Hiya!

So, it looks like Disney+ Philippines is still screwing over fans as, once again, they are denying us the privilege of being honest and watching a WWE pay-per-view on demand. I don’t know what the deal is and Disney is being mum on the topic. While they don’t have the WWE pay-per-views whenever you want them anymore, Disney+ Philippines still streams them live. Thankfully, WWE Backlash was held in France, which started at around 1AM here and I got to watch the entire thing.

Before I do get to the reviews of the individual matches, I do have to preface them with a disclaimer: I really hated the WWE Universe in France. I get being all rambunctious during a wrestling match, especially when this is the first time the WWE has ever done a pay-per-view in your country. It becomes a huge problem for me when they kept chanting the same phrases over and over again throughout all of the matches. I know a lot of it is because I don’t understand the heck they’re saying because I don’t know any French. Even so, I just didn’t like it.

With that out of the way, onto the reviews!

Match #1: Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. The New Bloodline (Solo Sikoa and Tama Tanga)

Yes, I’m calling them the New Bloodline even though they’re not called that just to differentiate them from the “old” Bloodline led by Roman Reigns. Anyway, this was originally supposed to be a regular match but it was turned into a Street Fight when all the participants got into a massive slugfest before the bell rang. Lots of really cool spots, like the entire brawl into the crowd, several cool table spots and I especially like when Randy Orton hinted he was going to jump off the barricade only to hop to the floor with a cheeky smile on his face. Nice to see The Viper having some fun in the ring.

The finish came after Kevin Owens hit his fisherman brainbuster on Tama Tanga from the 2nd rope into a bunch of chairs. Owens went for the cover but the referee got pulled out of the ring by Tama’s brother, Tonga Loa. Loa took the steel steps and used it to take out Orton in the outside. Solo then entered the ring and used an uranage to throw Owens into a standing chair. One Samoan Spike later, the team of the New Bloodline as well as Tonga Loa get their hands raised in victory.

This was a fantastic opening to a pay-per-view. The action never let up and everyone played their part perfectly. I do think it did get a little long as, while I appreciate the carnage, I’m reminded of the saying “less is more.” I half-expected the New Bloodline would get a new member to interfere and I was 100% correct. A predictable outcome but definitely adrenaline pumping.

Rating: 7 out of 10 new New Bloodline members

Match #2: Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Straton for the Smackdown Women’s Championship

The next match saw Bayley defending the Smackdown Woman’s Championship against Naomi and Tiffany Straton in a Triple Threat match. This is where I started to really get annoyed by the French live audience as whatever they were chanting really got repetitive. While I appreciate Bayley and Naomi’s efforts, this felt more like Tiffany Straton’s proving grounds to show if she can handle a main event spot in the main roster. I think she did a fantastic job for the most part. There were some botches here and there but, overall, she looked like a star.

The finish came after Bayley and Naomi rolled out of the way from Tiffany’s attempted Prettiest Moonsault Ever. She landed on her feet but Naomi and Bayley took out the former Team USA gymnast with a 3D. A slugfest ensues between the two friends with Naomi taking down the Role Model with a step-up enziguri. Naomi tries to roll Bayley up but Bayley reverses it and pins Naomi for the 3-count, retaining her Smackdown Women’s Championship.

Once again, this was a fine match. They did a good job of making Tiffany Straton look like the next big thing while still getting her out of the final moments in a satisfying manner. I did kind of dislike the finish as the roll-up reversal was rather anti-climactic. I do think I would’ve liked it more if the French crowd took it down a notch or three.

Rating: 6 out of 10 weird botches

Match #3: Jey Uso vs. Damien Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship

The next match had The Judgement Day’s Damien Priest defend RAW’s greatest prize, the World Heavyweight Championship, against Jey Uso. I do love how Jey entered the ring through the crowd, adding to his fan favorite status. While they seem like equals, the match did a good job of featuring Priest’s power game contrasting with Jey’s agility. They also did some really cool in-ring storytelling with Priest berating JD McDonagh when he interfered, stating he wants to do this on his own.

The finish came after Finn Balor came rushing in from the crowd to prevent Jey Uso from hitting a Samoan Splash. It worked as Jey intercepted The Judgement Day member with a superkick, sending him off the apron. This allowed Priest enough time to recover and clock Jey with a massive clothesline. Priest then hits his South of Heaven modified chokeslam to get the pinfall victory and retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

There really isn’t much to talk about from the match itself. However, what did make it interesting was how The Judgement Day members have to try to help Damien Priest without his knowing they’re interfering. This match was more on in service with that storyline than trying to put Jey Uso over, which is fine, in my opinion, as it does make me want to watch what happens next on RAW to see if Priest will figure it out or not.

