WWE Backlash 2018 is an interesting event. This show will feature matches from talents on both Raw and SmackDown, including some inter-promotional contests. It is also the third major event for the “main roster” within the past month. As we try to unpack from WrestleMania and the Greatest Royal Rumble, here are my predictions for Backlash…
Source: WWE.com
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Randy Orton – United States Championship
I can’t see WWE taking the belt off of Jeff Hardy so soon. I personally don’t think that Hardy should lose the title at WWE Backlash 2018 either.
Honestly, I believe that Jeff Hardy deserves a strong US Title reign that should eventually lead him back into the WWE Championship picture.
Randy Orton is one of the best pure sports entertainers in the history of professional wrestling. I fully expect Orton and Hardy to have a great match against each other. I’m confident that they will considering that we’ve seen these two go at it throughout the years and they always deliver.
Jeff Hardy is as popular right now as he has ever been and I think that it is in the best interest of the WWE to ride the wave of momentum as long as they possibly can for Jeff. I think that they should push Hardy as one of the top guys in the company as long as he can keep his nose clean. The dude still invokes a louder reaction from the crowd than the majority of the performers on any roster. My prediction is for Jeff to retain via a Swanton Bomb.
Prediction – Jeff Hardy
Source: WWE.com
Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
This is a weird match.
They’re obviously building towards Daniel Bryan vs The Miz but Big Cass also recently just came back so WWE would like to book him strong. We even saw Cass as the last man eliminated by Braun Strowman in the Greatest Royal Rumble match.
Daniel Bryan is in a position where he could be a gold mine for the company with his return. Bryan now has the opportunity to wrestle all of these guys that we got to see him wrestle on the independent scene years ago or these brand new faces for dream matches that we thought we would never see.
Big Cass does not fit the mold of either of those scenarios. The two have never wrestled one-on-one but this isn’t any type of dream match. Even with the Miz it’s a dream match between he and Daniel Bryan because even though we had seen it we never thought we would see it again due to Daniels injury.
The story between Daniel Bryan and Big Cass is also pretty weak considering that it’s based on Cass being big and disliking Bryan because he’s small. I think Cass needs the win more but I also think that they really need to book Bryan much stronger going forward. I’m taking Bryan to get the job done.
Prediction- Daniel Bryan
Source: WWE.com
Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
I can’t imagine that Braun Strowman’s losing anything anytime soon.
Unless Lashley turns heel to try to set up Lashley vs. Strowman, I just do not see Strowman losing.
I will say that I think they Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are the more talented of these four performers. In fact, I think that Owens and Zayn are two of the best pro wrestlers in the world in any company right now. I hope that Owens and Zayn can rebound and something bigger happens for both guys very soon.
But once again, I don’t see Strowman losing. Especially coming right off of his win at the Greatest Royal Rumble. There’s not much else to say about this one.
Prediction – Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley
Source: WWE.com
Nia Jax (c) vs. Alexa Bliss – Raw Women’s Championship
There’s not a whole lot to say about this match because I think it will look pretty similar to what we got at WrestleMania.
I am admittedly not a big fan of Nia Jax. I understand that she has a decent fanbase but she does not necessarily impress me in the ring or on the microphone.
Alexa Bliss however, is the exact opposite. Alexa really impresses me with everything that she does and I would much rather see her as champion. I also need to say that the ‘Moment of Bliss’ promos that we have been getting on Raw are some of the most entertaining segments each Monday night. I think that Alexa is delivering absolute gold on the microphone and she’s entertaining to watch in the ring.
I just don’t see a scenario here where Nia loses so I have to choose her to retain the title. But if it were up to me, Alexa would be the champion now and for the distant future.
Prediction – Nia Jax
Source: WWE.com
Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair – SmackDown Women’s Championship
I don’t think that Carmella is going to lose the belt here, but I also don’t necessarily think that she will win the match.
