Based on the angles, matches WWE has been crapping out lately, they are in the prime position for AEW to knock them down a few pegs but AEW cannot get their crap together to do so. They have the talent. They just don’t have the kind of booking they had in their “early days” that excited everyone. No talent, no angle has been able to bring those days, fans or numbers back. Competition is a good thing for the talent and for fans but AEW just cannot take advantage of WWE’s shortcomings even if the top spot is being handed to them on a silver platter.
Following up a mostly utterly predictable, boring WrestleMania is going to be hard for WWE. Unlike in most years, WWE has no momentum coming out of WrestleMania season. Except for a few feuds and angles here and there, WWE is just flat and lifeless. There is very little to get amped about tonight except maybe Iyo versus Asuka and Roman versus Fatu. One has been brewing for a long time and one should have been but hasn’t.
Jacob Fatu challenged the Tribal Chief for World Heavyweight Championship…but tonight’s match seemed to be just a skirmish in a much larger civil war. Fatu shocked Reigns right out of the gate putting him down hard with a shoulder tackle. Reigns catches Fatu with a clothesline off the ropes. Fatu no-sells it. Fatu clotheslines Reigns down. Fatu knocks him over the top rope. He dives through the ropes putting Reigns in a Tongan Death Lock. He slams Reigns into a steel post.
Not wanting to be part of that hold any more, Reign works over Fatu’s hand by wrapping it in the ropes then bouncing it off a steel post.
Let’s go Fatu! OTC! Let’s go Fatu! OTC!
Reigns tries to pulls Fatu’s arm out of its socket by draping it over the top rope. Fatu drives Reigns shoulder-first into a steel post. Fatu charges in. Reigns ducks. Fatu hits a steel post with his head. Reigns clotheslines him down twice and hits him with a flying clothesline and big boot.
Superman Punch for a one…and Fatu pops back up to his feet!
Fatu! Fatu! Fatu!
Fatu blocks Reigns’ punches and isn’t affected by a kick. Fatu clotheslines Reigns in a corner where he delivers ten weak headbutts and a hip attack. Fatu charges again. Superman Punch for a two count.
The fight goes to the floor. Drive-by by Reigns. Fatu locks in the Tongan Death Grip again and then slams Reigns through the announce table.
Fatu charges in. He gets speared by Reigns for a two count. Reigns lets out his roar. He charges. Fatu picks him up for a Samoan Drop. Mighty Moonsault for a two.
The fans lose their minds.
Fatu does as well. He head butts Reigns a zillion times. Reigns blocks a swanton with his knees but is hurt by doing so. Slugfest with both men on their knees and then on their feet. Fatu wins that. Two hip attacks on Roman. Fatu locks on the Tongan Death Grip. Reigns fights it off smashing Fatu into the official in a corner.
Two Superman Punches don’t knock Fatu down. Pop-up Superman Punch. Spear. Fatu kicks out at two and a half.
Reigns turns to the official. Fatu has the Tongan Death Grip on Reigns again. Reigns grabs the official by the neck. Reigns and Fatu stumble into a corner. Reigns grabs the turnbuckle ripping it off. Reigns rams Fatu’s head into it, spear and Reigns retains.
Fatu goes nuts again. He puts the Tongan Death Grip on Reigns. The official gets in Fatu’s face. He gets a Samoan Drop for his troubles. Fatu goes back to the Tongan Death Grip on Reigns. WWE officials arrives. Fatu starts taking them out then back to the grip. Reigns starts foaming at the mouth.
Fatu leaves the ring shouting: “I told him so!”.
He then returns to the ring and it is Death Grip time again. Fatu stands over Reigns with the belt. The fans actually boo Fatu.
John Cena also made his big announcement…which I found to be a mixed bag of news.
John Cena’s music played. He heads down to the ring in a suit. He needs to “go to work”. I thought this dude retired?
Cena says he has been wondering about the next phase of his career. The crowd chants:
One more match! One more match!
He’s retired, idiots. Ugh.
He says he is happy about his retirement match. It was an evening of opportunity for the winner of the tournament and NXT superstars who appeared.
“It hit me! Damn! We have to do this again! So, we are. I am so honored tonight to announce to you the John Cena Classic,” he said.
“It will be an entire evening of the best today competing with the best of tomorrow,” he continued.
A new championship will also debut that evening.
“This is an event and a championship I am putting my name on.” he said.
Cena explained that the voice of the fans will be heard “louder than ever before” because the audience, the fans will vote to crown the champion of the John Cena Classic which means someone might not win their match but their effort could win them the the fan-voted championship.
