The first pay-per-view since WrestleMania is here for WWE as WrestleMania Backlash goes down on Sunday night. Feuds will come to a close, titles will be on the line, and one man gets his first singles opportunity at a world championship. Here are the WrestleMania Backlash results, ratings, and analysis.
WrestleMania Backlash Results & Ratings:
Kickoff Show — Sheamus vs. Ricochet
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: 3.00 (***)
— Raw Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Rating: 3.50 (***1/2)
— SmackDown Tag Team Championships: Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode (c) vs. Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio
Winner: Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio
Rating: 3.25 (***1/4)
— Damian Priest vs. The Miz in a Zombie Lumberjack Match
Winner: Damian Priest
Rating: 0.00 (-)
— SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley
Winner: Bianca Belair
Rating: 3.50 (***1/2)
— WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Rating: 4.25 (****1/4)
— Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cesaro
Winner: Roman Reigns
Rating: 4.50 (****1/2)
WrestleMania Backlash Results: In-Depth Analysis
Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cesaro
“The Tribal Chief” once said that he was WWE. He is the reason that people tune in week after week on Friday nights. And it’s hard to disagree with the man. On Sunday night, he would be in yet another main event match with his Universal Championship on the line. This time his challenger would be none other than Cesaro. It has been well documented leading up to this show that “The Swiss Superman” had never had a singles match for any world championship. It has almost become a theme in the Roman Reigns era of the Universal Championship. The same went for Jey Uso, and now it would go for Cesaro. It ultimately could be the match that solidifies Cesaro as a main eventer for the remainder of his WWE career. And that’s exactly what it was.
We have all known for years that Cesaro is capable of being in that main event spot seeing that he was one of the best wrestlers in the company. But he was missing that aura in some eyes, the aura of a world champion. In one night against “The Head of the Table,” he showed the world that he can be and should be a world champion in his WWE career by the time it is all said and done. He didn’t hold back against the champion. Instead, we saw Cesaro hit Reigns with everything he had in his that hurt. The key to him eventually losing in this one however would be the right arm that Reigns would target for the majority. When it felt as though Cesaro may close in on the win via the Neutralizer, the arm was no longer strong enough to hold the champion up.
It became apparent that the end was drawing near. The most impressive moment of the match saw Cesaro survive the first Guillotine put on by Reigns, a move that challengers far and wide had not been able to force themselves out of. Unfortunetly for Cesaro, the next time resulted in being the final time. As Reigns locked on that Guillotine for a final time, Cesaro tried to slam his way out, power his way out, but was met no air and the match being over. “The Tribal Chief” won, marking another incredible outing in his championship reign in a match that very well may be considered WWE’s best of the year.
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