WWE Backlash in Tampa, Florida, USA, Streaming Live on ESPN Unlimited, May 9th, 2026 — The Premium Live Event Recap:

Bron Breakker got the biggest win of his wrestling career as he defeated Seth Rollins in the Opening Match of WWE Backlash. (Image courtesy of WWE)

• Location: Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida, USA.

• Where to Watch: Streaming Live on ESPN Unlimited.

• What to Watch Next Week: WWE Monday Night RAW Starts at 8 P.M. ET / 7 P.M. CT / 5 P.M. PT, Streaming Live on Netflix Worldwide.

WWE Backlash: The Official Match Results:

The Opening Match: Bron Breakker (with Paul Heyman) defeated Seth Rollins in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (21:26)

The 2nd Match: Trick Williams (with Lil Yachty) (c) defeated Sami Zayn in a WWE United States Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (12:56)

The 3rd Match: Danhausen & Minihausen defeated Kit Wilson & The Miz in a Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (11:38)

The 4th Match: IYO SKY defeated Asuka in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (18:07)

The Main Event Match: Roman Reigns (c) defeated Jacob Fatu in a WWE World Heavyweight Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (17:50)

My Official Thoughts on WWE Backlash:

My Official Thoughts: A very strong WWE PLE, the best PLE of 2026, easily from start to finish. I enjoyed four of the five matches, and they actually were given a good amount of time, which is why they couldn't do this for WrestleMania? But I loved seeing the young talent thriving in Bron Breakker & Trick Williams. Danhausen shines in his WWE PLE Debut. IYO SKY beats her demons as she ends the feud with Asuka, as they embraced after the match is a beautiful moment. The Main Event, Jacob Fatu was made as a monster, and even in defeat, he still looked amazing. I'm excited for the Clash in Italy. We might be getting two World Title Matches, and that's something that's getting me excited for that event.

WWE Backlash: My Official Match Ratings:

The Opening Match: Bron Breakker (with Paul Heyman) vs. Seth Rollins in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: **** — This was a very good opener for Backlash. This was such an entertaining match, and I'm very happy with the outcome as Bron Breakker gets the biggest win of his career, defeating Seth Rollins. Now, there were some clunky moments, but they found ways to fix that. I didn't think the other members of The Vision were going to come out, but they did, which kinda left a stain on this very good match. I was fearing Bron Breakker may lose as Seth Rollins lost at WrestleMania, but the way they've booked Bron Breakker since his return has been perfection. Now I do expect a trilogy for this feud ending at SummerSlam. But Bron Breakker, what a performance, and win this is a guy who'll be a cornerstone to this company for decades to come. They can't fumble him. But what an opener, very happy with the outcome, and how the match went.

The 2nd Match: Trick Williams (with Lil Yachty) (c) vs. Sami Zayn in a WWE United States Title Match | The Match Rating: ***.25 — A lot better than their WrestleMania Match, way much better, much more entertaining, was given some solid time, and it did the job for Trick Williams. Sami Zayn played the heel so well in this match; he did a great job of making the fans hate him even more. Trick Williams retaining the title is the smart choice because he's one of the future pieces of this company, but I really liked how they were given a lot to do in this match. Lil Yachty, even though I don't like his involvement with this stuff, did his part in this match, in my opinion. But in the end was a fun match with Trick Williams hitting the Trick Shot Knee to get the win, and now what's next for Sami Zayn?

The 3rd Match: Danhausen & Minihausen vs. Kit Wilson & The Miz in a Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: *.75 — I just found this match a filler, and it wasn't needed. This could've been better off on a SackDown Episode than a PLE. That was quite good, but this match was full of chaos, and we saw Kit Wilson make his PLE Debut in a solid performance. This match was really, really not needed would've liked something else in this place, maybe another title match? But I really wished we could've gotten something else besides this, but in the end, Danhausen & Mini Danhausen got the win over Kit Wilson & The Miz in a very odd and interesting Tag Team Match.

The 4th Match: IYO SKY vs. Asuka in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ****.50 — What an amazing match, and what a beautiful way to end this feud. This was such an amazing match. Asuka & IYO SKY easily had the Match of the Night as both women tore the house down. I loved the in-ring action. There were many fun moments in this match, and I knew IYO SKY would get the win, as she needs this to redirect back to the WWE Women's World Title Scene. But we also saw Asuka visibly emotional. I don't know if this is the end of her in WWE, but if this is it, I'm very happy I got to see one of the best to ever do it, and I hope she enjoys whatever she chooses to do next. It seems like Asuka is done, or maybe I'm overthinking it.

The Main Event Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu in a WWE World Heavyweight Title Match | The Match Rating: ****.25 — This was a very explosive match between these men. The chemistry they had was great. This was such a great main event to close out a very strong show, probably WWE’s Best PLE of 2026. Roman Reigns, even with the win, was the man who was down, as Jacob Fatu, in the end, was the man standing, looking very strong. It took Roman Reigns an exposed turnbuckle to get the win, even after the win. The Tongan Death Grip kept taking Roman Reigns' breath away as many WWE officials tried to get Jacob Fatu off of Roman Reigns, but the Samoian Werewolf had an awesome performance. I'm assuming that at Clash at Italy, this rematch will have a stipulation involved.

WWE Backlash: My Match of the Night: IYO SKY vs. Asuka in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ****.50 — What an incredible match and a perfect way to end this feud. Asuka and IYO SKY easily had the match of the night, absolutely tearing the house down. IYO needed this win to get back into the WWE Women’s World Title picture, but seeing Asuka so emotional made it feel like this could be the end of her WWE run. If it is, I’m just grateful I got to watch one of the best and hope she enjoys whatever comes next.

WWE Backlash: My Official Event Grade: 7.50/10 (B) — A very strong WWE PLE, easily the best of 2026 from start to finish. I enjoyed four of the five matches, and they were given a good amount of time. Why couldn’t they do this for WrestleMania? Loved seeing young talent thrive in Bron Breakker and Trick Williams, and Danhausen shone in his WWE PLE debut. IYO SKY beat her demons and ended her feud with Asuka, with their post-match embrace being a beautiful moment. In the main event, Jacob Fatu was made to look like a monster; even in defeat, he still looked amazing. I’m excited for Clash in Italy, especially with the possibility of two World Title matches.