‘WWE Wrestlemania Backlash 2022’ PPV Review

Welcome to this review of WWE’s latest pay per view, Wrestlemania Backlash which sees more titles on the line and rematches from this year’s Wrestlemania. Let’s get into the action!

Match #1: Cody Rhodes def. Seth “Freakin” Rollins

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Seth “Freakin” Rollins could not seem to wake up from his “American Nightmare” after Cody Rhodes proved once again that he was the better man in a spirited rematch against The Visionary. With the additional time to prepare for his opponent, Rollins had Rhodes scouted, avoiding the returning Superstar’s early attempts to dish out punishment before The Visionary turned Rhodes inside out with a flying knee and a clothesline. Rhodes flipped momentum briefly after catching Rollins with a backbody drop and a pinpoint Disaster Kick for a two-count, but as Rhodes went for another Disaster Kick, Rollins shoved Rhodes over the ropes and tumbling to the arena floor. The four-time World Champion followed up by bouncing Rhodes off the barricade and the announcer’s table, viciously picking apart Rhodes. But The American Nightmare fired back with a flurry of right hands, sending Rollins flying off the top rope with a stunning Superplex. The two Superstars slugged it out in the middle of the ring until Rhodes surprised Rollins with a Cody Cutter out of nowhere for a near-fall. Rollins followed suit with a pair pins following a superkick and a Falcon Arrow. Rhodes eyed another Disaster Kick, but The Visionary had it scouted, catching him in midair for a buckle bomb then connecting with a massive Frog Splash. As Rhodes looked to go high-risk himself, Rollins popped up onto the top rope to deliver a Superplex of his own, but as he went for another Falcon Arrow Rhodes, reversed it into a Cross Rhodes. After rolling out of the way of a moonsault attempt, Rollins planted Rhodes with a Pedigree as the two Superstars threw everything they had at one another. Frustrated, Rollins disrespected Rhodes by mocking his father WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, but as Rollins went for the Atomic Elbow, Rhodes rallied for another Cross Rhodes. Rollins managed to escape a second straight Cross Rhodes with a swift kick an roll-up — with a handful of tights — but The American Nightmare rolled through, grabbing Rollins’ trunks to secure the 1-2-3. While Rollins seethed, Rhodes couldn’t help but smirk, knowing he had The Visionary’s number.

My Score: 4.5 out of 5

Match #2: Omos def. Bobby Lashley

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Unafraid to go toe-to-toe with The Nigerian Giant, Bobby Lashley immediately started hammering Omos with right hands to try and chop down the giant, but as Lashley took his eyes off the prize to stare down MVP, he turned around into a big boot. Omos sent The All Mighty flying to the arena floor before dropping Lashley face-first onto the turnbuckle and delivering another devastating boot to the head. Lashley finally created some separation before jumping onto Omos’ back in an attempt to put the big man to sleep. The Nigerian Giant shrugged him off, but Lashley continued to batter Omos, tying him up in the ropes and hammering away with right hands. As MVP attempted to set his new client free, Lashley slid outside the ring to quickly lock in The Hurt Lock on his former manager before rolling back in to take out Omos’ knees and put an all mighty Hurt Lock on Omos. Lashley held on to the submission attempt with all his might, but Omos managed to power out and drub Lashley with a flurry of massive chops in the corner. The All Mighty did not let up, though, catching Omos with a huge spinebuster. But as he went for a spear, The Nigerian Giant countered with a knee and tossed Lashley into the ringpost, where MVP delivered a quick shot with his cane while the referee had his back turned. Omos then hoisted up a stunned Lashley and planted him nearly through the mat for the pinfall.

My Score: 1.5 out of 5

Match #3: Edge def. AJ Styles

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After weeks of torment, heated rivals AJ Styles and Edge made a beeline for one another as soon as the bell rang. Styles took over early with a dropkick before launching Edge repeatedly into the ring barricade and flattening the WWE Hall of Famer with a moonsault. As Styles went for a Phenomenal Forearm, Edge turned the tides by dropping Styles’ onto his injured shoulder, slamming it repeatedly into the ring post and steel steps. The Rated-R Superstar methodically hammered away at Styles’ shoulder until Styles slowed the momentum with a Pele Kick, fighting through the pain to deliver a sit-down facebuster and a top-rope huricanrana for a pair of near-falls. Despite fighting with one hand, Styles continued to pummel Edge, escaping a Spear attempt by his rival to deliver a Styles Clash. The Phenomenal One climbed to the top rope, but Damian Priest’s arrival on the ramp distracted him. Before Priest could get involved, though, Finn Bálor raced down to take out Priest, as a hooded figure creeped up to pull Styles off the top rope. Edge leaped into action and locked Styles in a crossface, switching his grip and putting The Phenomenal One to sleep and earning the submission victory. Following Edge’s victory, the mysterious figure entered the ring and kneeled before Edge before revealing herself as Rhea Ripley and raising her hands in solidarity with the head of Judgment Day.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #4: SmackDown Women’s Championship “I Quit” Match – Ronda Rousey def. Charlotte Flair

