 Randy Orton Attacked Undisputed WWE Champion John CenaThis was one of the feuds I was looking forward to the most when Cena turned heel because, for as many matches as Orton and Cena have had in the past two decades, this is the first time the roles have been reversed. Cena starting out his promo in cartoonish fashion (as he has been since he went heel) was disappointing, but the segment turned around when Orton came out. Them having a match at Backlash only made sense, especially with the event emanating from Orton's native St. Louis. Fraxiom def. Los GarzaIt only took getting called up to the main roster for Nathan Frazer and Axiom to be officially recognized as Fraxiom. They've arguably been the best team in the business in the last year and they were ready to move on from NXT. This was a fantastic first impression from them against another talented team. Meanwhile, Los Garza may not together for much longer based on the tension teased with them, Santos Escobar and Andrade as of late. Jade Cargill Confronted WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton; Stratton vs. Cargill Ended in a No Contest (Non-Title)I was worried Stratton would be interrupted by Charlotte Flair and they'd resume their rivalry despite Stratton beating her clean at WrestleMania 41, but I appreciated that Cargill emerged instead coming off her WrestleMania win over Naomi. I was surprised that we got an impromptu match considering it was a first-time-ever encounter, but the non-finish protected both women. Naomi went back after Cargill while Nia Jax returned to attack Stratton. I know Stratton pinned Jax in that tag team matchup at Elimination Chamber, but she has yet to beat her one-on-one. LA Knight and Drew McIntyre Confronted United States Champion Jacob Fatu and Solo SikoaI was hoping this would be where Fatu turned on Sikoa and embarked on his own path as U.S. champ, but apparently not. It looks like they're going to hold off on that for now, but it shouldn't be much longer. The segment itself was solid and effective in terms of setting up Knight vs. McIntyre in the number one contender's match for later in the night. I very much enjoyed the banter between Knight and McIntyre specifically. Zelina Vega def. Chelsea Green to Win the Women's United States ChampionshipAs a match, this wasn't much different than their previous encounters. It wasn't as short, but it's not like they were given a ton of time. The real shocker was the title changing hands as I genuinely did not see that coming. I'm not necessarily complaining, though. Green made the most of her reign, but it was a cool moment for Vega, who has been working hard to improve and deserves to show what she can do in this role. Aleister Black Attacked The MizFinally! Miz's promo was nothing out of the ordinary as you'd expect, but it was clear that he was going to be interrupted and attacked the second the segment started. Sure enough, we got the awesome entrance from Black that we haven't seen in several years. His iconic theme was obviously re-recorded, but it sounds similar enough. This was well done. Hopefully Black gets booked better than he was during his original run on the main roster. Drew McIntyre def. LA Knight in a United States Championship No. 1 Contender's Match by DisqualificationI want a formal feud between these two at some point, but I was fine with them facing off here and going with a non-finish to build toward what's shaping up to be a Fatal 4-Way for the United States Championship (or Fatal 5-Way if Sikoa is included). What we got was good, but I don't see the point in continuing the McIntyre vs. Damian Priest program after McIntyre defeated Priest decisively at WrestleMania other than wanting to include Priest in the U.S. title picture. WWE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits def. #DIY and The Motor City Machine Guns in a Triple Threat Tag Team TLC MatchNeedless to say, this belonged on the WrestleMania card, but they may have actually benefited from it being slotted on SmackDown instead. Not only were they given the main event spotlight, it was commercial-free and I'm sure they would've had their time cut at 'Mania. We haven't had a true TLC match in WWE in years and this was exactly why it's special to do them sparingly. All three teams killed it and got the crowd invested in the action. There were plenty of crazy spots and it helped that it was unpredictable who would win. Perhaps they'll get the chance to run it back at either SummerSlam or WrestleMania 42 much like what happened with The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian in 2000/2001? Overall ShowWrestleMania weekend was a bit of a mixed bag, but WWE followed it up with excellent editions of Raw and SmackDown. This was one of the best shows the blue brand has produced all year. Black's return and Vega winning the Women's U.S. title were notable, the men's U.S. title scene and the WWE Women's Championship picture are heating up, Cena and Orton confirmed their match for Backlash and the main event was a spectacle. I can't wait for SmackDown to return to the two-hour format, but they maximized the three hours this week with a hell of an episode.
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