WWE Backlash 2024: 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved
The book has closed on WWE Backlash 2024 and the results are in for the promotion's first Premium Live Event in France and its first Backlash outside of North America — after Backlash 2023 emanated out of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. If the raucous crowd in Lyon is any indicator of WWE's market potential in Europe, fans can expect plenty more afternoon start times, beyond the upcoming King and Queen of the Ring show from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and WWE's 2024 Clash at the Castle event to emanate out of Glasgow, Scotland.
The five-match Backlash 2024 card featured four title defenses and they were not all successful. Both men's world titles were on the line, with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest — who each won their respective titles at WrestleMania 40 — defending their titles against AJ Styles and Jey Uso, respectively. Bayley put her WWE Women's Title on the line in a triple threat match against Naomi and Tiffany Stratton and the Kabuki Warriors had to face the likes of Bianca Belair and relative WWE newcomer Jade Cargill.
There were highs, there were lows, and plenty in between. Here three things Wrestling Inc's staff hated about WWE Backlash 2024 and three things we loved.
Hated: The results were predictable
There are 15 of us here at WINC that went 5-0 with our predictions on the 2024 WWE Backlash card. While that's great for me and my standings in the rankings, it didn't exactly make for an interesting premium live event, and that's something I really don't like. I like surprises on my wrestling shows, especially big shows with a really hot international crowd. Today, we only had one smaller surprise with Tanga Loa debuting instead of Jacob Fatu, which was nice, but that surprise was still in the "Bloodline debut" vein. I suppose you could argue the only title changing hands, the Women's Tag Team Championships, being won by Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair was a surprise, but 100% of us thought they would win. Many of us also expected a Bo Dallas return as Uncle Howdy, after a recent QR code led to another spooky video, interrupting a Backlash advertisement. I'm sure WWE is planning that re-debut carefully, especially if it's going to evolve into the Wyatt 6 faction, but simply getting another WWE QR code during Backlash was a bummer.
I didn't hate the matches and the in-ring at all at Backlash, outside of the women's tag team match being pretty awkward, but the predictability made it extremely hard to get excited. Thankfully, the crowd response helped me out at the beginning, but by the time we got to Cody Rhodes defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against AJ Styles, the crowd's singing and chanting was just kind of "blah," because we knew there was absolutely no way Rhodes was dropping that title after just finishing the story at WrestleMania 40.
I initially thought just having five matches on the card was pretty lame, but four out of five solid matches is better than a ton of equally-as-predictable matches. Backlash is never really a barn-burner of a premium live event and usually marks a solid reset for WWE post-Mania, so I'm not sure what exactly I expected. While I hated the predictable card for us watching here at home, I'm thrilled the folks in Lyon, France, got to experience WWE live and have a good time.
Written by Daisy Ruth
Loved: The Lyon crowd starts off hot
We praised the crowd in Lyon, France, in Friday's edition of "3 Things ..." after "SmackDown" but this group was so wild, so loud, so off-the-charts engaged throughout Backlash that the French fans deserve their flowers again. Right out the gate, even before Kevin Owens' music hit to kick off the show, they were in unison, chanting, singing, and cheering as loudly as they possibly could.
The little added touch of chanting a wrestler's name as they are being announced got better still if you recognized the slight collective accent from the French crowd. "Kev-een," for the record, sounds way cooler than "Kevin." And then they sang just about every word of Randy Orton's theme song to the point where it was beyond clear that it touched "The Viper" himself, who thanked the crowd on multiple occasions. Best of all, I think I have a new favorite chant for my next wrestling show as "One, two, simplement deux!" is just the best.
These international crowds are indeed special and they do remind us that we probably take way too much for granted way too often. I'd say that I wished every crowd was like this but that would take away from the uniqueness (and who has that kind of energy!) No matter what, this level of collective happiness and enthusiasm makes others happy just to take it in, and I'm all for that.
Written by Jon Jordan
Hated: No end of show surprise
It was no surprise that going into WWE Backlash that the match card seemed very predictable, which is not always a bad thing when the show delivers as it did here. However, it also opens the door for surprises or returns to become the main focus or the headline after a Premium Live Event and I believe that WWE had an opportunity to do that here but did not capitalize on it.
Leading up to today's PLE, fans speculated that Uncle Howdy would be making his return, especially after all the teases we have seen on WWE programming over the last month. Now it seems like WWE is going to wait a little longer for the his return, as the only indication of him on this show was through another QR code. Even though seeing Howdy return in front of a very energetic crowd in Lyon, France, would have been exciting, I understand WWE wanting to hold off for now and wait to incorporate the character into a developed storyline or even when Cody Rhodes' title reign has lasted a little longer than just a month.
With that being said, I think it would have been ideal to at least have a post-match attack or beat down on Rhodes that could've led to his next challenger at Crown Jewel. Especially with the WWE Draft just occurring last week, "Smackdown" has a roster full of different stars that could have laid down a challenge. I understand that not every PLE needs to have a forward-looking closing angle, however I do believe WWE could have benefited from starting a feud or storyline to cap off a very successful night in Lyon, France.
