Which Backlash is the Best Backlash?
A show often written off as transitional fodder has produced some memorable WWE moments over the years
I don’t think its a stretch to say that most people write off Backlash, the annual event that follows WrestleMania, as part of the sometimes months-long rebuilding process WWE undertakes to put their stories back on the rails. These shows are usually where grudges that weren’t quite settled at The Showcase of Immortals get one last opportunity to blow off. It also often feels like the most slapdash and unassuming show of the year - everyone knows that its largely a product of the machine going through the motions, like an oven on the self-cleaning setting, and we treat it as such.
2023’s Backlash is no different. Besides being hosted by Bad Bunny (read also: bad boni), and taking place in his home territory of Puerto Rico, the first time a WWE show has done so in 20 years, there's very little on the card that feels truly compelling. Brock Lesnar, certified hater and former final boss of pro-wrestling, took mysterious umbrage to Cody Rhodes’ request for a rematch after his heartbreaking loss to current final boss of pro-wrestling, Roman Reigns, and beat the American Nightmare like he called The Beast a vegan. Most of the intrigue here feels more a mixture of morbid curiosity around the possible ring chemistry between Rhodes and Lesnar, and a lot of people waiting to see what the pay off to not crowning Rhodes in LA could be.
The rest of the card, full of potential good to great matches on paper, are less captivating. There’s the ones that are taking baby steps in lumbering feuds (the tag team champs and Matt Riddle vs The Bloodline, Bianca vs IYO SKY, San Juan Streetfight). Outside of that, the rest of these have plenty of ceiling to surprise. You could say the same thing about at least the last two Backlashes, which were filled with some whatever bouts in theory, but almost all of them over-achieved in practice.
That got me thinking though: When was the last truly great Backlash?
The Worst Backlash
Could we pinpoint the best Backlash without eliminating ones that absolutely do not qualify? Probably. But I think we can learn something elemental about Backlash by taking a quick look at the worst ones. In a surprising twist, of the 17 Backlash events that have taken place since 1999, I'd really only say that two of them were truly terrible top to bottom, and equally so.
The first was in 2002, the very first pay per view event after the very first WWE brand extension. Just a month earlier, The Rock defeated Hulk Hogan in one of the biggest matches in WrestleMania history, and after some feuding with The Outsiders, The Rock would go on to start his film career, leaving Hogan to get drafted to Smackdown and get a crack at HHH’s Undisputed WWF Championship. I'll save you the time of going to Peacock to for a rewatch session: that match fucking sucks. The other big marquee match - early “What?” era Stone Cold vs Fully Limp Bizketed The Undertaker - also sucked. If you’re really curious to watch a silver lining match, the ten or so minute romp between Eddie Guerrero and Rob Van Dam for the IC Title could be worth it, but even then they have a way better ladder match a month later on Raw.
Tied for second at the bottom is 2018’s truly disastrous show. Just about every match was either a sloppy mess or a snooze fest. The ones that weren't, Un-Jokerfied Seth Rollins vs The Miz and Shinsuke Nakamura vs Styles, got overshadowed by both the palpable discontent from the fans in attendance and the absolute shitter of a finishing stretch in the Style/Nakamura rematch. There was a lot of attention on this, as the first match at WrestleMania 34 ended with a shocking Shinsuke heel turn, their rematch in Saudi Arabia ending with both men getting counted out and fighting to a no contest. This third match was set so they could finally get a decisive winner, and it was made a No DQ match so that he would have the freedom to besmirch the The Phenomenal One’s dick and balls to his liking. So of course, the match ended in a draw, the two men low-blowing each other so hard that neither could stand and fight anymore. Incredible stuff.
What do these low points say about Backlash as a whole? That even when the expectations are low, you can still find room to slide under the bar and disappoint.
Moments Among Mid
So what’s the BEST one? I think that’s a call as close as “what’s the worst one?” And even though I think there might be a tie for top place, I think there’s still another caveat to be made. The best Backlashes don’t have the most memorable Backlash moments.
I think one of my favorite memories of infamy is Jinder Mahal’s upset win over Randy Orton to start his reign of terror. It was a genuinely surprising decision to catapult the last guy anyone expected anything from into a role that, all things considered, he did alright in. “Wait, didn’t Shinsuke Nakamura debut that night, too?” Hush, man.
There are other big moments: Cesaro’s first and only main event title shot, Ronda Rousey’s last good match, The Rock and HHH fixing WrestleMania 2000, The Two Man Power Trip in full effect. All stand out segments of take it or leave it shows. All sorts of things I often see people reminiscing over before the quality of the shows over all. Is there some takeaway here, too? Chris Jericho often says it best “moments are more important than matches.”
The Best Backlash(es)
It might sound like I'm trying to gaslight you into thinking that Backlash 2016 and Backlash 2009 had no memorable moments, I’m not. What I am saying is that these two shows are the best of the bunch are so despite not having big “this will be important forever” segments.
Take 2016 for example. The first show after the second brand split, and the very beginning of the last hot era of WWE wrestling before the competition sprung up. Almost every title on that show changed hands, sort of paving the way for the fresh new era to come. The Miz retained his IC title from Ziggler in a match so surprisingly good that the feud lasted three months longer than it should have. Great show in and of itself, but its bigger legacy is all the things that sprung from it. John Cena would return to challenge AJ Styles for his new belt, which would cause them and Ambrose to spiral into several great bouts in various configurations of the three. The Miz was in his bag, cementing himself as one of the best Intercontinental Champions ever after the infamous Talking Smack segment with a then-retired Daniel Bryan. Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Carmella would make the first of many efforts to prove that they are the foundation of the blue brand’s women’s division for the foreseeable future. As a mission statement, Backlash 2016 is one of the best ones ever.
2009 was just as good, and ironically was a statement of its own, being the last Backlash before it was replaced in the annual schedule. It featured a bunch of things that wouldn’t be around in a year, like the WWECW, Randy Orton’s Legacy Faction, and Santina Marella. That last part might make you wonder how I could call this show good. I don’t blame you. But it is sort of indicative of the rest of the card, which was an energetic and chaotic affair that felt like the end of an era. In the case of Chris Jericho vs Ricky Steamboat, it quite literally was the end of an era. But also the sea change of the WWE truly leaning into the more sterilized global brand it would become infamous for for the next 10 years would really start now. “Wrestler” would become a bad word, “WWE Style” would become derogatory, match types like Hell in a Cell would become annual events instead of ways to escalate or end rivalries. 2009 was a last gasp and an portent of dark days ahead.