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Credit: WWE
Welcome to Bleacher Report’s coverage and recap of WWE WrestleMania Backlash 2022.
WWE had originally booked a tag title unification match between The Usos and RK-Bro for this event, but it was changed to a six-man tag bout when Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre were added to the equation.
The only title match on Sunday featured Charlotte Flair defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey. The only way for either to win was to make the other competitor say the words “I quit.”
The rest of the card was filled with rematches from WrestleMania 38, so there wasn’t a lot of new ground covered during Sunday’s show.
Let’s take a look at everything that happened at WrestleMania Backlash.
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WWE kicked off the night’s action with one of many WrestleMania rematches when Cody Rhodes faced Seth Rollins.
They started off simple with a lockup before engaging in a quick sequence of counters that led to Rollins scoring the first takedown and bragging about it. It seemed as if he was successfully getting inside Rhodes’ head at first.
The American Nightmare began to make it a more even fight as time went on, but The Visionary still seemed to be the one in control most of the time. He had a chip on his shoulder from his ‘Mania loss, so it made perfect sense for him to be the aggressor.
Like their WrestleMania match, they picked up the pace as they went and got the crowd hyped for every big moment. They paced themselves well so they could sell when they needed to without feeling like the momentum of the match was dying.
Rollins managed to get his foot on the rope to avoid a pin after taking the Cross Rhodes. The Visionary failed to win with the Pedigree, leading to Rhodes getting the pin by using a handful of tights when he rolled him up, which his opponent had just tried to do to him.
Some people might complain about the finish, but this was an outstanding match that will likely be remembered as the best of the night.
Grade: A
Notable Moments and Observations
- Rhodes had two different types of pyro. There was one set of fireworks when he first appeared and a completely different set when he posed on the stage.
- The camera angle when Rollins slapped Rhodes in the back of the head before The American Nightmare turned around and decked him was perfect. It caught the look on Rhodes’ face right before he struck. Being able to capture small facial expressions during matches is something WWE’s production team does well.
- The Disaster Kick Rhodes hit looked really good, but Rollins catching him for a buckle bomb when he tried to hit it a second time looked even better.
- Rhodes’ springboard cutter was awesome. Rollins is so good at being exactly where he needs to be when his opponents hit big spots like that.
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The second bout of the night was another ‘Mania rematch, but this time it was a battle of powerhouses with Omos taking on Bobby Lashley.
The All Mighty circled the giant a bit before going in for some strikes. Omos was unable to beat him back until MVP got on the apron to provide a distraction.
The only way Lashley was able to turn the tables was to trap the giant in the ring ropes so he could beat on him while he was defenseless. The All Mighty tried to go after MVP, but Omos put a stop to it by pulling him back in the ring by his head.
The former WWE champion was able to apply the Hurt Lock, but Omos broke it by backing him to the corner. MVP attacked Lashley with his cane while the ref had his back turned, allowing Omos to hit his two-handed chokeslam for the win.
This was a better and more competitive match than their encounter at WrestleMania, but it still left something to be desired. If they end up having a third match at the next PPV, it will probably be the best of the trilogy.
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- The video before the match was good. WWE’s production team can make almost any feud feel a little more important with such a two-minute package.
- Omos was audibly grunting when he was wrenching Lashley’s neck in a submission, which was kind of weird.
- Lashley putting Omos in a full nelson was legitimately impressive. Omos has a massive frame that almost made it look impossible.
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The third straight WrestleMania rematch featured Edge taking on AJ Styles, but this time, Damian Priest was banned from ringside.
As soon as the bell rung, both men ran at each other and started brawling. The Rated-R Superstar wanted the pitbull version of Styles and he got it. For the first few minutes, The Phenomenal One was all over him.
Edge countered the Phenomenal Forearm, and Styles immediately started favoring the shoulder The Rated-R Superstar and Priest had injured on Raw.
The rest of the match was Edge controlling most of the action while The Phenomenal One would occasionally get in a short burst of offense. It seemed like every time Styles had his number, his rival found a way to put him back down.
Both guys kicked out of the other’s finisher as they worked toward the finish. Priest showed up and Finn Balor showed up to fight him.
A person in a hood pulled Styles off the top rope while the ref was distracted, allowing Edge to put him in a modified crossface sleeper hold for the win. The mystery person was Rhea Ripley with a new black hairdo.
This was another great match between these two. It might have even surpassed their ‘Mania encounter. Adding Ripley to Judgment Day is going to lead to some interesting storyline possibilities. Let’s hope WWE has something good planned for her.
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- The dropkick Styles hit between the bottom and middle ropes to the outside was nasty. He shot himself at Edge like a bullet.
- You can always tell when The Phenomenal One really cares about a feud because he pulls out moves he barely uses anymore.
