Powell’s WWE Backlash Hit List: John Cena vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship, Gunther vs. Pat McAfee, Lyra Valkyria vs. Bekcy Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Title

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

WWE Backlash Hits

Gunther vs. Pat McAfee: A fun spectacle match. The build was brief, yet highly effective to the point that I looked forward to this match more than anything else on the Backlash card. The match was laid out really well, with Gunther dominating the bulk of the offense and toying with McAfee, who had some fun hope spots, yet never crossed the line of being self-indulgent by taking too much offense as a non-wrestler. Michael Cole tripping Gunther during the suplex spot felt unnecessary and beneath the way I’d prefer to see the lead play-by-play announcer presented. And I really could have done without Gunther showing respect to McAfee afterward unless there’s some storyline reason for it.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Hogan my ass. Lynch went above and beyond in attempting to elevate Valkyria, who came through with her best performance on the main roster. The ring work was physical, the near falls were suspenseful, and this match received my vote for best of the night honors. It will be interesting to see what comes next for Lynch now that she took this loss to her former protege.

Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest vs. LA Knight in a four-way for the U.S. Championship: A strong opening match with good work from everyone involved. Hopefully, McIntyre is okay after the table spot when he appeared to hit his head on the floor. The arrival of Jeff Cobb was a fun development in that he and Solo Sikoa helped Fatu, yet the idea was that the Fatu character was upset because Solo didn’t give him the heads up about bringing Cobb into the fold.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship: A soft Hit. The match was better than anticipated. Holding the match in Orton’s hometown was a wise call, as the fans were hanging on every move and gave the desired pro-babyface reaction. That said, Orton is popular enough that the same match may have worked in other cities. The ref bumps at the end became farcical. It’s hard to be excited about the remainder of Cena’s title reign, given the threat of more “The Very Worst of Old School TNA” finishes.

WWE Backlash Misses

Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta for the Intercontinental Title: The length of the match, combined with the bad El Grande Americano finish, made this feel like something that belonged on Raw rather than on the premium live event. Americano is a one-note joke that isn’t doing anything for this viewer. The big question is whether Americano will garner heat with lucha fans, as I suspect he’ll be featured prominently on the World Collide event.

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Readers Comments (2)

  1. So Cenavs.Truth at SNME right?

  2. The Fabulous One May 12, 2025 @ 10:56 pm

    Nice list, and the way you have the matches listed is about the same way I would’ve rated them from favorite to least.

    I think a soft hit could be given to the crowd for some of the great signs they made, my favorites being ( I sold my car for these seats) and (start filming barbie 2 so John Cena leaves) plus at the end of the show when he left the ring and started walking back up the ramp the entire crowd started chanting thank you cena….despite the match they just saw.

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