I have a hard time believing that Carmella will be able to pin or submit Charlotte, unless maybe the Iconics get involved. There’s also a chance that WWE’s just using this title run for Carmella as a test to see how she will do and they will put the belt right back on Charlotte.
Ultimately, Charlotte needs to be built towards a huge showdown against Ronda Rousey, most likely at WrestleMania. I just don’t know when that build will start and I don’t know how Carmella factors into those plans.
For the sake of a prediction I am going to choose Carmela because I would like to see her title reign last a little bit longer, but we also have to consider Asuka being a part of the division. Carmella is much different than Asuka and Charlotte from a performance standpoint in the ring. That said, I have to go with Carmella, even though it would not surprise me in the slightest if Charlotte got the belt back.
Prediction – Carmella
Source: WWE.com
Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Miz – Intercontinental Championship
I think it would be cool to see The Miz win the Intercontinental title for the record-tying 9th time but I don’t think that it will happen on this show.
I absolutely think that Miz will break the record eventually. It just doesn’t make sense for the IC title to go back to SmackDown with the Miz when the US title is already present on that show. The only way that it makes sense for The Miz to win the title is if the win brings him back to Monday Night Raw, but, to my knowledge, this is not a stipulation in the match.
Seth Rollins, for my money, is probably the best overall performer on the Raw roster right now. At this point, I wish Rollins would have been the one to get the Roman Reigns push. Rollins has it all. He’s great on the microphone, he’s fantastic in the ring and the fans are really getting more behind him by the week.
I would like to see Rollins retain the title and possibly continue his rivalry with Finn Balor. It’s also interesting to note that Balor is not a part of this show, and I would really like to see a heel turn from him very soon. The only reason I would want to see Rollins lose this match is if he was going on to challenge for the Universal Title right after. Since I don’t believe that to be the case, I have to go with a Rollins victory against The Miz.
Prediction – Seth Rollins
Source: WWE.com
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
This is a match that doesn’t make any sense since the two are on different brands. It makes even less sense considering that we had to listen to WWE tell us at least a million times that Survivor Series is the only time where we would see cross-branded matches.
Obviously, this isn’t Survivor Series. I get that this feud was set up before the Superstar shake-up but honestly, if you’re going to split the brand’s keep them split.
I would love to see Samoa Joe win this match. I would also really like to see him become WWE Champion and have a title reign similar to when he was ROH & NXT champ. I think Joe is best booked as a strong champion that is willing to take on all contenders over a long stretch of time.
Roman Reigns is in a unique position because he has been consistently losing to Brock Lesnar and I don’t know if WWE has finally made the decision to stop his mega-push towards becoming the “next John Cena”. It’s very difficult for me to choose against Roman Reigns in this match but I have to go with Samoa Joe. I feel like they have an opportunity to make Joe into a much bigger superstar and they can pivot and do something new with Roman. Neither guy will ultimately be hurt by losing this match since they are on different brands and will be involved in completely new stories by next week.
Prediction – Samoa Joe
Source: WWE.com
AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Championship (No DQ)
I absolutely love Shinsuke Nakamura as a heel.
I made the prediction that he would defeat AJ Styles for the WWE title at the Greatest Royal Rumble event. Obviously, I was incorrect about that as we saw a double count-out.
I think that having Nakamura win on that show would have made the whole event much more memorable but since the title change didn’t happen then I have to believe that it’s going to happen now.
It’s worth mentioning that the no disqualification stipulation in this match heavily favors Nakamura.
In my opinion, AJ Styles is the best professional wrestler in the world regardless of which company you’re talking about. At this point, AJ is a main event talent for as long as he is in the WWE system. I think that Styles makes for a great WWE champion but the time is now to see what Nakamura can do as the top guy on SmackDown.
Next: Fantasy Booking Jeff Hardy's World Title Win
I truly believe that we will see the first ever Japanese-born WWE Champion crowned at Backlash with Shinsuke Nakamura holding the title high. I also would not be surprised if we saw more low blows and possibly interference from Gallows and Anderson to help Nakamura get the victory.