WrestleMania Backlash was the fallout from a successful two-night WrestleMania 37. The card was stacked with matches of varying quality. For the first time in 12 years, Backlash returned to its traditional post-WrestleMania spot. However, it was called WrestleMania Backlash for some strange reason. Nevertheless, the post-WrestleMania pay-per-view generally features a plethora of rematches from WrestleMania with a few tweaks.
This event had significant importance, especially for those who won titles at WrestleMania 37. Those wrestlers were looking to solidify their championship reigns and prove that they certainly deserved to be holding a title. Moreover, WrestleMania Backlash was definitely a success overall with a few matches that undoubtedly exceeded expectations.
7 Damian Priest Vs. The Miz - Lumberjack Match
The Miz and John Morrison continued to be a thorn in Damian Priest's side after WrestleMania 37. Nevertheless, Priest collided with The Miz in a Lumberjack match, with the former two-time WWE Champion having nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
This match was incredibly lackluster, and the lumberjacks were zombies. However, Miz and Priest briefly worked as a cohesive unit to get rid of the zombies at ringside. Ultimately, The Archer of Infamy picked up another huge win over The Miz with his patented Hit The Lights finishing maneuver.
6 Sheamus Vs. Ricochet
The WWE United States Champion Sheamus issued an open challenge on the pre-show. However, The Celtic Warrior's United States Championship was not at stake. Ricochet answered the challenge, and fans would have been pleased to hear Ricochet's music play as he has been relegated to appearances on Main Event in recent times.
Moreover, Ricochet probably found out incredibly late that he would be facing Sheamus as he wrestled in trousers. This was a competitive match, and Ricochet showed why he deserves to be featured regularly on Raw. Neither man held back, but Sheamus' arm was raised aloft in victory after delivering a thunderous knee to Ricochet's face.
5 Rhea Ripley (C) Vs. Asuka Vs. Charlotte Flair - Raw Women's Championship Match
Rhea Ripley defended the Raw Women's Championship against former champions Asuka and Charlotte Flair in the opening match of the night. This was a decent opener to get the show off to a positive start. All three women were motivated, and they had excellent chemistry together.
The Queen was looking for a record-extending 14th Women's Title reign, and she pulled out all of the stops to attain her goal. She nailed both Asuka and Ripley with her trademark moonsault off the top rope onto the outside. Moreover, Asuka and The Nightmare formed a brief alliance when they tried to double-suplex Flair. However, Charlotte nailed both of them with Natural Selection and she tried to cover them both. Ultimately, Ripley continued to reign supreme after her old faithful Riptide kept Asuka down for the count of three.
4 The Dirty Dawgs (C) Vs. Rey & Dominik Mysterio - SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
There was drama before the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match kicked off. The reigning champions The Dirty Dawgs viciously assaulted Dominik Mysterio on the pre-show. Nevertheless, Rey Mysterio continued to fight alone as The Mysterios were looking to become the first father-son duo in WWE history to win the tag team titles.
Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode had a stranglehold on proceedings as they targetted Rey's injured left knee. However, Dominik joined the match mid-way through although he was less than 100%. The action was exceptional, and this encounter went back and forth. Rey hit Roode with a beautiful 619, and Dominik sealed the deal with a Frog Splash to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions. History was made with The Mysterios being the first father and son to hold a tag team championship in WWE.
3 Bianca Belair (C) Vs. Bayley - SmackDown Women's Championship Match
This was a huge night for Bianca Belair as she put the SmackDown Women's Championship on the line for the first time since she defeated Sasha Banks for the title in the main event on Night One of WrestleMania 37. The EST of WWE had a stern test as she squared off with the two-time and the longest-reigning SmackDown Women's Champion in history, Bayley.
Belair dominated the early exchanges of the match, and The Role Model retreated to the outside to regroup. Bayley gained the upper hand in this titular bout and she nailed Belair with two vicious suplexes on the outside. This was a high-level championship match, and Bayley failed to prevail with her Bayley-To-Belly cutting a shocking figure. Ultimately, Belair retained her title with both women looking strong in this match.
2 Bobby Lashley (C) Vs. Drew McIntyre Vs. Braun Strowman - WWE Championship Match
There were certainly a few eyebrows raised when Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship match got changed to a triple threat match with Braun Strowman being added to the mix. However, this WWE Title match was a hard-hitting affair and went better than expected.
Lashley and McIntyre teamed up and they tried to remove The Monster Among Men from the equation. Strowman recovered, and he clocked Lashley with two vicious steel step shots. All three men fought on the outside, and it seemed that The All-Mighty WWE Champion's reign was in jeopardy when McIntyre threw Lashley into the LED board. Moreover, Strowman put McIntyre through the announce table with a powerbomb. Nevertheless, Lashley resurfaced and he nailed Strowman with a Spear to retain the WWE Title in a pulsating encounter.
1 Roman Reigns (C) Vs. Cesaro - Universal Championship Match
"The Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns headlined yet another pay-per-view, and he defended the Universal Championship against Cesaro. The Swiss Superman had to be incredibly patient for his first one-on-one match for a World Title on pay-per-view. However, Reigns wanted to fight Cesaro on his own, and neither of his cousins Jey or Jimmy Uso was involved.
Cesaro sold his right arm injury like a million bucks which added some drama to the match. Reigns trash-talked for certain parts of the match, and the two put on a superb main event. Some people think it's a candidate for "the match of the year" as the match certainly delivered. Ultimately, it was a valiant effort from Cesaro but The Tribal Chief won cleanly with Cesaro unable to fight his way out of the Guillotine Choke.