User Reviews

This year's Backlash had all the things I love about Pro Wrestling. The suspense, the emotions and the feeling that anything could happen is what makes wrestling so good and this event had all of that. The last three matches the feeling of anything can happen definitely lived up to itself.

Benoit vs. MVP was a good technical match, maybe not as good as their WrestleMania match, but still, good enough. MVP should become a big star for the future in my opinion.

The ECW handicapped match was alright, but it was the outcome that I really couldn't see coming. I was just like everyone else, expecting Bobby Lashley to kick out of Vince's pin attempt when out of nowhere the referee counted three and Vince was the new champion! I felt the shock waves! The internet 'Smarts' must be turning in their armchairs!

What I think WWECW is doing here is that they want all the internet fans to feel the emotion of utter hatred for Vince, which is what Pro Wrestling is all about, the emotion.

The Last Man Standing match between Undertaker and Batista had a lot of suspense, which really helped me enjoy the match. The legdrop on Batista through the announcer's table was cool, and I saw Batista take a great blow to the head (without putting his hands up) with the steel steps by Undertaker. The ending was definitely one of those 'anything can happen' feelings. But now on for the main event.

The fatal four-way match between John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels was terrific, with bodyslams to the ringside area and a moonsault from Michaels similar to his WrestleMania XX match. After seeing this match (and the Cena-Michaels match on RAW in London), if you still think Cena has no ability then you must be in denial. He did a brilliant top-rope legdrop onto Edge and Orton and the way Cena broke up the double boston on Michaels just speaks for itself. No-one expected the ending and anyone tired of Cena would have felt the frustrations of him winning again and would watch WWE again to see if Michaels could get another shot at the title. This match was all about emotions and entertainment and deserves a 5/5.

All in all an excellent PPV for non-WrestleMania standards. I can't wait to see what happens next with the Cena-Michaels storyline.

This has not only got to be the best Backlash in history, but Raw's best PPV this year after Unforgiven last year.

FIRST MATCH- HARDY BOYS {CHAMPIONS} VS. LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH FOR THE WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS A nice way too kick off Backlash and what a way. This tag match took about 13 minutes, with great wrestling action & psychology between these two teams. Hardy Boys win after a Twist Of Fate then an Swanton Bomb. 6/10

SECOND MATCH- MELINA {CHAMPION} VS. MICKIE JAMES FOR THE WWE WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP This has got to be the longest Women's match I have ever seen, without Trish or Lita, I'm surprised these two women can show their athletic abilities and wrestling skills in a close 10 minute match. Melina wins after an Inverted DDT. 5/10

THIRD MATCH- CHRIS BENOIT {CHAMPION} VS. MVP FOR THE WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP A great match with a good psychology between these two athletes, i've just got to say that their Wrestlemania 23 encounter was just a bit better. Benoit retains title after a surprise roll up on MVP for the win. 5/10

FOURTH MATCH- BOBBY LASHLEY {CHAMPION} VS. VINCE MCMAHON, SHANE MCMAHON & UMAGA IN A 1 ON 3 HANDICAP MATCH FOR THE ECW CHAMPIONSHIP With Mr. McMahon's matches always being a bit of a bore, this was a surprise for me, as this was a great match. Bobby Lashley showed off his great power and best pure athlete abilities so far in WWE. Umaga nails two splashes from the top on Lashley, then Mr. McMahon tags in and pins Lashley to become the new ECW Champion much to the shock of the ECW commentators. 5/10

FIFTH MATCH- UNDERTAKER {CHAMPION} VS. BATISTA IN A LAST MAN STANDING MATCH FOR THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP This is definitely what I will call a grand match. After their epic Wrestlemania 23 encounter, this was another great match in the chapter of the rivalry. I'll go even far as to say, this may be a contender for Match Of The Year, just maybe. Batista spears Undertaker through the bottom equipment, as both men stay down for the 10 count. Nobody won, but Undertaker still retains his World Title. 7/10

SIXTH MATCH- JOHN CENA {CHAMPION} VS. RANDY ORTON VS. EDHE VS. SHAWN MICHAELS IN A FATAL 4 WAY MATCH FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP This was a very good match, but would have been better if the match had just a bit off a more fast pace into it. But it was still an exciting Backlash main event, which told the story off Cena overcoming the odds again. John Cena has got to be the greatest WWE Champion after Rock and Brock Lesnar. 6/10

No wonder this PPV is over-rated, as it is over-rated for a good reason. Six matches on the card, and not one match disappoints. I think Smackdown is the best brand in WWE, but Raw definitely held it's own here tonight, great PPV. Good job WWE.

Overall I'll give it 8/10 & a B+

Following the hyped WrestleMania23, Raw, SmackDown, and ECW present yet another good-looking card to us from a sold-out Philips Arena, Atlanta. I personally thought that 6 matches were kind of little for 3 brands (average 2 matches per brand). Anyway, here's my evaluation of the event:

The Hardyz vs. Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade - Good high-flying action by the Hardyz as usual, although Murdoch and Cade at times kinda paced down the match. Hardyz win after Matt lands a Twist of Fate outta nowhere on Trevor, and Jeff follows it up with a Swanton Bomb, Matt then takes the pin. 7.5/10

Melina vs. Mickie James - (skip) Good break, anyway

Chris Benoit vs. MVP - Nice match, although a bit too technical for my liking. Nice mat reversals by MVP, Benoit was kept under pressure, although in the end he took the win with a cradle. Technical fans look out for this one. 6/10

ECW championship: Umaga, Shane and Vince McMahon vs. Bobby Lashley - I hate when the McMahons include themselves in matches, gets so unfair (and stupid). Bobby had the upper hand for like the first half of the match, at times Shane almost saved the match. Vince ridiculously pinned Bobby TWO top-rope splashes by Umaga. 7/10