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The action was fast and furious from the onset between Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey as the two fierce rivals traded blows before spilling outside the ring, where Rousey sent Flair flying into the timekeeper’s area before eating a big boot from The Opportunity. After snatching a Kendo stick out of Flair’s hands, Rousey chased the SmackDown Women’s Champion up the entrance ramp where Flair looked to counter with two more Kendo sticks. Following a brief dual, Rousey took control of the two Kendo sticks and pummeled Flair around the ringside area before the two battled among the WWE Universe. Flair wrapped Rousey around the stair railings for a submission attempt, but Rousey refused to utter the phrase “I Quit” — even after The Opportunity dropped her onto the ring barricade and launched her into the ringpost. Flair looked to go high-risk, but before she could reach the top rope, Rousey locked in an armbar through the ropes. But Flair held on as the two went tumbling to the arena floor. Frustrated, Flair smashed a chair across Rousey’s back and planted her with a Natural Selection onto the chair before locking in the Figure-Eight. Rousey refused to quit, though, escaping the submission attempt with a chair shot. As Flair set up the chair for another devastating manoeuvre, she foolishly paused to wish Rousey a happy Mother’s Day. Enraged, The Baddest Woman on the Planet grabbed Flair’s arm through the chair and cinched in an armbar to force Flair to scream “I Quit.”

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #5: Madcap Moss def. Happy Corbin

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Former friends Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss traded blows in the early moments until Corbin planted his former associate with a massive chokeslam followed up by a drive into the ringpost. The formerly undefeated Corbin pounded Moss with a flurry of elbows, taking him off his feet with a devastating clothesline. After kicking out of a pin attempt following a senton, Moss rallied to knock Corbin outside the ring with a shoulder tackle. Corbin’s attempts to regain momentum fell short, as Moss countered a crossbody attempt with a devastating fallaway slam. Frustrated, Corbin went to put his former associate away with a Deep Six, but Moss kicked out yet again. While Moss rolled, Corbin went for another clothesline but this time Moss ducked out of the way and caught him with a Sunset Flip for a shocking victory.

My Score: 1 out of 5

Match #6: Roman Reigns & The Usos def. Drew McIntyre & RK-Bro

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The ring could barely contain all six of the high-profile Superstars as they stared one another down before the opening bell. The trio of RK-Bro & Drew McIntyre picked apart Jimmy Uso in the opening minutes of the match before The Scottish Warrior called out Roman Reigns for a one-on-one fight. But The Head of the Table proclaimed “he calls the shots” and tagged in his cousin Jey Uso. McIntyre responded by quickly leveling Jey with a big boot while leering directly at Reigns. After tagging in Riddle, the SmackDown Tag Team Champions turned the tide with a quick tag, smashing The Original Bro and taking a few cheap shots behind the referee’s back. Somehow Riddle withstood the devastation from The Bloodline and fired out of the corner with a dropkick to Jey to tag in McIntyre just as Reigns tagged himself in. McIntyre stood toe-to-toe with the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, dropping Reigns and his cousins with a flurry of neckbreakers, but as McIntyre sent Jey tumbling to the floor with a right hand, Reigns flew in for a Superman Punch to swing the momentum back toward The Bloodline. The Head of the Table pummeled McIntyre, but after unwisely taking a moment to gloat with both titles, Reigns turned around into a Claymore. Instead of going for a cover, though, McIntyre tagged in The Viper to lay waste to Jimmy Uso in vintage Randy Orton style. The Bloodline jumped in to try and help Jimmy Uso, but despite Jey Uso catching Orton with a Superkick, The Viper swatted away The Bloodline with a pair of RKOs. Chaos broke loose from there as The Usos dropped McIntyre with a double Superkick before Riddle cleared house and flattened Jey with a Floating Bro for a stunning near fall. The two trios traded near-falls before action spilled outside the ring where Reigns dropped Orton with a Superman Punch and sent McIntyre crashing through the announce table with a massive Urinagi. The sole man left standing, Riddle flew through the ropes to take out Reigns, but Jey was hot on his heels with a dive to the outside. After a flurry of kicks, Riddle caught Jey with an RKO from the top rope, but did not see the tag from Reigns, who plowed through Riddle with a Spear to earn a hard-fought victory.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Final Verdict: 3/5

So we opened with a match that actually improved on their Wrestlemania outing, as Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes went at it again, but then it all went downhill with the Omos/Lashley match which just managed to not be as bad as the Corbin/Moss match (hence the half-point higher score). On the rest of the card we had Edge and AJ Styles run their match back again, not improving on the Wrestlemania one but not disappointing either – plus the addition of Rhea Ripley to Edge’s stable was a cool spot. The Women’s Championship match was good but not great, with Charlotte Flair seemingly not wanting to sell for Rousey. Or was that just me? Apparently, Flair has left WWE on hiatus following this match so maybe we’ll get some different match-ups against Rousey going forward. As for the main event, well that match brought the card to a close on a high thankfully. The Uso’s took most of the punishment for their team with Roman Reigns really playing the cocky leader card well in this one. It was weird seeing Drew McIntyre essentially be the underdog but that’s the way matches featuring champs go in WWE isn’t it? Overall this was decent but not great, a mere step above TV but not really PPV-worthy IMHO.