Rating: 6 out of 10 sly interferences

Match #4: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL’s Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) for the Women’s Tag Team Championships

The next match had the Kabuki Warriors defend their Women’s Tag Team Championships against the mishmash team of Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. The match was actually kind of bereft of any hype moments. There were a few, like Jade Cargill tossing Kairi Sane off her like a ragdoll and Kairi Sane using a crawling Bianca Belair as a stepping stone to clock Jade Cargill who was begging for a tag. Still, these were very few and far between. There was even kind of a botch with Kairi Sane trying to cover Jade Cargill even though she wasn’t the legal person for her team and Cargill just flopping to the mat for no apparent reason in order to get sinched into an armbar. This really was confusing and I believe it’s Bianca Belair’s fault as she was still down at this point when she should have entered the ring so Asuka could lock an armbar on her.

The finish came after Belair and Cargill hit a wheelbarrow DDT into a suplex on Sane for a 2 count. The EST posts herself, allowing Asuka and Sane to hit an inverted DDT and InSane Elbow combo with Cargill breaking up the pinfall. Cargill nails Asuka with a superkick and Sane jumps off the 2nd rope with a seated senton but Cargill snatches her and, through a very complex series of moves, hits Sane with the Jaded/Glam Slam finisher. Belair then hits her KOD finisher on Asuka to get the pinfall victory and become the NEW Women’s Tag Team Champions!

While finish was good, the rest of the match was just okay. The weird sequence where things were just happening just look awkward and really took me out of the moment. I also have to say I don’t like the team of Belair and Cargill because, well, Cargill works so much better as a heel, at least from what I’ve seen during her AEW days. Hopefully, they’ll pull the trigger soon and make her feud with Belair in the future because that’s what I want to see!

Rating: 4 out of 10 weird sequences

Match #5 Cody Rhodes vs AJ Styles for the WWE Universal Championship

The final match of the night had Cody Rhodes defend Smackdown’s greatest prize, the WWE Universal Championship, against AJ Styles. I do have to say this is when the live crowd in France really got on my nerves. Yes, go do dueling chants for both Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles. However, I don’t care if they’re singing because it’s connected to the word “Phenomenal,” which is AJ Styles’ monicker! If it’s distracting me from getting into the match, I am going to hate it! I acknowledge I’m in the minority but I’m just being honest here. Then again, even the WWE’s very own video hype package regarding the crowd reaction doesn’t show the repetitive chants the crowd made during the matches. So, maybe I’m not alone here.

I will say, despite the annoying chants, this was a very good match. It’s definitely interesting to see two pretty evenly matched WWE Superstars go at it in the middle of the ring. You also have to consider these two pretty evenly matched WWE Superstars are at the caliber of Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles. So, yeah, I expected a great match and I got a great match. Very good spacing with them doing some traditional grappling before slowly but surely amping up the action with more violent moves, such as a suplex to the ring apron by AJ Styles to Cody Rhodes and powerbomb through the announcer’s table by Cody Rhodes to the Phenomenal One.

The finish came after Cody Rhodes signaled for the Cross Rhodes but Styles countered with a Pele Kick. Styles then went for a Phenomenal Forearm but the Son of the Son of a Plumber countered with a superkick. Cody went for a Kimura Lock and Styles powered out of it with a slam. Dueling reversals between Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles to see who could hit their finishers with Cody trying to roll up Styles after an attempted sunset flip reversal. Cody then ran to the top of the turnbuckles to hit a super Cody Cutter! One Cross Rhodes later, we have Cody Rhodes getting his hand raised in victory and keeping his WWE Universal Championship.

Once again, I will say this was a good match but I’m still very upset with the live crowd almost ruining it for me. It was fun initially but just got so tiresome by the time we got to this match. I get it. Each part of the world has their own inside jokes. However, I didn’t get this impression when the WWE had Backlash in Puerto Rico last year, Clash at the Castle in Scotland or Elimination Chamber in Australia. Heck, I was even okay with all of the Saudi Arabia show audiences! Too much is, well, too much. A fantastic match almost ruined by too many repetitive chants.

Rating: 8 out of 10 repetitive chants

Overall, if I take the live crowd out of the equation, I would have said Backlash France was a huge suggest, despite some of the botches and the weird match for the Women’s Tag Team Championships. Unfortunately, I do have to add the live crowd as part of my score as they heavily influenced my opinion of the overall show. It brings down Backlash’s score down a notch or two. Sorry, France.

Rating: 6 out of 10 pleas to never do a pay-per-view in France

Byee!

What did you think of this year’s WWE Backlash? Let me know in the comments section below!