- The way Styles sold his left arm injury throughout the match was great. Whenever he was forced to use it, he made sure to do something to indicate he was in pain.
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The only title contest on the card saw Charlotte Flair put the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Ronda Rousey in an I Quit match.
Rowdy Ronda ducked a big boot and started unloading on The Queen as soon as the match started. Even though both women are known for submissions, they were trying to make the other quit in different ways, too.
The match quickly spilled out of the ring as they took advantage of the lack of rules with this stipulation. They used kendo sticks, Flair threw a camera at Rousey, and they fought up into the crowd.
Rousey had her rival hanging upside down from the top turnbuckle and put her in an armbar. The Queen screamed in pain until they both crashed to the floor to break the hold.
After locking in the armbar with a steel chair for assistance, Rousey forced Charlotte to say I Quit and won the match to become the new SmackDown women’s champion.
This was a competitive, hard-fought battle that far exceeded the buildup. Both women brought everything they had and left it all in the ring.
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Charlotte’s ring jacket was one of the most over-the-top things she has worn. It probably took a long time to make.
- One of the kendo sticks they used to hit each other broke into several pieces. They were really swinging for the fences.
- The powerbomb Rousey took into the barricade looked rough.
- The Queen was either selling really well or she was legitimately crying from the pain she was in at one point.
- The crowd kept chanting “We want tables,” but Rousey and Charlotte never gave them what they wanted.
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The fifth and final WrestleMania rematch of the night saw Happy Corbin attempt to get some retribution against Madcap Moss for his loss last month.
They locked up and struggled for control until Corbin kicked his former friend in the leg and started bouncing his head off the top turnbuckle. Moss quickly recovered and showed off some agility with a couple of high leapfrogs.
The former Golden Gloves champion regained control and slowed the pace so he could be as methodical as possible with his offense. He even used a couple of moves he is not known for, such as a senton.
Like every other rematch from ‘Mania that we saw on Sunday, this bout exceeded their previous performance in almost every way. It was more competitive, included more exciting offense, and both men showed off stuff we don’t usually see from them.
The ending was kind of sudden. Moss hit a sunset flip out of nowhere to get the clean win. He celebrated in the aisle while Corbin looked as sad as he was when he was broke.
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- The kick Corbin hit to the leg almost looked like a low blow at first. MMA fighters often end up kicking their opponent in the groin on accident (sometimes on purpose) when trying to kick their inner thigh, so it can happen pretty easily.
- If you had “Happy Corbin hits a senton” on your bingo card, you should just win the whole game. That was so unexpected.
- The sunset flip Moss used to win was about as textbook as it gets. He has definitely improved a bit in the ring over the past year.
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The final match of the night was a big six-man tag team contest, with Roman Reigns and The Usos taking on Riddle, Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre.
The Viper and Jimmy Uso started for their teams. The crowd was hot and chanting before they even made contact. Uso backed Orton to the corner and hit a few punches before The Legend Killer poked him in the eye and brought in Riddle for a double-team.
When McIntyre tagged in, he threw Jimmy to the corner and told him to tag in Reigns. Paul Heyman advised against it, but The Tribal Chief decided to listen to the crowd and got in the ring. Then he tagged in Jey and told the crowd he was the shot-caller and would do things his way.
He didn’t decide to get involved until Riddle was down in The Bloodline’s corner. Reigns and McIntyre finally ended up being the legal men at the same time. After a little trash-talking, they started throwing hands.
The Viper came in off the hot tag and began to run through everyone. He caught Reigns with an RKO out of nowhere before dropping Jimmy with another. Jey barely managed to break up the pin.
As the match progressed, the ref began to lose control. Everybody was fighting in and around the ring. Reigns put McIntyre through the announce table with an urinagi, while Riddle took out Jey with an RKO from the top rope before The Tribal Chief cut him in half with a Spear to score the win.
This was another example of an entertaining match that was far better than the story behind it. Everybody looked great in this one. Even without any titles on the line, this still felt like a bout that was worthy of closing the event.
As a whole, WrestleMania Backlash will be remembered as a show with some really solid wrestling but little in the way of storyline development for anyone involved.
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Before this match took place, Kayla Braxton reported that Charlotte suffered a broken radius during her match with Rousey. Whether this is real or part of a storyline isn’t clear at this point.
- Reigns trolling the crowd was as funny as it was predictable.
- The Tribal Chief had some new boots with red accents. They really stood out against his black gear.
- Jey took out Orton on the apron with a superkick at one point, and the way The Viper sold it was hilarious. He just sort of collapsed to the apron and slowly fell off it to the floor.
- At one point, Reigns decked Riddle to knock him off the apron and commentator Pat McAfee laughed like a little kid. It was hilarious.