Another WWE Backlash is in the books. WWE’s annual PLE, which usually follows WrestleMania, has closed its lights on St. Louis. It was a night of wrestling full of championship matches and a few surprises along the way.
With five matches on the card, all of which had great promise, it was interesting to see how they all panned out and who walked away with the bragging rights. Let’s take a look at how these WWE Backlash matches panned out and if they lived up to the hype that surrounded them.
United States Championship Match: Jacob Fatu vs Drew McIntyre vs Damian Priest vs L.A. Knight (3.75/5)
The St. Louis crowd was hot to start the night, and this match was a great choice to keep the energy going.
In the beginning, the match seemed to be stuck in first gear, but that was only a prelude to the fantastic action that took place afterwards. The whole match had great wrestling, yes, but the back half of the contest turned this match from good to great.
The false finish after all hit their finish, McIntyre and Priest going through the tables were fantastic spots. All four men were very over, and they played to the crowd incredibly well throughout.
The shock debut of Jeff Cobb was a great surprise, but it slowed down the finish and took away from it. Fatu is still a beast, and it looks like he, Cobb, and Sikoa will be having some issues in the future.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Lyra Valkyria vs Becky Lynch (4/5)
This match was absolutely fantastic. There was a great story going into the contest, and both women played off that as the match went off. The start of the match contained some of the best wrestling we have seen in any match this year. Both women showed off a ton of talent here.
Once the match revved up, the emotion came pouring out. Lynch consistently put Lyra down, but the young upstart kept coming back. Some great spots were playing this story off, and there wasn’t a botch to be seen.
The final stage of the match is where both women’s greatness came through. The number of near falls was great, and both man-handle slam spots had everyone thinking that Lynch was going to take the championship. It made Valkyria a star and showed that she could hang with the best in the business.
It was honestly a bit shocking that WWE didn’t let Lynch get the win and give Lyra someone to chase for the summer, but the aftermath of the match makes one think that things aren’t over.
Men’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Dominik Mysterio vs Penta (3.25/5)
It’s been a funny sight to see how the audience has performed a complete 180 on Dominik Mysterio. The crowd in St. Louis was rabid for him, and Penta was rabid for him, to be honest. The duelling chants throughout were great, and a perfect addition to the high-flying nature of the contest.
Mysterio has come along as a performer, and he, along with Penta, put on a tremendous match. The action was fluid and constant. There wasn’t much downtime during the contest, and it was a great way to present both men.
Some fun near-falls happened toward the end of the match, but just like the opener, the finish was off. Judgment Day looked useless, and it did nothing to further the pending issues between Mysterio and Finn Balor. It was a very entertaining match, but the fizzling out of the finish didn’t do much to help.
Gunther vs Pat McAfee (2.75/5)
Was there any doubt in our minds that this match was going to be a mauling? The ring experience disparity is ridiculous, and Gunther is as stiff as many in the company. McAfee was going to stand much of a chance.
This match was more entertaining than one thought it would be. Gunther was his usual methodical self, but McAfee showed a lot of resiliency during the contest. He kept coming back, and the crowd was big into it the whole time.
The story told was the best part of the match. Gunther worked his ruthless character to perfection, and Michael Cole provided a great voice of reason and sympathetic character to be opposite Gunther. It was a fun watch, but one that didn’t really have any meaning to it towards the end. Gunther’s bowing before he left the ring was odd.
WWE Championship Match: John Cena vs Randy Orton (3.25/5)
This was the WWE Backlash match that everyone was waiting for. This was the last time that we saw Randy Orton and John Cena face each other, and WWE did a fantastic job of hyping up the main event.
The St. Louis crowd was very much in Randy Orton’s corner, and his entrance theme is always a great spectacle to see. It was also great to see how well Cena has leaned into his heel character and turned most of the crowd against him. The let’s go Cena chants were not nearly as loud as they used to be.
With where both men are in their careers, and knowing how they work, it wasn’t a surprise that this was a match that one would call methodical. This was never going to be an exciting wrestling match, but one that was more based on story work and crowd reaction. Kudos to Cena for trying to work in other moves and adjusting his old ones enough to avoid getting pops from the crowd.
For being their last match, it sure didn’t pop. The action was too slow, and if it weren’t for Orton, the crowd wouldn’t have stayed in it. The crowd was the star here as they were invested in everything that both men put forth. Cena’s mocking of Orton near the end was a particular highlight; he’s really become a great heel.
The finish sure had its ups and downs. The multiple RKO and ref bumps were great, but R-Truth coming in made no sense, and Cena using the belt was a rehashed version of the WrestleMania main event.
That’s our review of WWE Backlash 2025 in St. Louis.
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