By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu: The mystery of whether Reigns would give Fatu a title match was a groaner, as it was obvious that the match would be booked for Backlash. But it did set the table for Fatu snapping after Reigns initially declined to give him the match. I hope the match will give us a better understanding of the babyface/heel dynamic between Reigns and Fatu. I think the idea is that Roman is the babyface, but his character’s arrogance comes off heelish at times. Meanwhile, Fatu expressing his desire to win the title to buy a better home for his family and so that his kids can go to a better school are not lines you typically associate with a heel wrestler. That said, this looks like a hell of a match on paper. There are times when Backlash feels like an unnecessary show because it’s so close to WrestleMania, but the creative team is doing a good job of setting up the matches with just three weeks of direct build.
Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez: It was a big night for Perez, who received a great reaction from her hometown fans. She played her part perfectly by putting on a happy face throughout her one-on-one meeting with the manipulative Morgan, and then letting out a big sigh and dropping the guise once Morgan left the room. Finn Balor warning Perez not to trust the other Judgment Day members was an interesting development.
Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker: A good verbal exchange to set up their showdown match at Backlash. Breakker is holding his own on the mic, and I like that he is speaking in his own voice rather than channeling his uncle’s promo style. It’s also great to see three fresh matches announced for Backlash rather than it featuring mostly WrestleMania rematches.
Becky Lynch vs. Iyo Sky for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship: The live crowd showed that the fan backlash over Kairi Sane being released isn’t limited to a small but vocal group of online fans. Lynch’s promo was top-notch, and Sky answering her open challenge was unexpected fun. Asuka preventing Sky from winning was a logical move to heat up their feud heading into their Backlash match.
Oba Femi vs. Grayson Waller: A soft Hit for a simple squash win for Oba, who also announced that he is holding a series of open challenge matches. Will the company pull Omos out of mothballs for a match or feud with Oba?
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano: A soft Hit for the latest chapter in the Americano vs. Americano feud. While it doesn’t do much for me, it was good to see the company promote their mask vs. mask match for an upcoming AAA event. Here’s hoping that Rey will be placed in an actual program now that he’s back from the injured list.
WWE Raw Misses
Intercontinental Champion Penta vs. Rusev in a non-title match: A minor Miss. While it was nice to see a clean finish, it felt like the company should have been able to get more out of this match. A few weeks of strong wins for Rusev would have been enough to present him as a quality challenger to Penta in a title match on Raw. Rather, the match was thrown together with minimal build and was a throwaway non-title match. Even if creative forces want the focus to be on Ethan Page as the next challenger, Rusev losing this match would have cleared the spot for him.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
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