WrestleMania Backlash: Three things that WWE got right

Once again, WWE has taken a pay-per-view that few fans were excited to see and left the fans that tuned into WrestleMania Backlash mostly satisfied with the company’s creative efforts.

In terms of quality and the results, the six-match card more or less lived up to expectations. Yes, there were some things to quibble with, but compared to other WWE shows, this was an easy, brisk watch.

That said, there were some moments that stood out more than others, and, dear reader, we’re going to discuss three of those moments.

Honorable Mention: WWE Title Match– this match deserves some love for exceeding expectations, as Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley all worked hard and delivered a quality championship bout.

These were the three things WWE got right at WrestleMania Backlash

A great opener for the Raw Women’s Championship

It turns out that all Asuka and Rhea Ripley needed to remedy their chemistry issues was to also wrestle a woman who has great in-ring cohesion with both of them.

While adding Charlotte Flair to this match led to the usual grumbling from fans (at least WWE kinda leaned into that perception during the build?), her presence combined with the no-breaks pace of WrestleMania Backlash’s opening contest made for an excellent triple threat encounter between the three biggest stars in Raw’s women’s division.

While it sucked seeing Asuka eat another pin, at least it was Ripley who scored the clean fall instead of Flair. WWE still has plenty of work to do in establishing whether fans should boo or cheer for “The Nightmare”, but it was nice to see the company keep the title on her.

Bianca Belair and Bayley’s entertaining title match

The distaff championship match from the SmackDown side was a traditional one-on-one encounter, and that more intimate dynamic made for a compelling battle between Bianca Belair and Bayley.

Reigniting their rivalry from this past winter, Bayley and Belair indeed wrestled this match like two competitors who were familiar with each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. We also saw plenty of cool spots in the match, too: Belair bringing Bayley back into the ring with a slightly delayed vertical suplex, Bayley hitting a gordbuster on Belair onto the steel steps, Bayley using Belair’s hair to execute a ripcord Bayley-to-Belly.

The finish to this match wasn’t terrible, either, as Belair cradled Bayley for the 3-count after the challenger attempted to used Belair’s hair to hit the Rose Plant. While that ending works in the sense that the heel was done in by her own dirty deed, WWE uses these sorts of conclusions far too often for it to achieve the ultimate desired effect. The company has conditioned fans to view these finishes as a lazy means to necessitate another rematch, so it’s understandable if some fans viewed that final act as a bit of a letdown.

Still, fans have seen WWE book worse finishes to matches, and given how good this match was, seeing these two go at it again wouldn’t be the worst thing, either.

An awesome main event with a surprisingly clean finish

No one doubted whether Roman Reigns and Cesaro could produce a stellar PPV main event. The question was: Would WWE bog their efforts down with an abundance of overbooking in the name of “storytelling” (as if that’s the only way to tell stories in wrestling)?

Shockingly, the answer to that question was “no”. As expected, Cesaro and the current Universal Champion turned in one of the best WWE matches of the year (and a darkhorse Match of the Year contender). The two built the bulk of the match around Cesaro having to fight through an injured shoulder — there was even a point where Reigns worked over the shoulder the same way Daniel Bryan would while taunting the departed Bryan — which made Cesaro’s big babyface comeback feel all the more triumphant.

As the match reached a crescendo, fans did NOT see a ref bump, Jey Uso run-in, or Jimmy Uso run-in. Instead, fans saw Reigns apply his guillotine choke and, after a few minutes of fight from Cesaro, forced the challenger to pass out to the hold. And that was it!

The match and this finish obviously made Roman look like a star who could handle his business without shortcuts, but it also made Cesaro look like a capable challenger who probably could’ve walked out with the title had a couple of things gone differently (the post-match angle is a different story for Cesaro, though). Well done, WWE.