WWE Backlash 2017 Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

Follow along with our live review of the 2017 WWE Backlash pay-per-view.

After over one month of build, the WWE Backlash 2017 pay-per-view is here. It’s been in the works since the SmackDown Live after WrestleMania 33, as seven matches were developed for this show. Four championships will be on the line, along with a tag bout that may shape the SmackDown Women’s Division for the next few months.

In a first-time-ever main event, Randy Orton will defend the WWE Championship against Jinder Mahal. This came about after Mahal won a No. 1 Contenders Match on SmackDown, defeating five other Superstars to earn this opportunity.

Since then, the Maharajah has mostly overwhelmed Orton, always being there to attack him with the Singh Brothers. The Viper’s WWE Championship was even stolen from him. Will Mahal successfully claim it and become champion at Backlash?

Kevin Owens and AJ Styles are set to clash for the WWE United States Championship. Like Mahal, Styles won a No. 1 Contenders Match in April to get this chance at Backlash.

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As for Owens, he recently lost and won back the U.S. Title from Chris Jericho at Payback and SmackDown Live, respectively. Can he make this second run continue into the end of the month?

Shinsuke Nakamura will make his in-ring TV debut on the WWE main roster. He’s appeared in multiple segments before, but only for promos or brawls with Dolph Ziggler, who he’s facing at Backlash.

Nakamura has a chance to make a first impression that carries him into the summer. Will he be able to defeat Ziggler?

Every match that will take place at Backlash can be seen below. There are seven bouts set, not including the Kickoff Show:

WWE Championship Match
Randy Orton (c) vs. Jinder Mahal

WWE United States Championship Match
Kevin Owens (c) vs. AJ Styles

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Usos (c) vs. Breezango

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler

Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn

Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Naomi vs. Carmella, Natalya and Tamina

Erick Rowan vs. Luke Harper

Must Read: Backlash's 10 Best Matches of All Time

Coverage of WWE Backlash will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET, with the Kickoff Show. The main matches will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET.

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Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English

Result: Tye Dillinger defeats Aiden English via pinfall.

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars

Dillinger made it onto his first-ever WWE PPV as a full-time member of the main roster. The problem is he faced English twice before, beating him both times. So who would get the upper hand in the third installment?

English got the chance to do a full entrance, singing his way down the ramp to the ring. It was annoying, ear-piercing and just what you want out of a low-card heel who needs to find any way to get heat.

As always, Dillinger was over. Chicago loved and kept up with him throughout the match. “10” chants will work until the end of time.

English and Dillinger got the chance to work the longest match they’ve had through their series of three. The Drama King got his chance to do something a little better than just jobbing out on SmackDown Live, while the Perfect 10 didn’t just walk in, wrestle two minutes and leave. He needed something like this, whether it brings him a new, better feud or not.

This wasn’t a bad showing from English, either. He showed that even though he’ll be at the bottom of SmackDown, there is a spot for him. Someone like Shinsuke Nakamura could be in his future for a post-Backlash match on the Blue Brand.

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Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler

Result: Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Dolph Ziggler via pinfall.

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

Based on Ziggler’s pre-match interview on the Kickoff Show, you kind of knew how this would go. Actually, if you had been following Nakamura for the past six weeks, you almost certainly knew what was going to happen at WWE Backlash.

Here we are, though. It’s still surreal seeing Nakamura in a WWE ring, even for his first main roster TV match. Who would have thought this had the potential of happening two years ago?

The story of the match turned to Nakamura’s head and neck, which were hurt off a Ziggler neckbreaker. This opened things up for the Showoff for a while, grounding this match and keeping it at the slow pace it started at.

About eight minutes in, things picked up with Nakamura’s comeback. The crowd had mostly been quite, despite being somewhat hot for the Dillinger-English match, so getting some noise behind this was positive.

You knew when Ziggler hit the Zig-Zag, this wasn’t ending, right? Chicago acted a little surprised, but the finisher being kicked out of woke everyone up a little more. Ziggler still dominated with his offense, though, and did for probably close to three-quarters of this match.

