With a match expected to be “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever,” this will be a PPV to remember. This Sunday, WWE presents Backlash once again live from the Performance Center in Florida. The build heading into Backlash has been unique, as many of the matches have a solid feel that most secondary PPVs don’t tend to have most times. Here is the full card preview for Sunday:
Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus
Jeff Hardy and Sheamus have entered into the most heated rivalry on the entire card. Sheamus has been focused on Hardy ever since his return was announced and in their first match, Hardy managed to pull one over on “The Celtic Warrior” and win to advance in the Intercontinental Championship tournament. So, Sheamus’ payback proved to be a costly one for Hardy. On the final SmackDown of March, Hardy was removed from the tournament following a hit and run where he was framed by someone making it seem as though he relapsed. By the end of the show, Hardy came out to make it clear that he was not going to stand for it. Last week, Sheamus destroyed Hardy on SmackDown, setting the basis for this match. It is now a must-win for both men.
United States Championship: Apollo Crews (c) vs. Andrade w/ Zelina Vega
Feb. 25, 2018. That is the last time Apollo Crews appeared in a championship match on PPV. On Sunday, he will go in as the United States Champion. Crews has been on the roll of his career recently and his challenger has been on the complete opposite. Shockingly, Crews has not one, not two, but three pinfall victories over Andrade. For the challenger, this is his shot to redeem himself following a couple of months of little success despite being the champion. A lot has changed for Zelina Vega, as she seemed to have the new faction to mess with at one point but that has all come crashing down. Apollo will look to prove his recent success was no fluke while Vega’s client will attempt to pick up the slack of recent weeks.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Bayley & Sasha Banks (c) vs. The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce) vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships have been traveling from brand to brand for the better part of the last three months and it has led to them being included as many had hoped. Last Friday on SmackDown, Bayley and Sasha Banks captured the championships for the second time by defeating Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. That leads to the match on Sunday, as The IIconics returned to television with their eyes set on the titles as well. With all three times wanting to hold the gold, officials have made the triple threat tag official. It would be difficult to believe the new champs would be crowned so soon, but their first reign was also mishandled because of a match like this. Who says it can’t happen again.
Universal Championship: Braun Strowman (c) vs. John Morrison & The Miz in a Handicap Match
The Universal Championship reign of Braun Strowman has been suspect at the very best. Strowman’s next defense will come against not one, but two men in a handicap match (the same manner in which he lost is Intercontinental Championship). John Morrison and The Miz ended up with the match following Strowman’s dismantling of The Miz on SmackDown. In the past, handicap title matches never finish with the men who hold the advantage actually winning. Quite frankly, this match would have been a great idea if John Morrison was the one getting the chance, but instead, it will be him and his partner. This is more than likely just a pushover win for Strowman and his title reign.
Raw Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Nia Jax
The world could end on Sunday night. And when we say the world, we mean social media as a win for Nia Jax over Asuka would lead to a lot of anger. This will be Asuka’s first defense since being rewarded the Raw Women’s Championship after winning the Money in the Bank briefcase. Most would hope that Asuka has a strong run with the title coming, but losing to Jax right out the gate would hurt “The Empress” immensely. All of this rivalry stems from Jax’s bullying of Asuka’s partner, Kairi Sane. Asuka has stood tall against Jax with no fear.
On Monday, the champion suffered defeat to Charlotte Flair thanks to Nia. It’ll be interesting to see what is next for Flair in all of this, as she included herself on Monday after losing the NXT Women’s Championship. This is worrisome for Asuka fans but they should be hopeful for a successful defense against Nia Jax. Flair could be next up for whoever the champion is after Sunday.
WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Bobby Lashley w/ MVP
Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley is a match that after a month of the build is a seriously great feud. McIntyre’s run as WWE Championship has been excellent to this point with his character really finding a stride. His ability to not back down from the threats to his championship has made him that much better, and his next threat is one people have been waiting for since he returned to the WWE. Bobby Lashley experienced a real fix up in the past two months as he has aligned himself with MVP and distanced himself from Lana. It has led to “The Dominator” version of Lashley that many have been missing since his return to the WWE. Their match on Sunday will be incredibly physical as it is one of the true hoss fights left in the WWE. It’s a feud worthy of the WWE Championship.
“The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” – Edge vs. Randy Orton
Finally, the expected main event of Backlash will be the match that is being promoted as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” A term that automatically puts this bout under a microscope more than ever before. The story here is that Randy Orton does not believe Edge can deliver in a regular singles match without some sort of stipulation added. And there is some doubt that Edge believes he can as well. Orton has been at the top of his game for the better part of two decades, while Edge was forced to retire for nine years. Now, two of WWE’s most storied superstars will go head-to-head one more time in a match with all eyes on it. Edge defeated Orton at WrestleMania in their Last Man Standing match. In a traditional singles match, Orton believes it is his time to excel and put down Edge once and for all.
The bout is highly anticipated, no doubt. But can it live up to the point of even being in the conversation of “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever?” That remains to be seen. Hopefully, they can go their separate ways after, no matter the result.
More From LWOPW
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