WWE WrestleMania Backlash Review - May 8, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Cody Rhodes def. Seth "Freakin" Rollins

What an outstanding opener. They killed it at WrestleMania 38 and somehow outdid themselves here. That match was a bit bigger because it was the grand stage and Rhodes returned that night, but from bell to bell, I honestly thought this was better. They had the crowd with them every step of the way and worked an exciting pace. It helped that it could have gone either way and Rhodes winning against Rollins for a second straight time was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't super high on him holding the tights for the victory, but I don't think he's turning heel because he only did what Rollins was about to do to him. I wouldn't be opposed to a third match whatsoever.

Omos def. Bobby Lashley

Omos is obviously extremely limited with what he can do in the ring, so much like at 'Mania, I didn't expect this to be an instant classic like the opener was. Sure enough, they had a decent match. Lashley is over as a babyface, but Omos just doesn't have a lot of heat. However, they worked hard, so there was that. This was an improvement over their original outing and Omos winning with MVP's help was logical to keep the feud alive. Unfortunately, I don't have any interest in a third match, but we can only hope Lashley will go over in the end.

Edge def. AJ Styles

This continued the theme of WrestleMania rematches being better than they were at WrestleMania. It started out slow, but it was very good. Do I think this was the best of what they're capable of? No, and I think they can have an even stronger match if there's a third one (and I assume there will be based on how this concluded). Rhea Ripley was rumored to be joining Edge's new faction last month and I'm stoked they actually went in that direction. She's a perfect fit for them. Now let's hope WWE doesn't go overboard with the supernatural and spooky silliness.

Ronda Rousey def. Charlotte Flair in an "I Quit" Match to Win the SmackDown Women's Championship

I was pulling for the women to main event this show since it was the only championship match on the entire card and they didn't have a chance to headline at WrestleMania, but WWE made the right call by not putting this on last since the main event wound up being hotter. That isn't to say this was bad, though. This was one of those "I Quit" matches where the constant shrieking and screaming got old very quickly, but I did enjoy the physical nature of the bout and how they once again beat the holy hell out of each other. Flair retaining in fluky fashion would have been crap, so I'm glad Rousey captured the championship. It was the correct outcome. Plus, they announced later on that Flair suffered a broken arm (in storyline), so it looks like she'll be written off TV for the foreseeable future.

Madcap Moss def. Happy Corbin

I left my seat before this started and I can tell you firsthand that the hallways were flooded with people. Seriously, the lines for the bathroom and the merch stand were as long as they were before the show started. To their credit, they had a perfectly passable match and both guys had solid showings, but the crowd hardly cared. On the bright side, Moss won as he should have, though I fear the feud isn't over yet.

The Bloodline (Universal Champion Roman Reigns and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos) def. Drew McIntyre and Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro

Despite there not being any stakes, this was a hell of a main event. It went from being a standard six-man tag team affair to an absolute blast of a bout with everyone hitting their signature spots. There were several excellent counters, all six stars had stellar chemistry together, and it could have ended on multiple occasions. I really thought the babyfaces would win to set up Reigns' next challenger, but apparently not. That didn't bother me, but it does make you wonder where The Bloodline is headed from here. Can we please still get that tag title unification match at some point?

Overall Show

For a pay-per-view with such an uninspiring build, WrestleMania Backlash well exceeded expectations, specifically from an in-ring standpoint. It wasn't the most newsworthy show other than one title changing hands, but the important matches delivered and the two weaker ones were fine and inoffensive. I'm really happy in retrospect that WWE went with a six-match card with no pre-show matches because it made the three hours flew by and made each match stand out more. WWE should follow this formula more often.

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