Nakamura got the win in about 16 minutes. But, like former WWE employee Alex Del Barrio said, this went a little long.

If this match had been cut down by three or four minutes, it would have left Ziggler still looking formidable, while Nakamura walks out looking dominant. It’s not like this match’s length is going to hurt him in any way, but there’s always ways of doing things better. He’ll be fine.

The in-ring work was fine, but never went to that next level we know both competitors could have taken it. Maybe we’re just spoiled from seeing what Nakamura has done before.

What’s next for the former NJPW star? Well, if Kevin Owens beats AJ Styles clean, how about a United States Championship opportunity? That may not be ideal until SummerSlam, but WWE can start building it on Tuesday. If not, then the Money in the Bank Ladder Match should have a spot open for Nakamura.

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SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Usos (c) vs. Breezango

Result: The Usos defeat Breezango via pinfall to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

Well, Tyler Breeze of Breezango came dressed as the janitor from his “Fashion Files” segment on SmackDown Live. It’s hard to believe this would happen, but it did.

Eventually, Jey Usos punched the glasses and wig off Breeze’s head. That’s one way to get some heat in 2017. What’s even more bizarre is someone wrestling in janitor gear and hitting an enziguiri.

After Fandango wrestled, Breeze showed back up as a grandma. Seriously. Granny Breeze then hit a Bronco Buster, so, yeah, this got odd.

What’s also amazing is Breezango dominated most of this match, even with the bizarre things that transpired. Breeze even hit one of his finishers that you never see happen anymore. However, it quickly got him sent into the crowd. This left a two-on-one, as Fandango got superkicked and pinned.

Is it crazy to call this tag match more entertaining than Nakamura vs. Ziggler? This wasn’t fully focused on wrestling, but did it needed to be? The in-ring aspects were enjoyable in spurts, along with the comedic timing of Breeze and how he looked like the star of this.

The day Breezango win gold, they’re going to get a monstrous pop, as long as it’s in front of a hot crowd like Chicago. Maybe one day, right?

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Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn

Result: Sami Zayn defeats Baron Corbin via pinfall.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

A story with some backstory, but not too much. It got Corbin and Zayn onto the card, showcasing two of the rising stars of SmackDown Live.

Zayn took a beating from Corbin for most of this match. The larger Superstar used his power and decimated the Underdog from the Underground, including using a vicious clothesline. He thwarted any attempt of Zayn’s to comeback, using ring psychology on the back of the babyface.

When Zayn started coming back, he tried using the exploder suplex, but couldn’t lift Corbin for it. This didn’t affect the finish, though, as he was able to hit the Helluva Kick to get the big victory.

The Lone Wolf was by far the dominant one here, looking like a million bucks for most of the match. However, like everyone’s favorite commentator, JBL, said, one mistake cost him. This allowed Zayn to work around his underdog ways and pick up his biggest win in a while.

These two should get spots in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match in June. If anything, Corbin may be the favorite to claim the briefcase. Sometimes, in anticipation of this, WWE will have the future briefcase holder put over other stars, knowing that he’ll get a WWE Championship opportunity. Could that be the plan?

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Naomi, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs. Carmella, Natalya and Tamina

Result: Carmella, Natalya and Tamina defeats Naomi, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch via submission.

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

This was all about a battle for control of the SmackDown Women’s Division. The poorly-named Welcoming Committee want to make sure they get opportunities, while those who ask for them (Charlotte) have to wait. Shouldn’t it be that easy to just ask for a chance at a title, though?

Naomi getting the hot tag to fight Carmella should be evidence of what’s to come. The Fabulous One defeated the SmackDown Women’s Champion in a nontitle match on SmackDown Live, likely setting up a future PPV match between the two. Money in the Bank seems like the likely date.