Written by Julien Alessandro
Loved: Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair are championship material and it shows
WWE Backlash saw just one title change in Lyon on Saturday, and it proved to be the right decision in every facet. "Can they co-exist?" teams are much maligned considering their over use within WWE's storytelling template over the years, but every now and then the impossible dream team comes together and something clicks. Aptly, sometimes lighting is captured in a bottle.
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair appear to be the latest in a line of Mega Powers-esque team-ups, and right now there isn't a hotter team in the division to carry the titles. The Kabuki Warriors are excellent performers but at this juncture there is a call for Damage CTRL to unravel, and the WWE Women's Tag Team titles deserves better than being caught in that whirlwind. One only has to look at the sheer presence of Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair to understand why they have dominated their competition.
Stretching beyond the ring, both have proved to have cross-over potential with several high-profile appearances, the little appreciated difference between what makes a wrestler and what makes a WWE Superstar. Looking at things on a technical level, it makes more than enough sense to pair the tenured and proven main event talent of Belair with the newly-introduced blue chip prospect in Cargill. It's a somewhat-seamless transition for an objectively new Jade Cargill to enter the championship picture, which her star power undoubtedly merits, while also providing her the space to acclimate alongside a made future WWE Hall of Famer.
Written by Max Everett
Hate: Right outcome, sloppy win for Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair
For as much as I wanted Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair to win the tag team championships, I really wish it didn't have to be in the manner it happened at Backlash. I thought the entire match against the Kabuki Warriors was incredibly sloppy. It started off at one point, where I honestly thought I was being too critical, where Cargill seemed to be a bit off from where she was supposed to be standing in the ring, and when Kairi Sane went to hit her, Cargill seemed to blatantly move into place. But, sadly, the sloppiness of the match continued throughout the bout and I wasn't the only one at WINC or even in my own home to notice it.
I am such a huge fan of Cargill (and Belair, of course), but this is what I was afraid of for her, after reading rumors online that she was having trouble remembering spots. Cargill was known more for quicker matches during her impressive win streak in AEW, so this was definitely one of her lengthier matches. Sane and Asuka are formidable opponents, but Cargill is just so much bigger than both of the Kabuki Warriors, and for whatever reason, she didn't seem as impressive as she has in other matches. It didn't seem like that match was produced in quite the right way for Belair to cover for Cargill in the event of a mistake, which could be part of the problem. The entire vibe of the match, as the kids say, was off.
However, I don't entirely blame Cargill for being newer to WWE for all the sloppiness of the match. I honestly think it had a bit to do with the officiating. There was some weirdness, where the referee yelled to Sane that she wasn't the legal woman and broke up a pin. However, Asuka climbed from the floor, back to the Kabuki Warriors' corner, and even grabbed the tag rope. She went as far as tagging herself in. Maybe I missed something in that segment of the match, but I thought it was extremely awkward.
I did enjoy the ending of the match, and Belair and Cargill looked strong as a team, stacking the Kabuki Warriors for the win after a Jaded and then a KOD. But, I think Cargill should have got the pin if WWE really want to cement her as a big deal, like they've been trying extremely hard to do. Having Cargill get the pin instead of multiple-time women's champion Belair could have been fuel for a potential tag team break-up down the line, as well, possibly starting some kind of storyline where Cargill stole Belair's thunder from the beginning.
I feel like I need to reiterate that I'm EXTREMELY happy that Cargill and Belair are champions, but this match made me extremely nervous for them moving forward. Maybe it was jet lag, or just an off night, and the new champions can get right back on their feet and start crushing it across all brands.
Written by Daisy Ruth
Love: Bloodline Rules Pt. 2 — Backlash Street Fight
I initially thought the match pitting Randy Orton and Kevin Owens against Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga should have been a street fight from the beginning, especially after the craziness of "Bloodline Rules" at WrestleMania 40 and all the interference that came with that match. However, the brawling at the beginning, before the bell rang, and Owens delivering stunner after stunner to WWE stooges before Nick Aldis came down the ramp to tell the competitors they could do "whatever they wanted," was even more effective than starting out with the stipulation. In addition to the no-rules stipulation being necessary to go along with the Bloodline angle and how scrappy both Owens and Orton can be, I thought it also worked extremely well for the crowd. The crowd was hot in Lyon all night, and starting Backlash off with these men brawling in the stands to make them even more excited and invested was a great idea. France had waited so long for a premium live event, why not throw some wrestlers right out there to mix it up amongst them to start things off?
While I thought a street fight would benefit Sikoa and Tonga overall, seeing Orton and Owens start off hot with a crazy amount of offense was really cool, and also played to the crowd well before the heels gained their expected momentum. Tonga took a lot of that offense to start, with spots on both announce tables, as well as going completely through a table at ringside, but just as I was thinking he wasn't looking too good for his first WWE match, he bounced back. It's not often that a hardcore stipulation makes you think about things like that, but I thought this match did that well.
The biggest thing regarding a stipulation when it came to this was the fact most everyone (myself included) thought it left a better opportunity for Jacob Fatu, who has been seen at WWE headquarters recently, according to reports, to debut. However, we did get one surprise on a completely predictable card. It was Tanga Loa who debuted during the match helping out his fellow Bloodline members, not Fatu. That was something unexpected, and something that made this match even better, despite the predictable outcome. I wasn't sure about this match going in to it with its predictability, but the added stipulation really made me love it to kick off Backlash.
Written by Daisy Ruth