Top 5 all-time matches from WWE Backlash/WrestleMania Backlash

Since WWE moved to a more robust pay-per-view schedule almost three decades ago, the company has struggled to juggle this increased obligation without exhausting its Big 4 PPV-worthy matchups. This hesitance to burn through matches often leads to B-PPVs that are often filled with hollow rematches that end with finishes that often necessitate…more rematches. The Backlash shows embody this creative copy-and-paste mentality.

It has reached a point where WWE now leans into this reputation and has renamed the event WrestleMania Backlash, a shameless attempt to entice fans to watch the show on the residual strength of the promotion’s premier supercard.

Despite this designation as an SEO wasteland, though, Backlash has played host to some tremendous matches over the years.

In preparation for the upcoming WrestleMania Backlash PPV, let’s rank the top five matches in the event’s history.

For this list, we will look back at five classic matches, ranking them in ascending order based on quality, and discuss the storylines that led to these bouts, the participants, key spots and plot points that made the match great, and the aftermath.

A couple of things to note: this list will NOT have any Chris Benoit matches on it, regardless of quality, and it will NOT have the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” between Edge and Randy Orton. If you like those matches, you know where to find them.