The 20th annual Backlash is now in the books. The crowds have left St. Louis, and WWE has moved to another city.
All in all, the night of Backlash can be considered a success. None of the matches on the card could fall under the terrible category, even though some finishes left something to be desired. It was an entertaining night of wrestling that continued WWE’s trend of delivering when they said they would.
With Backlash in the rearview, it is time to start thinking about what’s next. What will the immediate future hold for those men and women who blew the roof off the Enterprise Center? Let’s look at the possibilities.
Who Will Be Next On The Last Tour?
John Cena said it himself last night: he needs real competition. While yes, Randy Orton was more than enough competition for the champ, it begs the question of who WWE will line up in front of the champ first.
After the match ends, an argument can be made about Orton and Cena’s issues not being finished. Cena only has a limited window before he rides off into the sunset, and many other wrestlers are lining up to take on the champ, but this feud with Orton can take up a few more weeks.
Saturday Night’s Main Event is only a few weeks away, and that looks like a great place for Orton and Cena to wrap things up. A nice gimmick match would be a fitting end for the two men.
Priest and McIntyre Determine Who Is The Last Man Standing
Coming out of the Fatal-Four Way match, it should be obvious that Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre are not done with one another. They went after Jacob Fatu and L.A. Knight, but throughout, they were always drawn back to one another. It capped off with Priest costing McIntyre, yet again, and the two of them going through some tables surrounding the ringside.
These men are too big to coexist on the same brand, so there is going to have to be a blow-off match that will set one packing to Raw. We have already seen them in a street fight, so logic would dictate that things need to be turned up. The highest they could go would be a match in the style of a Last Man Standing match. It would give us a definitive winner and a reason for one man to take a break/move to another show.
Lynch and Valkyria Aren’t Done
Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch turned in the best match of the night at Backlash. It was well wrestled, contained great comebacks, and was filled with the type of drama that turned matches from good to great. It also included a roll-up finish that turned Lynch into a sore loser with a post-match attack.
This rivalry is gaining a ton of traction, and it would be a travesty for it to end now. There are too many unresolved issues between these two women for it to stop now. They are going to keep this going for at least a month before moving into something more of a blow-off match.
The Bloodline Enters Into War
For a while now, tension has been brewing between Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa. Based on jealousy, Solo realizes his grip on Bloodline is slipping, and his once loyal lieutenant has now surpassed him. We can all see this issue coming to the forefront, and last night’s finish to the U.S. Championship match was a huge leap forward.
Jeff Cobb’s debut sowed the seeds of mistrust even further. Fatu looked like a man who neither wanted nor needed their help. The body language told the entire story, and we can expect Fatu and Sikoa to go to war before long.
Finn Balor and The Judgement Day Split
Stop if you have heard this one, but the Judgement Day and Finn Balor are headed for rocky shores. It has been something that has been teased for a long time now, and many times when we thought it would happen, it was pulled back. Backlash has to be the straw that broke the camel’s back and led to a split.
Balor’s indecision nearing the end of the IC Championship match nearly cost Dominik his strap. Of course, others had a hand in the finish, but the focal story was this blunder. The group shared glances back and forth, and Dominik did not look happy.
He is the de facto leader of the group now, and Balor’s misstep will not go unnoticed; it will be the catalyst for all the problems that are to come for Balor and the Judgement Day.