And therein lies the issue. The fans will get to vote on the winner which means…it will be a popularity contest as we have seen in those reality shows which allow the viewers to vote on a winner. More times than not, the best player isn’t rewarded. It is the most popular. Another bright idea courtesy of the WWE brain trust. Ugh.
WWE Backlash 2026 Results
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
Rollins’ attire tonight is reminiscent of The Shield meets Mortal Kombat. Bron jumpstarts things by charging at Rollins. Rollins leaps over him and he smashes into the corner instead. Rollins knocks him out of the ring for a suicide dive. Bron is bounced off of the barricades and then clotheslined over the top rope on the other side of the ring. His suicide dives knocks Bron into the announce table.
Rollins is whipped over the barricade but leaps back over a few seconds later peppering Bron with punches. Bron catches Rollins in midair heaving him over the top rope to the floor.
A German Suplex sends Rollins into the ropes and almost clean out of the ring.
As he has Rollins down on the canvass Bron says to him: “All you had to do was give me and Bronson a chance and you didn’t! Everything was for you! You self-centered piece of trash!”.
Bron runs the ropes clotheslining Rollins out of his boots for a two count. Bron punishes him with more suplexes. Frankensteiner for a two count on Rollins.
Let’s go Rollins! Let’s go Rollins!
On the floor, Bron runs in for a spear and Rollins super kicks him in the head. Rollins blows Paul Heyman as kiss as he lines up Bron for a Stomp. Bron catches Rollin’s foot, lifts him in a Military Press and drops him in an Abdomen Breaker. Rollins blocks a spear with a kick to the head.
Botch-A-Mania time! Rollins bounces off the ropes and tries to swing all the way around Bron but cannot. The end up falling to the mat in a pile.
Bron gives Rollins a jumping clothesline from the apron sending him over the announce table. Bron turns a Superplex from Rollins into a slam of his own.
Bron suffers a Pedagre and a Stomp. This brings Heyman onto the apron bitching and complaining to the official. Heyman begs Rollins to take a shot at him. Rollins rolls out of the ring and brings a steel chair into play. He clobbers an interfering Austin Theory and Logan Paul. Rollins stomps Theory and then chases Paul away with a steel chair in hand.
Bron spears Rollins as he re-enters the ring. Rollins kicks out. Rollins counters a spear into a Pedigree. Rollins leaps off the top rope for an Avalanche Stomp. Bron spears him in the air. Another spear for the win.
Winner: Bron Breakker
Rating: 8 / 10
Trick Williams (c) vs. Sami Zayn – WWE United States Championship
Before he walks out to the ring, Trick speaks to Cathy Kelley. Trick says Sami needs to stop lying. Trick has been the veteran and leading this feud. It is Trick Williams’ world and tonight the games are over.
Lil Yachty is with Willaims. He is carrying that Kendo stick, candy cane.
Sami backs Trick into a corner right away lighting him up with some chops. Trick does the same thing to Sami after a leaping clothesline.
Trick stomps Sami in the corner and with each stomp…
Whoop that Trick! Whoop that Trick!
On the floor, Trick clotheslines Sami from behind. Sami regains the advantage whipping him into the ring steps. Sami confronts Yachty. Yachty backs away as quickly as he can. Sami gives Trick haymaker after haymaker. The crowd boos.
Sami sucks! Sami sucks!
Trick with a Bookend for a two count. A Sunset Powerbomb off the second rope for a two count. Sami motions to the crowd and they boo him more. Another two count after a Blue Thunder Bomb from Sami.
The crowd chants…
Sami…Sami Sucks. Sami…Sami Sucks.
Sami jumps over Trick coming down hard on his kneel. He rolls around on the mat in agony. The official backs Trick off. Trick finally gets a hold of Sami. Sami rolls him up for a two. As Yachty gets on the apron and complains to the official about something, Sami takes his kendo stick and wails on Trick for a two count.
The official is now concerned with Trick in a corner. Sami heads to the opposite corner readying a Heluvah Kick. Yachty hits Sami with the kendo stick across the back. Cyclone Boot for a two count.
The fight goes to the floor. Sami punches Yachty beating him with the kendo stick. The crowd boos him even more. Sami DDTs Trick on the steel steps.
Sami rolls Trick into the ring. Yachty has his back to the action and Sami for some crazy reason. A Heluvah Kick sends Yachty into the ringside barricade. Trick dodges the Heluvah Kick and pins Sami with the Trick Shot.
Winner: …and still WWE United States Champion, Trick Williams.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
No need to switch over to ESPN Plus. I am in Canada. I just keep it on Netflix.
