpshooter. I’m actually glad Natalya picked up the win since Carmella has been picking up all of the wins for the Welcoming Committee in recent weeks. Natalya or Tamina deserved to pick up the win. On that note though, Carmella looked gorgeous. It’s a bummer that Becky Lynch had to take the fall but when you consider that her partners are the Women’s Champion and Charlotte, it made sense. I wish they had a better idea of what to do with Becky Lynch but  as for now they still seem confused. I’m shocked the Welcoming Committee picked up the victory as I thought the babyfaces would go over to cause tension between them. I’m curious on how they’ll move forward now and if this team thing will break down to three separate rivalries because theres not much more they can do here besides a rematch or something until the focus needs to be put back on the Women’s Championship.
Rating – **1/2

United States Championship
Kevin Owens (C) def. AJ Styles
in 21:10 by countout
Two of my top five of the New Era in one match? I can’t complain. The match was highly competitive and went back and forth. I absolutely love when Owens trash talks or makes comments during a match and we get to hear it. I find the stuff he says hysterical. Owens focused a lot on Styles knee and that ended up being the point of attack for the end half of the match. The match came to an end when Styles tried hitting a Styles Clash on Owens on the announcer’s table but his leg got stuck in the empty spot where the tv monitors are. Styles is caught by the cables while Owens makes it back to the ring to win by count out. I actually loved this finish because it allowed both guys to remain strong and left it open for them to continue feuding in the upcoming months. This was basically their first match of a series of matches between them I believe. I know a lot of people weren’t a fan of the finish but honestly it’s those same people who are looking for instant gratification rather than letting an angle build over months. It’s also nice to see Owens pick up the victory like a heel should. He won and retained his title like a coward by the skin of his teeth and avoiding having to actually defeat his opponent but taking the easy way out. They didn’t give too much away in this match but did just enough to make me excited for the rematch. Owens hit Styles with a super kick following the win which left Styles hanging from the table…classic asshole stuff by Owens.
Rating – ***1/2

Luke Harper def. Erick Rowen
in 09:00 by pinfall
This match was a tad bit underwhelming. I like the idea of two talented big men just slugging it out and doing things to impress you that guys their size could do. I feel like we got a lot of that in their match on Smackdown but not that much here. There was a lack of aggression and spark in this match. I didn’t go into it expecting a classic but it was less than I expected. I was also shocked with the outcome. I’m never disappointed in Harper winning a match because I feel he’s really special but Rowen could have used this victory to breathe life into his career and new character. Rowan was pissed at Harper for betraying the Wyatts, but showed no real aggression in trying to make him pay for his sins. It was two big guys, doing moves, to next to no crowd reaction. I was really hoping this new split personality character they had Rowen portray on Talking Smack last week would play a bigger factor in this match but it didn’t. I would love for these two to just walk side by side again as a tag team dominating the tag division but I’m still willing to give them a chance as opponents. Regardless, this match was highly forgettable.
Rating – **

WWE Championship
Jinder Mahal w/ The Singh Brothers def. Randy Orton (C)
in 16:00 by pin
THE MAHARAJA IN THE WWE CHAMPION!! The first ever Indian/Punjabi WWE Champion of all time. He’s also officially the 50th person to win the WWE Championship. I personally love it. The fans actually dislike him which makes him the perfect heel. I mean youre not really supposed to like your heels, so all the heat he’s getting makes him a better heel than the ones we cheer for. Hence, why I think this push will be successful. The only complaint I have about the whole situation was I wish they had him slowly get to this spot by picking up victories throughout this year until he unexpectedly became number one contender. However, the way they went about it did make it more unpredictable overall. I don’t think anyone started their 2017 thinking by the end of the year we’d be referring to Jinder Mahal as a former WWE Champion. The match itself was really decent and I feel like the crowd was into to it because everyone kind of believed there was a chance Mahal could be walking out champion. The sudden push, the reaching out by the WWE to their Indian market, Orton’s liking for Mahal and involvement of the Singh Brothers were all factors that made us believe that Mahal could potentially walk out victorious. Therefore, it really had us invested. I love Randy Orton but even I can admit that his current reign felt kind of flat, mostly after Wyatt was moved to Raw. Orton’s obsession with the Singh Brother’s after breaking the pin attempt after a RKO, is what cost him the match. The bumps the Singh Brothers took were incredible. The one Harv took on the table even had Orton looking concerned right after it. Jinder caught Orton when he was distracted with them and hit him with cobra clutch slam to win his first singles championship. I have faith in Jinder Mahal and strongly believe that foreign heel gimmick, as old as it is, will still work with the patriotic American fans. I can just tell from the comments on my page that this is going to be controversial and surly entertaining. Congratulations to Jinder Mahal on this career highlight and magnificent win. I really hope he has a decent run as champion, just to piss off the haters…like a heel should. Hard work and dedication truly does pay off.
Rating – ***3/4

Final Thoughts
I actually enjoyed this event a little more than Payback. Although, that could have been the atmosphere in where I was watching it, the friends I was with and the beers I was drinking compared to watching Payback after it aired at home in my room. The show kept me entertained though and even though some things could have been better, they still were good. I enjoyed Nakamura/Ziggler even though it could have been a bit better. Styles and Owens put on a great match without giving too much away so they can continue their feud. The main event wasn’t a wrestling clinic but the finish with Jinder Mahal going over was truly an exciting moment and felt fresh. It’s really not hard for things to feel fresh when the championship is going from a veteran like Randy Orton who has held it numerous times to someone who rose to the top literally out of nowhere like Jinder Mahal. If you have a free Saturday or Sunday night with no plans, I’d recommend people to check it out. The Chicago crowd is always lit and solid crowd always makes a huge difference to a show.
All hail the Modern Day Maharaja.
Final Rating – 7/10

What were your final thoughts on Backlash? What final grade would you give the event? Where would you rate it on a scale of ten? Do you agree with my review? Leave your comments, opinions and thoughts below in the comments section.