WWE Backlash in St.Louis, Missouri | May 10th, 2025 | Premium Live Event | The Live Event Recap:

John Cena, after retaining his WWE Championship against his long-time rival Randy Orton in his hometown of St.Louis, Missouri. (Photo by WWE)

WWE Premium Live Event | WWE Backlash | Match Results:

The Opening Match: Jacob Fatu (c) defeated Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre and LA Knight in a Fatal-Four Way Title Match for the WWE United States Championship | Pin-Fall | (18:14) - TITLE RETAINED!!!!

2nd Match: Lyra Valkyria (c) defeated Becky Lynch in a Singles Title Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship | Pin-Fall | (18:43) - TITLE RETAINED!!!!

3rd Match: Dominik Mysterio (c) defeated Penta in a Singles Title Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship | Pin-Fall | (09:34) - TITLE RETAINED!!!!

4th Match: Gunther vs. Pat McAfee in a Singles Match | Technical Knockout | (14:07)

The Main Event: John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton in a Singles Title Match | Pin-Fall | (27:49) - TITLE RETAINED!!!!

My Thoughts on the Premium Live Event | WWE Backlash:

My Thoughts: What an incredible opener! It truly set the tone for the entire night at Backlash. I appreciated how the match kicked off swiftly without any slow moments—it just dove right in. The in-ring action was fantastic, showcasing the significance of the WWE United States Championship on SmackDown. There were several wild bumps and memorable moments, like the insane South of Heaven delivered to Drew McIntyre from a high structure onto tables, eliminating both him and Damian Priest from the match, as we didn't see either of them afterward. LA Knight was building some momentum, but Solo Sikoa appeared to intervene and assist Jacob Fatu. An angry LA Knight confronted Solo Sikoa, but before he could act, Jeff Cobb debuted in WWE and allied himself with Solo. I found it interesting that Jacob Fatu looked bewildered, unable to believe what was happening. He secured the victory and retained his title, yet new dynamics are unfolding in the ongoing narrative involving Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa, especially as tensions have been escalating. Solo Sikoa’s introduction of a new member to The Bloodline likely displeased Jacob Fatu. Overall, this was a strong Fatal-Four Way match and a fantastic way to kick off Jacob Fatu's reign as the WWE United States Champion. Finally, Lyra Valkyria defended her title at a Premium Live Event. For me, this was the best match of the night following an excellent Fatal-Four Way. Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch delivered a fun matchup. I liked Becky Lynch's portrayal; she was incredibly eager to defeat Lyra Valkyria, yet nothing seemed to work. There were instances when I thought she had won, but Lyra fought with great determination to stay competitive. I half-expected Bayley to make an appearance, but it seems that’s being saved for later. Overall, it was a solid match that highlighted Lyra Valkyria’s strength as she retained her title impressively. Kudos to Becky Lynch for further establishing Lyra. Next, Dominik Mysterio’s second title defense against Penta turned out to be a smart addition to the card. I initially thought Penta would win and finally claim gold in WWE, but it seems we’ll need to wait a bit longer for that. Dominik Mysterio performed exceptionally well, executing moves I hadn’t seen from him before; the Tornado DDT outside was a standout moment. Penta hit the Mexican Destroyer onto the spring—an amazing spot. This matchup was necessary, and including it was a wise decision. The Judgment Day nearly undermined Dominik Mysterio; their interference was obvious, but they eventually contributed to his victory when Finn Balor, after being ejected, engaged in a dispute with the referee. Meanwhile, El Grande Americano came in and headbutted Penta, allowing Dominik Mysterio to secure the win. It turned out to be a very entertaining filler match on the undercard. I had low expectations for Pat McAfee versus Gunther, hoping for a different matchup instead, but this one surpassed my expectations. The initial part of the match was underwhelming, and they didn't truly elevate the pace until later on. The crowd erupted when Michael Cole got involved, which was anticipated given his role in the storyline. There were moments where it seemed Gunther might lose, but he ultimately prevailed by forcing Pat McAfee to submit. I thoroughly enjoyed this match; the overbooking, flashy spots, and finisher madness made it a blast. John Cena and Randy Orton's past encounters were somewhat lackluster, but they ended their storied rivalry on a high note, with Cena winning and retaining against Orton. So many moments had me on the edge of my seat, and the crowd was electrifying. I lost count of the RKO's and Attitude Adjustments exchanged between them. The unexpected involvement of R-Truth cost Randy Orton the match, allowing Cena to emerge victorious. It was a fitting conclusion to the rivalry between these two legends. Post-match, John Cena was visibly emotional amid the "Thank You Cena" chants. He is expected to feud with R-Truth next at the Saturday Night Main Event, which should be intriguing. Overall, this was an enjoyable event with good pacing, but I’d suggest future events include six to seven matches, as five just isn’t sufficient for a pay-per-view.

