{"id":160427,"date":"2026-04-27T23:22:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T03:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=160427"},"modified":"2026-04-28T00:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T04:00:13","slug":"wwe-backlash-adds-three-matches-after-explosive-monday-night-raw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/27\/wwe-backlash-adds-three-matches-after-explosive-monday-night-raw\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE Backlash Adds Three Matches After Explosive Monday Night Raw"},"content":{"rendered":"

It only took WWE one night to build what could be half of the card for the upcoming Backlash 2026 PLE in May. On Monday, three matches were announced for the upcoming WrestleMania blow-off<\/a>. Asuka and Iyo Sky will look to settle their longstanding rivalry, Bron Breakker will look to prove he’s ready to take the spot that belongs to Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns will get his first title challenger as he looks to settle family business with his little cousin Jacob Fatu. Let’s dive into how these three matches came about.<\/p>\n

WWE Backlash Preview and Official Match Card<\/h2>\n

Roman Reigns vs Jacob Fatu<\/h3>\n
\"Backlash
It will be a battle of the Bloodline as Jacob Fatu challenges his big cousin Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash. Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jacob Fatu made it clear last week that he’s ready to step out of the shadow cast by Roman Reigns<\/a>, the Usos, Solo Sikoa, and the entirety of the Bloodline. He’s ready to take what’s his, and that starts with defeating Reigns to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Unfortunately for Fatu, the decision wasn’t entirely up to him. The Tribal Chief needed to sign off on things, and that’s exactly what happened on Monday night.<\/p>\n

Reigns opened and closed Raw, doing so to address Fatu’s challenge in both segments. Alongside the Usos, Reigns noted his cousins were the only ones he trusted, so he wanted their opinion on this challenge by one of the family’s youngest members. The Usos were in the house on Friday for SmackDown, where they watched Fatu take out the entire MFT singlehandedly<\/a>, so their message to Reigns was clear. Fatu is dangerous, he’s unpredictable, and he has a point about wanting to be on top. Reigns wondered why Fatu waited until now to make that claim, as after all, Reigns gave everyone, including the family, two years to take the top spot, and no one stepped up.<\/p>\n

One week is a long time, and by the time the end of Raw rolled around, Fatu was tired of waiting. He interrupted Reigns, but Reigns said this was perfect timing, as he was hoping after a week that Fatu was there to make the right decision, the one that would unite the family, not divide it. Fatu noted he didn’t need a week or a day or even an hour. He didn’t stutter when he told Reigns what he wanted. See, Fatu spent 12 years grinding<\/a>, and while Reigns was dominating with the Bloodline, he was on the frontline, broke and wondering if he’d ever make it to WWE. But before WWE, Reigns didn’t call; the Usos didn’t call, it was Solo Sikoa that brought him into the company<\/a>. Reigns laughed Fatu off, saying Sikoa couldn’t even get a cup of coffee delivered without Reigns’ approval. He runs things, and he was the one who signed off on Fatu being here. Reigns said Fatu sounded foolish and didn’t deserve a title opportunity, nor had he earned it. If Reigns gave him the match, it would be nepotism, and he couldn’t…<\/p>\n

Ignoring for a moment the delicious irony of anyone in the Bloodline talking about not doing things because it’s nepotism, Fatu didn’t let Reigns finish his thought. He wrestled him down to the mat, choking him and leaving him lying in waste. Fatu promised to take everything from Reigns before holding up the title and tossing it on his fallen cousin. Fatu went to leave, but Reigns said he would see him at Backlash, making the match official. Though nothing is official until the contract is signed, and as Fatu got the last word, he told Reigns he wasn’t waiting until Backlash, and he’d see him on Monday.<\/p>\n

Reigns has been on the opposite side of the ring as Fatu on a few occasions, largely during the Bloodline Civil War of 2024<\/a>. The two have, however, never shared the ring as one-on-one opponents. The legacy of wrestling’s “first family,” as Reigns referred to them on Monday, will write another chapter at Bloodline, and this one should be worth the price of admission. Reigns vs Fatu is a blockbuster bout that has been teased for several years and one that could truly main event any of the larger PLEs. It will have to settle for Backlash, however, as Fatu steps up as Reigns’ first challenger in this, his seventh world title reign.<\/p>\n

Iyo Sky vs Asuka<\/h3>\n
\"Backlash
Asuka will look to fix her biggest disappointment when she takes on Iyo Sky at WWE Backlash. Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Iyo Sky has not been, is not currently, and will never be ready for Asuka if you ask the Empress herself. Tensions between Sky and Asuka go back months at this point, with Asuka never able to get over the fact that Sky left her to align with Rhea Ripley<\/a>. In Asuka’s mind, Sky broke up their family, and she did it because she was selfish. Asuka noted she initially thought that it was her fault, but she came to realize it was Sky’s because Sky was her greatest disappointment as a senpai. Asuka promised to fix her disappointment at Backlash and teach Sky one final lesson.<\/p>\n

It was always pretty clear WWE was heading in the direction of Sky vs Asuka, but that much was questioned when Kairi Sane was shockingly among the names of 20+ releases on Friday<\/a>. Sane’s role in the feud was that of the middleman. She was aligned with an abusive Asuka, but it was clear she still had a soft spot for Sky. Turns out, though, the middleman is the easiest to write out of existence, as on Monday, WWE furthered the Asuka\/Sky feud with little mention of Sane. Instead, WWE cut Sane out of footage and explained away her absence by having Asuka say she was alone because she refused to have another failure like Sky. She blamed Sky for killing their family, and because of that, she had no choice but to destroy her.<\/p>\n

Sane will be notable by her absence in this feud, especially if the Tampa crowd echoes the sentiment of the Laredo crowd on Monday, chanting, “We want Kairi.” That being said, the meat of this feud has always been between Asuka and Sky, and at Backlash, WWE will ostensibly get to close the book on the long-running feud. Or, this will be match one of a three-match series that goes on until SummerSlam when Sky turns heel and returns to her senpai’s side. Either way, this will be just the second singles match for the two since 2023 and just their third in WWE all-time. If nothing else, these are two very talented wrestlers who will put on a banger that could very well steal the show.<\/p>\n

Seth Rollins vs Bron Breakker<\/h3>\n
\n

Whose vision for the future becomes reality?@WWERollins<\/a> vs. @bronbreakkerwwe<\/a> is official for #WWEBacklash<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1QELzkfeUa<\/a><\/p>\n

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n