‘WWE Backlash 2025’ PPV Review

Welcome to this review of WWE’s latest pay-per-view/premium live event, Backlash, which continues the fallout from Wrestlemania 41. We’ve got five matches on the card so let’s get into it.

Match #1: Fatal 4-Way Match – United States Champion Jacob Fatu def. LA Knight, Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

United States Champion Jacob Fatu, LA Knight, Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest clobbered each other in an intense title fight. Fatu hit the first big blow when he executed a pop-up Samoan drop on Priest onto the barricade. Fatu struck with a swanton bomb on McIntyre, Knight hit the BFT on Fatu, Priest landed a South of Heaven Chokeslam on Knight, and The Scottish Warrior blasted Priest with a Claymore to leave everyone down.McIntyre covered the motionless Knight after the devastating blow, but Priest pulled the referee out of the ring, costing McIntyre yet another championship. The two brawled until they tumbled over the timekeeper’s area. As Fatu and Knight were fighting in the ring, The Scottish Warrior and The Archer of Infamy brawled through the WWE Universe, and the melee concluded when Priest hit McIntyre with a huge South of Heaven chokeslam from an elevated height through a pair of tables. With McIntyre and Priest out of action, Knight looked to hit an elbow drop on Fatu, who was positioned on the announce table, but Solo Sikoa dragged Fatu out of the way. Then, Jeff Cobb suddenly hit the scene and ruthlessly dismantled Knight with a ringside assault in his first WWE appearance. Fatu, seemingly confused with the arrival of Cobb, took advantage by hitting a huge moonsault on The Megastar to win the match and retain his title. Upon making his way back up the ramp, Fatu walked between Sikoa and Cobb and exited by himself.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #2: Women’s Intercontinental Championship – Lyra Valkyria def. Becky Lynch

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Former friends turned bitter rivals, Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch battled in a tense title match. Lynch berated Valkyria in front of the champion’s fiancé, but Valkyria fought back and connected with a stalling superplex that left Lynch reeling. The Man sent Valkyria into the second turnbuckle before landing a Manhandle Slam, but Valkyria somehow kicked out. As the referee dealt with the exposed top turnbuckle after Lynch removed the padding, Valkyria struck The Man with Nightwing. However, the referee wasn’t immediately in position for the pinfall attempt, and Lynch kicked out. Even after a thumb to the eye from Lynch to Valkyria, the Women’s Intercontinental Champion executed a rollup for a hard-earned victory. After the match, The Man crashed out, locking on the Dis-arm-her and refusing to release the hold until officials finally broke it.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #3: Intercontinental Championship – Dominik Mysterio def. Penta

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Penta looked to dethrone Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio in a spectacle. Mysterio shined in his second defense of his title, landing a backstabber and a superb diving tornado DDT outside the ring. Penta flew around the ring as well, hitting an awesome vertical crossbody from the top rope on Mysterio at ringside. Mysterio took a page out of Liv Morgan’s playbook, executing an Oblivion for a two-count. The Judgment Day came to ringside, but Finn Bálor took too long to capitalize on the interference and forced the referee to eject the group. Just as Penta was about to strike, El Grande Americano arrived and used his steel-plated mask to blast Penta in the face. Mysterio capitalized by hitting a Frog Splash to retain his title.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #4: Gunther def. Pat McAfee

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Pat McAfee returned to the ring to take on Gunther, seeking retribution for the heinous attack on him and Michael Cole. The Ring General toyed with his opponent, dropping McAfee with a cannon of a chop onto his chest. Gunther kept taunting McAfee and Cole, the latter of whom was pleading with The Ring General to end the match. McAfee fought back by hitting multiple kicks, but Gunther shrugged them off. As Gunther had McAfee locked in the Boston crab, Cole left the announce booth to cheer for his friend. Gunther then threw Cole into the ring, preparing to hit a Powerbomb on the announcer, but McAfee saved Cole from the attack. Cole held down Gunther’s foot as McAfee covered The Ring General, but Gunther kicked out. Gunther cinched in the Sleeper, and despite a valiant effort from McAfee, the former NFL kicker passed out to give the victory to The Ring General. After the match, Gunther gave a rare show of respect to McAfee, nodding to him before leaving.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #5: Undisputed WWE Championship – John Cena def. Randy Orton

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena took on Randy Orton in one final battle between two legendary Superstars. Their 24th one-on-one encounter began with a poke to the eye from Cena, but The Viper poked him back. At a critical juncture, Cena went for a Punt, but Orton evaded, and the referee got caught in the mix-up and was taken out of action. Cena capitalized by hitting an Attitude Adjustment before taking the Undisputed WWE Title at ringside, but as Cena went into the ring, The Viper struck with an RKO for a two-count. With the referee once again down on the outside, Cena tried smashing Orton through the announce table, but Orton nailed an Attitude Adjustment to send the champion crashing through the table instead. Orton retrieved another table from under the ring and executed an Attitude Adjustment to once again send Cena slamming through wood. Cena inadvertently struck the referee with the WWE Title before Orton landed another RKO. With two referees down, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis and more officials came down to assess the situation, but Orton took down Aldis and everybody else with RKOs. The Viper looked to Punt Cena, but R-Truth emerged to stop Orton, who leveled Truth with an RKO. Cena then drilled Orton with an uppercut below the belt before blasting The Viper in the face with the title and pinning his adversary to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

WWE Backlash 2025 proved to be a night full of shocking twists, emotional battles, and seeds planted for the summer ahead. The main event between John Cena and Randy Orton, heavily hyped as their “one last clash,” ended in a bittersweet mess. Cena’s heelish tactics, complete with low blows and outside interference, felt cheap, robbing the match of what could have been a true classic. Orton’s furious post-match rampage teased a possible hiatus or character shift, injecting real tension into the fallout.

The U.S. Title Fatal Four-Way was arguably the match of the night. Jacob Fatu’s dominant reign continued, but the surprise arrival of Jeff Cobb added a much-needed jolt of energy. Fatu’s subtle discomfort at Cobb’s involvement was a brilliant wrinkle, hinting that the Bloodline’s future might be anything but smooth. Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch tore the house down in a fiery Women’s Intercontinental Championship bout, showing that the women’s midcard is thriving. Becky’s bitter post-match assault promised more chaos to come, and frankly, the division needs that extra fire. Gunther versus Pat McAfee was brutal but somewhat predictable. Gunther looked every bit the monster he’s been built up to be, while McAfee’s underdog spirit was admirable even in a one-sided beatdown. Dominik Mysterio’s defence of the Intercontinental Championship against Penta suffered a little from overbooked interference, but kept Judgment Day looking strong.

Overall, Backlash 2025 succeeded more in storytelling than in pure wrestling excellence, setting up an exciting and volatile road ahead. It wasn’t a perfect night, but it was a necessary, and certainly memorable, one.