3 things that went right at WWE WrestleMania Backlash 2022

If you chose to watch Game 3 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference semifinals between the Philadephia 76ers and the Miami Heat or literally anything else instead of this WrestleMania Backlash show, allow me to inform you that you didn’t miss anything.

In the spirit of a run-of-the-mill house show or a mid-90s WWF In Your House pay-per-view, this supercard — to use that term loosely — felt uninspired and unimportant, as indicated by the six-man tag team match that main evented the show.

Quality-wise, though, WWE has produced far worse PPVs than this one. That this falls into the category of “shows that received a bare-bones promotional push only to be enjoyable once they aired” speaks to a larger issue with the company’s creative strategy, but that’s another topic for another day. For now, let’s focus on this show’s positives.

These are three things that went right at WrestleMania Backlash 2022.

Cody Rhodes beats Seth Rollins again

When WWE announced that Cody Rhodes would face Seth Rollins again at WrestleMania Backlash, most fans expected these two great workers to at least come close to replicating their efforts from WrestleMania 38. In that regard, Rhodes and Rollins didn’t disappoint. Given WWE’s booking tendencies, plenty of fans also expected Rollins to win this match despite Rhodes needing the win more.

However, while the promotion booked this match to make you think that “The American Nightmare” would lose (namely when Rhodes hit CrossRhodes and Rollins got his leg on the ropes to break up the pin, sending the message that they were “protecting” Rhodes in defeat), Rhodes ultimately picked up his second straight victory over “The Visionary” by reversing Rollins’ O’Connor Roll pin with one of his how and giving the heel a taste of his own medicine by grabbing the tights.

While the finish felt like a tepid means to extend this feud for another month, WWE at least avoided the 50/50 booking trap here. If Cody is going to become a believable challenger to Roman Reigns, then WWE has to forego the usual nonsense that it does with everyone not named Reigns. This match showed that it gets it, to some extent.

Ronda Rousey makes Charlotte Flair say “I Quit”

Well, how else was this supposed to go? Ronda Rousey, the alleged babyface in this feud with Charlotte Flair, asked for an I Quit match, so her losing here would’ve ended her run as a top babyface and dissipated the aura she built for herself in MMA.

Even with the foregone conclusion, this match worked better with the crowd than their plodding WrestleMania match. Despite some of the usual pauses we see in these sorts of matches, the action flowed much more smoothly, and the finish was satisfying enough considering how unlikeable both of these women tend to be.

Plus, seeing Flair quit should signal the end of this feud, a fact that we will all rejoice until Rousey inevitably feuds with Lacey Evans.

The pace of the show

With how thin this show felt, it would’ve surprised no one if WWE bogged this show down with a bunch of skits. Instead, WWE moved seamlessly from match to match, with the only fluff coming from video packages for the matches and short ads highlighting Dre McIntyre and Bianca Belair. Even those clips were bearable to sit through.

In that sense, kudos to WWE for keeping the “sports-entertainment” to a minimum and not making this show feel longer than it was.