WWE Backlash 2018: Results, Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

Source: WWE.com

Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe

Result: Roman Reigns defeated Samoa Joe via pinfall

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Joe jumping Roman before the bell gave me hope that this would be short. Like, maybe a bait and switch, where there was no actual main event. Joe could just MDK Reigns for three or four minutes, pose, leave, and Roman would be carted off. After some time off TV at a local medical facility, he could come back a changed man, but in the meantime we could get Samoa Joe, Champion of Everything.

After getting put through one table and thrown over two more, Reigns entered the ring and the bell sounded, so the match did officially get under way. Of course, the crowd was fully behind Samoa Joe, despite his legitimately being a heel character. Joe was fully in charge, too, but the fact that the entire overrun of the show was one big rest hold killed any and all momentum the opening beatdown built up.

Seriously, the last time I saw match that was this dull, it was a house show. Summer 2003, Nassau Coliseum. Rhyno vs. Tajiri. You may have heard about it: it’s the one where Vince McMahon came out from the back, ripped into both superstars, and ended the match without explanation. It was the weirdest thing to see live. To get flashbacks to that during a pay per view main event, it’s beyond comprehension.

So can you really blame people for leaving “early”? Or for chanting “Beat the traffic”? No one cared when Reigns started his “babyface fire” comeback. No one cared when Reigns almost reversed a Coquina Clutch into a pin. Heck, no one cared when Reigns almost passed out in another Coquina Clutch.

This. Must. Stop. I know that I’ve been a supporter of Reigns, but I’ve been hard on him, too. Others have been a lot more anti-Roman than me. But how can you justify putting this guy in another main event after this debacle? Unless this is some kind of master plan to get the crowd so far against him that it truly defines his character, this is just unacceptable production.

Next: Backlash: Two Shows In One

Did anyone care that Reigns won? Does it even matter? Whatever the case, WWE Backlash 2018 mercifully ended with Reigns victorious over Samoa Joe. After an amazingly great opener, the show went downhill fast. What did you think of WWE Backlash 2018?