Danhausen and TBA vs. The Miz and Kit Wilson
Before Danhausen makes his entrance, he plays a Very Nice/Very Evil production: A Story of Friendship. It highlights everything that has happened between them.
Danhausen drives his coffinmobile to the ring before heading back to attend to his cloning machine, the crate he originally came out of. With a lot of effort, Danhausen pulls the front off the crate, a ton of smoke billows out and out comes…a very, very little Danhausen. Danhausen drives Mini Hausen around the ring.
Mini Hausen battles Kit. He barrels him over by diving off the ropes. He also takes Kit down with a DDT when Kit is on his knees. He whips Miz over with a hurricanrana. He walks the top rope kicking Miz in the face and hurricanranas Kit through the ropes and to the floor.
Mini Hausen stands on Danhausen’s shoulders. He dives off splashing Kit and Miz on the floor. Miz throws Danhausen into a steel post. Miz and Kit work over Mini Hausen.
Danhausen is hot-tagged in. He atomic drops and clotheslines Miz. He suplexes Kit. He runs between the corners clotheslining them both. He has to stop and catch his breath though.
Mini Danhausen splashes Miz and Kit on the floor. Kit begs off as Mini chases him up the rampway. Kit kicks him in the head, whips him back into the crate and closes the door.
The cloning machine is activated again. An entire squad of Mini Hausens comes scambling out. The swarm Kit chasing him back to the ring. Mini Hausen gives Kit an airplane spin in the middle of the ring for a…Wasteland!
Wade Barrett blows a gasket! Mini Hausen tries to curse Wilson. Wilson holds up a mirror. Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale on Mini Hausen. Danhausen makes the save just in time.
On the floor. The Miz picks up a fire extingisher. He screams out to Danhausen and a group of Mini Hausens:
You are cursed!
Miz attempts to spray them but nothing happens. He ends up spraying himself and Kit. Mini Hausen leaps off the top rope onto Kit on the floor. Danhausen pins Miz with his kick to the head.
Winners: Danhausen and Mini Hausen
Rating: 5 / 10
The WWE announces that TripleMania 34 will be a two night event on September 11th and 13th.
Iyo Sky versus Asuka
Asuka does more of her ridiculous dancing. The fans chant:
We want Kairi! We want Kairi!
Sky backs Asuka into the rope. Asuka shoves her back hard.
We want Kairi! We want Kairi!
…rings out again as we wonder where all this support was before. Hmmmmm.
Iyo flips head over heels, trips up Asuka drop kicks her in the head. Asuka whips Iyo over. Iyo lands on her feet waving her finger is Asuka’s face.
Iyo knees Asuka in a corner for a two count. Asuka rolls to the apron. Iyo chops Asuka off the apron. Asuka catches Iyo about to leap off the ropes. She slams Iyo’s head into a steel post. Asuka lays Iyo over the apron giving her machine gun kicks to the head.
Iyo is on her knees. Asuka kicks her over and over until Iyo stomps her. Iyo flips over and over after a missile drop kick from the top rope. Bullet Train attack for a two count.
Combination strikes and a running knee and Asuka gets a two count.
Asuka puts Iyo in the Asuka Lock. Iyo elbows and stunners her way out of it. Asuka locks in an arm bar instead. Iyo reverses that into a crossface of sorts. Asuka makes it to the ropes. Iyo is still holding her injured arm though.
Iyo climbs the ropes holding onto Asuka who is on the apron. Asuka smashes Iyo’s head into the steel post. Asuka flips Iyo into a pin after rolling through her hurricanrana. Incredible move!
Iyo’s suicide dive is blocked by Asuka’s forearm. As they battle on the announce desk, Asuka spits her mist at Iyo. Iyo blocks with a lap top. Iyo catches Asuka’s kick dropping her on the announce table. Iyo splashes Asuka off the announce table. A moonsault off the second rope takes Asuka down on the floor.
Asuka rolls out of the way of Iyo’s moonsault off the top rope. Asuka puts Iyo in the Asuka Lock. She turns it into a pin attempt.
German Suplex, Bullet Train Attack, Over The Moonsault for the pin.
Iyo and Asuka…cry in the middle of the ring?!?! They hug each other??!?! Asuka holds Iyo’s arm up.
Winner: Iyo Sky
Rating: 8 / 10
John Cena makes his announcement.
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu – World Heavyweight Championship Match
Winner: …and still World Heavyweight Champion, Roman Reigns.
Rating: 8 / 10
Event Rating: 8 / 10
