WWE Backlash 2025

Just three weeks after the divisive WrestleMania 41, WWE were all set to provide the next Premium Live Event of 2025, with the Backlash event. With such a short build, relatively speaking, some of the rivalries didn't have a whole lot going for them, but the matches all seemed to promise plenty of entertainment. The card only had five matches, but they all intrigued me, and all had the potential to be show-stealers in their own right.

The night looked to start off strong with the fatal-4-way United States Championship match. This marked the first PLE defence for Jacob Fatu, with Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, and LA Knight all vying for the title. To no surprise, the match began at a break-neck pace. There was so much physicality from all four men, and several fun spots, including an epic table spot, which I loved. The match garnered deserved "this is awesome" chants from the live audience in St. Louis, Missouri. It ended with a great twist, which was extremely exciting, particularly for fans of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The only slight qualm I had was that the ending felt a little awkward, but I liked it regardless.

Continuing the trend of intriguing championship matches, the second match of the night saw Lyra Valkyria defend her Intercontinental Championship against 'The Man' Becky Lynch. This match had a terrific student-mentor dynamic which was absolutely fascinating. Both women are superb at their best, and I thought they definitely showed out here. Valkyria has improved week-on-week, and has been a brilliant champion. Becky, the established face, has brought the best out of her younger compatriot, and elevated her as part of this rivalry. It was so nice to hear a North American crowd being responsive to Valkyria, which has been so deserved. I really thought these ladies put on an absolute clinic. I loved this match from start to finish, and loved how it furthered the story of the two Irish wrestlers.

The third match on the card, the midpoint if you will, saw Dominic Mysterio defend his men's Intercontinental Championship against the iconic Penta. I thought this could be a real sleeper pick for match of the night - that was my hope at least. Dom has improved leaps and bounds in the last couple of years, and this title reign looks to be the making of him. I really enjoyed the aggressiveness of the match, as well as the quick pace of it. The inevitable shenanigans didn't take away from the quality of the match much, albeit it was a little predictable. Either way, it was a pretty cool match.

The penultimate match of the night looked to be a beat-down, as 'The Ring General' GUNTHER looked to brutally dismantle commentator and sports personality Pat McAfee. I was fairly certain that this would be a pretty violent match, with the reputation of GUNTHER, and I was confident that McAfee would be able to make the match entertaining too. I loved the underdog story - a classic of wrestling - and the way the two sold it was pretty much perfect. GUNTHER is so good at playing the big bad villain, and all credit to Pat for being the plucky and resilient underdog. The crowd absolutely loved this one too, which made it even better. Even the Michael Cole involvement was really cool, and worked very well with the match's story. This was a terrific match.

At last, it was time for the main event; the last ever meeting of two of WWE's greatest rivals; John Cena and Randy Orton, with the former's Undisputed WWE Championship on the line. The energy was palpable from the moment the ring entrances started. It was surreal, in many respects, seeing these two legends going face-to-face one final time. Both have provided so many tangibly iconic moments over the last two decades, it feels strange to see one, Cena, finally on his way to retirement, albeit not quite yet. The match was bound to be a little slower and more methodical than some of the other matches on the card, such is the way when one of the wrestlers involved is beginning to age out, so-to-speak. Cena still has the presence and class that he always had, but he was definitely slower. Kind of inevitably, the match was a little bit stop-start, but the drama was undeniable. The crowd was obviously heavily behind hometown favourite Randy Orton, which only helped to build the crowd and match dynamic between the two. It definitely helped that the match turned into a bit of a street fight - the chaos was a lot of fun. The ending was a bit bizarre, but I kind of see what they were going for. Odd ending aside, this was much better than Cena's mediocre WrestleMania match. I do wonder where this will all go now, though.

Overall, this was one hell of a show, with five hugely entertaining matches, particularly the first four. I actually think this may end up being one of my favourite Premium Live Events of the year when everything shakes out. It's certainly one of the best as of May 2025. I definitely prefer this format, with fewer but longer matches - it means they often have more time to develop and build, and tends to mean they're better as a result. I digress, this was a really good PLE, which one hopes will be built upon in the coming weeks.