It’s still strange seeing Charlotte as a face. This may take a while to sink in, along with a few more segments on SmackDown Live. If WWE is trying to make her the female face of the brand, it can work, but the taste of her dominant heel run is still there.

The heel women getting the win is fine. They needed it to continue this story about getting opportunities. Otherwise, if the three faces walked out victoriously, then what’s left to tell about this? It would open up Flair and Lynch for title chances, which SmackDown Live doesn’t seem to be doing yet.

Overall, not a bad match. It blended in with everything else seen at WWE Backlash, which has been good. Nothing has jumped out, though, which could change.

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WWE United States Championship Match
Kevin Owens (c) vs. AJ Styles

Result: Kevin Owens defeats AJ Styles via countout to retain the WWE United States Championship.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

After a night of okay matches, we had Styles and Owens take to the ring for one of the top bouts of the evening. It’s a battle of two of the most talented in-ring competitors in WWE, and a fresh matchup from SmackDown Live.

Well, this match didn’t end up having the best finish, but it cleared the way as the top one of the evening.

A wrestling clinic was needed and we got it. The story focused on Styles’ right leg, which had been hurt on the previous episode of the Blue Brand. Owens, knowing this, went to it and inflicted pain from start to finish. This included a dastardly cannonball to this hurt body part.

The Phenomenal One stayed in this, though. He worked through the pain and hit some moves to throw Owens off, including a sharp suplex onto the apron, also known as the hardest part of the ring.

The hurt leg returned in the finish of the match. It saw Styles set up a Styles Clash on the announce table, and as he went for it, his right leg got caught in the structure. This allowed KO to escape into the ring and win by countout.

This isn’t an ideal way for a match this good to end. However, it likely means Round 2 is on the horizon. Could it be a Ladder Match at Money in the Bank? If so, the wait will be worth it.

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Erick Rowan vs. Luke Harper

Result: Luke Harper defeats Erick Rowan via pinfall.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Rowan and Harper had to go in between Owens vs. Styles and Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal at WWE Backlash. Not the ideal positioning, but these two made the most of their opportunity in the second-to-last match of the evening.

Like the first encounter, Harper and Rowan displayed in-ring chemistry. Maybe this is due to their time in the Wyatt Family and being around each other for so long. But, it always seems former tag team partners work together the best, no matter who it is.

Harper moved around here like a cruiserweight at times. He also matched up well, physically, against Rowan. This led to him winning with a messy version of the Discus Clothesline (it looked like the former Wyatt Family White Sheep got pushed down).

This evened the series at 1-1. A third round could be set for SmackDown Live, unless WWE chooses to push this to Money in the Bank in June. That seems like a while away, especially with the minor magnitude this rivalry has.

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WWE Championship Match
Randy Orton (c) vs. Jinder Mahal

Result: Jinder Mahal defeats Randy Orton to win the WWE Championship.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

Well, it’s 2017 and Jinder Mahal is main eventing a WWE PPV. He’s also going head-to-head with a future WWE Hall of Famer. These are things that just don’t happen everyday, so…

Orton went right after Mahal before the bell rang. He shoved the Maharaja over the announce table and showed the fire and energy needed out of the multi-time champion.

The psychology turned to Orton’s left shoulder, which commentary aptly noted has been hurt often. He missed nine months, from 2015 to 2016, which a severe injury to this body part.

Perhaps the best part of this match came when Orton started destroying the Singh Brothers. He destroyed them at ringside, throwing them into the announce tables like rag dolls. However, that only turned out to be a ruse, as Mahal pounced, hit his finisher and stole the win.

Wow, it’s 2017 and we’re talking about Mahal as the WWE Champion. One month ago, if you asked anyone if this was possible, they would have told you “no.” He had just been shoulder-tackled by Rob Gronkowski at WrestleMania 33 and lost a match to Mojo Rawley clean on SmackDown. Now, it’s the Maharaja as the owner of the company’s top title.

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The reign of Mahal is here. Who’s ready for it after WWE Backlash?