WWE Backlash Review - May 9, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bron Breakker def. Seth Rollins

This wasn't entirely smooth (Breakker takes too many stupid risks and Rollins isn't as agile as he once was), but it ended up being a super enjoyable outing, regardless. They worked a fun, fast-paced match that the crowd was hot for. Breakker winning was absolutely the right call, but I'd have no issue with their feud continuing since it just started. It'd also give them a chance to have the better bout they're capable of.

United States Champion Trick Williams def. Sami Zayn

This was a noticeable improvement over their WrestleMania match. There wasn't anything wrong with their original encounter, but it didn't have the time to be anything out of the ordinary. While this wasn't exactly a mat classic, it had more drama and storytelling. The interference from Lil Yatchy was also well done. I thought Zayn might regain the gold via nefarious means to cement his and Williams' respective roles and keep the rivalry going for a little longer, but apparently not.

Danhausen and Minihausen def. The Miz and Kit Wilson

Danhausen's mystery partner being a mini version of himself ​(who was reportedly portrayed by the former El Torito, which was cool) was initially a letdown, and I was worried the crowd would start booing as soon as the bell rang, but they quickly got into it. Other than this lasting a little longer than it probably should have, I thought it was a treat, much like everything else Danhausen has done in WWE so far. He's at his best when his shenanigans are kept to a minimum, and although I'm aware stuff like this can be polarizing, it helps to have variety at wrestling and enough fans find it entertaining for it to be worthwhile in my opinion.

IYO SKY def. Asuka

Of course, this match was never going to be the same without that long-awaited payoff with Kairi Sane finally standing up to Asuka, but the match was excellent otherwise. They worked as well together as you'd expect and SKY's counter for Asuka's mist was perfectly executed. I wasn't sure if we would get more matches between the two coming out of this event, but their post-match embrace indicated the feud is over. I don't know if Asuka is winding down or leaving or what, but I'm glad she and SKY got their flowers here.

John Cena Announced the John Cena Classic

This was heavily hyped up ahead of time as being an "epic" announcement. I wouldn't go quite that far, but it was certainly a big deal for Cena to announce a new tournament named after him. Is it even accurate to call it a tournament when it sounds like a bunch of matches featuring main roster and NXT talent where they don't have to win in order to become the champion? Wouldn't that basically be a popularity contest? The rules sound too convoluted on paper, and I'm not sure something like this is necessary when we've already gotten so many NXT call-ups this year alone, but I'm willing to give it a chance. By the way, it was never said when this John Cena Classic is going to take place.

World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns def. Jacob Fatu

What a war! I didn't come into this expecting Fatu to win the title, so the finish wasn't surprising in the slightest, but I appreciate that he had a strong showing and was made to look credible in defeat before laying out Reigns afterward to keep their feud alive. The match itself was above average as they had terrific chemistry together and I wasn't disappointed that The Usos didn't interfere.

Overall Show

I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that this was WWE's best premium live event on the whole so far in 2026. The fact it felt less commercialized compared to WrestleMania made a major difference. The matches ranged from good to great, and while the Danhausen match won't be for everyone, I'd argue it gave the show some comic relief. If it wasn't for Cena's announcement, maybe we could've gotten a sixth matchup on the card, but perhaps that would've been too much to ask.

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