WWE Premium Live Event | WWE Backlash | Match Ratings:

The Opening Match: Jacob Fatu (c) vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre vs. LA Knight in a Fatal-Four Way Title Match for the WWE United States Championship | Match Rating: **** | What an opener. This set the tone for the whole night for Backlash. I liked how the match started off quickly, didn't have a slow pace or anything, just kicked off right. The action in the ring was great. I thought this was needed to establish how important the WWE United States Championship is going to be now on SmackDown.There were a lot of crazy bumps, and a lot of amazing moments like the insane South of Heaven given to Drew McIntyre from the top of a tall structure onto tables, which took out both Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre entirely from the match, as we didn't see them after that. LA Knight was getting some momentum, but then Solo Sikoa came out to stop things and save Jacob Fatu. An irate LA Knight came towards Solo Sikoa, but before he could do anything, Jeff Cobb made his WWE Debut and aligned himself with Solo Sikoa. What I liked was that Jacob Fatu was in dismay as he couldn't believe what was going on. He got the win and retained. Still, now we have some new layers to the story being told for Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa, as tensions have been brewing for a while, but this will put things over the edge as Solo Sikoa introduces a new member to The Bloodline, which I don't think Jacob Fatu was pleased about. But very good Fatal-Four Way match, and this was a good way to start Jacob Fatu's reign as the WWE United States Champion.

2nd Match: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Becky Lynch in a Singles Title Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship | Match Rating: ****.50 | Finally, we got a Lyra Valkyria title defense on a Premium Live Event. This was the best match of the night for me after a great fatal-four way match to kick things off, they kept the momentum as Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch gave us a very fun match. I like how Becky Lynch was portrayed in this match. She was so desperate to beat Lyra Valkyria, but nothing was working. There were some moments in the match when I thought she got the win, but Lyra Valkyria showed a lot of fight and kept herself in the match. There were some moments as well. I thought Bayley would come out, but I guess they are saving that for later. But this was a good match, this put Lyra Valkryia over so huge as she retained in a huge way, amazing title defense, and this was perfectly done. Lyra Valkyria is looking so strong in this whole feud. Flowers need to be given to Becky Lynch, as done a great job establishing Lyra Valkyria even further.

3rd Match: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Penta in a Singles Title Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship | Match Rating: ***.50 | This was a solid filler match for this card. Dominik Mystero having his 2nd title defense against Penta was smart. I thought Penta was going to win this match and finally become a champion in WWE, but I think we have to wait a little longer for that one. Dominik Mysterio looked very good in this match. He was pulling out stuff that I haven't seen him do that Tornado DDT on the outside was such a crazy moment. I wouldn't have expected Dominik Mysterio to even do that. Penta did the Mexican Destroyer onto the spring, which was such a crazy spot. This match was much needed; they were smart to add this match to the card. The Judgement Day almost sabotaged Dominik Mysterio; they tried to help, but just kept being obvious. But eventually they did help out as Finn Balor, after being ejected from the ringside, argued with eh referee, but appearing out under was El Grande Americano, who headbutted Penta to help Dominik Mysterio secure the win and retain. A very fun filler match for the undercard.

4th Match: Gunther vs. Pat McAfee in a Singles Match | Match Rating: *** | This match I didn't expect this match to be remotely good, wish another match could've been over this, but this match exceeded my expectations. Pat McAfee and Gunther had a so-so match. The beginning portion of the match didn't go well; it felt so out of tune, and they didn't shift into another gear until later on in the match. The crowd erupted when Michael Cole got involved, which I knew was bound to happen as he played a part in this story being told. There were some moments I thought Gunther was going to lose, but he pulled through and got the victory by choking out Pat McAfee.

The Main Event: John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton in a Singles Title Match | Match Rating: ***.75 | I enjoyed the hell out of this match. I loved the overbooking and spotfest, and finisher spams. This match was such a hoot. John Cena and Randy Orton's past encounters were very lackluster, but at least they ended this legendary rivalry in a fun way, as John Cena got the win and retained over Randy Orton. There were so many moments in this match that had me on my feet, the crowd was red-hot for this match. The amount of RKO's and Attitude Adjustments, I couldn't even count how many times they hit their finishers on each other. R-Truth getting involved was so not expected. He cost Randy Orton the match and allowed John Cena to get the victory. But what a way to put an end to this long rivalry between two legendary wrestlers. After the match, you can see that John Cena got emotional after hearing the "Thank You Cena" chants. John Cena is expected to feud with R-Truth next for the Saturday Night Main Event, which is going to be interesting, to say the least.

WWE Premium Live Event | WWE Backlash | Match of the Night: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Becky Lynch in a Singles Title Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship | Match Rating: ****.50

WWE Premium Live Event | WWE Backlash | Event Grade: 7.25/10 (B-) | This was a very fun, safe event. I thought all the matches on the card were fun. I just wish they could’ve added two more matches to the card, but all and all this was a very fun event.