On September 11, 2016 the WWE Network presented Backlash 2016! The event featured several important matches, featuring multiple championships being defended and two new championships debuting. Fan reaction has been been positive despite a seemingly weak card. The match of the night looks to be close between two championship matches. Be sure to vote and let your voice be heard, but what did we think of the show? Let’s take a look.
Baron Corbin vs. Apollo Crews
Martin: Heading into a show with no confirmed matches on the Pre Show I did wonder whether or not we’d see some sort of backstage segment that would throw something together, and I wasn’t wrong.
I’m a big fan of Apollo Crews, he’s an incredible athlete but he’s missing one thing… a character, that makes it slightly hard to get behind him 100%. That being said (and putting my dislike for Baron Corbin aside) I thought this was a fairly solid match for something we didn’t expect to see. As Corbin made his entrance (I had temporarily forgotten about him) I did wonder why he wasn’t the one in the Intercontinental match with The Miz if this is a New Era? I guess that’s for another time though. Great solid match to kick off this PPV.
Steve: Talk about a match that took me by surprise! Corbin and Crews’ NXT match was solid. I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it. This, though, I really liked. It felt like a match that raised the stock of both guys involved, regardless of who won and lost. And that’s a match on the Pre-Show!
First things first, I liked the structure of the match. It didn’t feel like a Backlash Kickoff match. It felt like a match that mattered. Both guys worked hard, which made it even better. Crews is starting to impress and Corbin is underrated. Add in some good chemistry, and both of these guys really came out looking well here. Corbin won with the End of Days, but I’d very much approve of a rematch between the two.
Winner: Baron Corbin
Smackdown Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella vs. Nikki Bella
Martin: What can I say. I’m completely biased about Becky Lynch. I’m overjoyed that she won the title but I have to say, all in all, the entire match delivered. Everyone had their moment and everyone impressed, even to the extent where I thought Carmella could steal this one and shock us all.
One thing I wasn’t a fan of was the quick eliminations, however for a match that was actually given a decent amount of time, it wasn’t the end of the world. Backlash had a lot of time to play around with and I was thrilled that the women got their opportunity to shine, unlike what we’ve seen in previous years when it comes to matches of this kind.
Steve: Speaking of a match that over delivered, this really did. While I like most talents involved, the six-person tag from Smackdown didn’t make me feel very optimistic going into this. But I thought, with the exception of a moment or two, this was really crisp and everybody looked good and stood out in the process.
Sure, it had those rapid eliminations a lot of people dislike, but at least we had a lot of time with everybody leading up to it, so everybody had a chance to shine. And Becky wins, which I know will make Martin the happiest guy in the world. Maybe we can get Emma back to continue their feud? Smackdown’s Women’s division is pretty killer right now.
Winner: Becky Lynch (New Champion)
The Hype Bros (Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley) vs. The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso)
Martin: I’m not a fan of The Usos taking out my boys American Alpha, but this new look and attitude is something I can get on board with. It’s something The Usos have been crying out for and now that it’s finally here, I hope they take it and run with it. I wasn’t blown away with this match but seeing a new side to The Usos definitely kept me interested.
Steve: This was probably the worst match of the night. With that being said, it wasn’t bad by any means. I’d label it as a solid match, with the Usos as a heel act definitely interesting. I also really liked the finish of their double team move taking out the leg followed up by the Tequila Sunrise. Cool enough match, the Usos go on to the finals.
Winners: The Usos
Intercontinental Championship
The Miz (with Maryse) vs. Dolph Ziggler
Martin: WOW! Thats one word to describe this match. I definitely didn’t expect The Miz and Dolph Ziggler to put on the match that they did – and that’s not putting down either superstar.
I expected some quick match with perhaps Miz running for the hills but no, I was wrong. Both superstars delivered and dare I agree with Steve and say that I also thought Miz was the better man out of the two.
Something tells me that following the finish involving Maryse that this feud might not be over just yet? If it does continue, I’d like to see someone else injected to make it a little more interesting, they have the talent, now make use of them. Could Daniel Bryan eventually screw The Miz out of the title? We know they definitely don’t like each other.
Steve: This went way better than I expected. I was not excited for this match, but Miz really stepped it up doing some Daniel Bryan offense while also just doing some more fun offense altogether, which pairs up nicely with his charisma and personality.
In fact, I’d go as far as to say The Miz was the better performer here. Dolph was good, but I felt like Miz really stood out here and worked hard. The finish showing shades of Rick Martel was also nice. A lot of people hate these kinds of finishes, but he’s a heel. Cheating is his thing. Where does the Bryan story go from here, though?
Winner: The Miz (Still Champion)
No Disqualification
Bray Wyatt vs. Kane
Martin: I had received messages earlier in the day regarding Orton/Wyatt and I was disappointed to hear that Orton was potentially injured again. I wasn’t believing it though until I saw it for myself and when WWE aired a backstage video of Bray attacking Randy, my heart sank slightly.
I like both competitors but really felt like this should have been Bray’s night and instead we got Bray vs. Kane, with Kane getting the upperhand thanks to Randy. I was happy to see some No Holds Barred action but felt slightly underwhelmed that Bray still couldn’t get a win at a WWE PPV. Are creative scared to give him a win?
Steve: Okay, so this is a really mixed bag for me. On one hand, Kane being the replacement for Randy Orton made me audibly sigh. On the other hand, the No DQ stipulation and both guys working hard actually made this pretty fun.
But then Kane won. Sure, it was because of Randy Orton, but I still think it was an awful decision. You could’ve had Bray win and then eat the RKO, or just let Bray stand tall for once. Instead, Kane won. Bleh. The match went better than it should have, but I don’t like the winner and it is the one issue I had with the entire show.
Winner: Kane
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) vs. Heath Slater and Rhyno
Martin: I didn’t see this win coming by a mile. I was positive The Usos were going to win following their change in character, but I was thrilled with the reaction that both Slater and Rhyno received and I’m excited to see where they go with this pairing.
I do hope Slater continues to be just as entertaining as he’s been the past few weeks, he appears to be on a roll and I hope that doesn’t stop. The WWE Universe appear to love him right now and he deserves it, he’s worked incredibly hard throughout his career and if this is his time, let’s go!
Steve: This was a fun match, with the crowd being very much behind Slater and Rhyno. The Usos will need some time as heels, as they definitely are trying to find the balance between hot near falls but not getting the crowd on their side. I’m sure it’ll come, especially with American Alpha.
But hey, Slater and Rhyno won! Beauty and the Manbeast being the Tag Team Champions is something I’m very excited about. I get the whole “comedy team as champions” complaint, but some of the most entertaining teams in recent history have had the comedy team dynamic, like New Day or Team Hell No. And now Slater has a contract, so that’s cool too.
I suspect the title reign won’t last long, but that’s okay. I’m just excited to see who they lose it to. Usos? Breezango? Or maybe the Revival show up and take the titles? Whoever it is, I can’t say to see Alpha chase.
Winners: Heath Slater and Rhyno (New Champions)
WWE Championship
Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles
Martin: A lot of people expected Ambrose to retain but I had a feeling in my gut that AJ was going to steal it, and he did. The match had plenty of great spots with both men putting their bodies through hell to win the match.
Watching the clock I knew that technically the show could have ran for another 20 minutes, I thought someone was going to come out an reverse the decision or attack AJ/Ambrose but I was pleased with the way the show ended, with AJ being top of the mountain. Roll on Tuesday.
Steve: A great match, and an outcome I didn’t expect. I predicted that Dean Ambrose would retain, and AJ Styles would then win the title at No Mercy. But to my surprise, AJ hit a low blow, then the Styles Clash, and picked up the win here. And I was sure it wasn’t over. The show ended a bit early, so I kept waiting for the decision to be reversed.
But it didn’t happen. AJ Styles is WWE Champion. That’s a sentence I didn’t expect to type. Pretty awesome. The crowd, interestingly, gave Ambrose a lot of heat and it was mixed at best, but I’m not turning on Ambrose like some people. I think he’s still a great talent, and I’m looking forward to the rematch.
Winner: AJ Styles (New Champion)
Closing Thoughts
Martin: With so much time to fill and not a lot of matches I wasn’t sure how WWE would fill the time out. I don’t have a lot of faith when it comes to time and WWE, look at their past record. They are great at wasting time with pointless segments but last night proved me wrong. When put in that situation they know exactly how to make use of their time.
The women got a decent amount of time, as did every other match and it didn’t feel rushed by any means. Coming from a show like SummerSlam which was far too long and far too crammed, Backlash was a breeze to watch and I hope it’s a trend both brands continue with their individual shows.
Steve: What can you say about this show? It was a show that, on paper, looked rough. But everything delivered or over-delivered. The only issue I had with the entire show, from the Kickoff match to the main event, was Kane winning. Besides that dumb decision, I really think they fired on all cylinders. So many different people look better leaving the show than they did going in. People feel fresh. The matches felt fresh, even matches we’ve seen before.
Delivering this kind of show without Breeze, American Alpha, John Cena, and Randy Orton makes me very excited to see how No Mercy turns out. Hopefully Smackdown keeps the momentum up. Can Clash of Champions do as well? We’ll see.
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