World Heavyweight championship (Last Man Standing match): Batista vs. the Undertaker - Great match, both men were on it. Undertaker worked on Batista's knee, and leg-dropped him through the announcer's table (ouch). Undertaker was about to powerslam Batista off the stage but Batista countered it into a Spear and both men dove down the equipment area; support beams fell down, circuits blew up and what-not. Wow. Both men were out flat till the 10 count and so Taker's still champ. 8/10

WWE Championship (Fatal 4way): John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels - Match of the night, fast-paced and very exciting. Everyone gets to get some of each other. Ending was very tense; Orton attempts to RKO Cena, but Cena pushes him right into Edge's Spear, and then F-U's Edge, only to be later belted by a Sweet Chin Music from Michaels and the impact fells Cena onto Orton. The pin is over before Michaels can break it up. At least this time it wasn't Cena's fault that he won. 9/10

A good PPV once again, about as good as Mania for its caliber. Almost all the bouts were in the decent to good range, with the World Heavyweight and WWE Championship matches standing out. Overall PPV rating: 8/10

After a slightly disappointing Wrestlemania, the WWE needed to deliver with Backlash. It is fair to say that they did, with this being the first tri-branded Backlash in history. This event had the excitement, the shocks, and most disappointingly, the predictability (I'm looking at the main event...). Anyway, here are the results from this years Backlash:

Match 1:World Tag Team Championship Match: The Hardyz vs. Cade and Murdoch. Not a bad opener here, with Matt and Jeff defending tag titles for the first time in six years. Anyway, Cade and Murdoch were in control for around 90% of the match, with Matt and Jeff hitting the occasional high flying moves. The match ended with Jeff hitting the swanton bomb on Murdoch, with Matt making the decisive cover to retain. Winners and still champs: The Hardyz.

Match 2:Women's Championship Match: Melina vs. Mickie James. Again, much like the first match, this wasn't bad. I was pleasantly surprised at the start of this one, with both Mickie and Melina performing ground holds and counters. Were we going to have a proper wrestling match from these two? No. However, the match didn't go down hill because of this. This one ended with Melina hitting the reverse ddt on Mickie for the win. Winner and still champ: Melina.

Match 3:United States Championship Match: Chris Benoit vs. MVP. A rematch of their classic battle at Wrestlemania. This was a brilliant match, with MVP keeping up with the veteran Benoit. I like MVP and I believe that from what I've seen from the two matches between himself and Benoit, that he has a very bright future. However, much like at Wrestlemania, MVP lost out on championship gold. Benoit was looking for the crossface, with MVP blocking it. Benoit then rolled the rookie into an inside cradle for the win. Great stuff. Winner and still champ: Benoit.

Match 4:3 on 1 Handicap Match for the ECW World Championship: Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga, Mr. McMahon and Shane McMahon. I am not a big fan of Lashley, I think there are better performers in the new shambolic ECW. What Vince has done to the ECW name in itself is a disgrace. Anyway Lashley dominated Shane-O-Mac and the Samoan bulldozer for a good deal of the match, with the boss cowering in the corner, only tagging in when a pin on Lashley was possible. The big man from Colorado had the match won when he hit the dominator on Shane, however Vince broke up the pin. Behind the referees back, Shane hit Lashley in the face with the title belt. Umaga then went to the top rope, and hit two huge splashes on the champ. The boss then tagged in, and shockingly, got the win. Watching Vince celebrate with the title around his waist made me sick to the stomach. Talk about insulting the legend that was ECW. A shocking, but horrible ending to this one. Winner and new ECW champ: Mr. McMahon.

Match 5:Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: The Undertaker vs. Batista. I had a feeling that this one would be brutal, and I wasn't disappointed. Taker and Dave beat the hell out of each other, but neither man could be kept down for the 10 count. Taker busted Dave open with a sick steel steps shot to the face, and then laid his broken and bloody body on the SmackDown announce table. Taker stood on the barricade and hit a big legdrop onto Dave, through the table. However, the challenger did not stay down. Dave got back into it, with a sick chair shot and three spine busters. But Taker kept getting right back up. They both fought each other up to the stage, where Taker looked for a Tombstone on Dave. Dave had other ideas, and countered the Tombstone. He then speared the Deadman, and himself, off the stage. Neither man could get up for the 10 count, so this one (like the Royal Rumble LMS match in 04) ended in a draw. Very good match. Winner: Draw. Taker retains.

Match 6:Fatal Fourway Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge. This match may have been exciting for some, but for me, I always knew who the winner would be. Unfortunately, I was right. Cena was never going to lose this match, but how much bloody longer can the boss let him keep the belt? He has held the damn thing since September, at Unforgiven. Cena was once again booed by everyone, except from the ladies and the little kids. The ending to the match was quite exciting, however unfortunately for everyone, Cena won in very lucky circumstances. Edge hit Orton with a spear, Cena hit Edge with an FU, then HBK hit Cena with Sweet Chin Music. Cena landed on Orton, and the ref made the count. I was furious to say the least. Winner and still champ John Cena.

This was a very good ppv offering by the WWE, with some brilliant matches. Unfortunately though, the champ is still here, and Mr. McMahon has once again pis*ed over the ECW legacy. Bring on Judgment Day, when these wrongs may very well be righted!

Backlash 2007 Thoughts

Backlash 2007 was the 9th Backlash event produced by the WWE. It took place April 29, 2007 at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. It was the WWE's first monthly PPV held to feature all three brands of Raw, Smackdown, and ECW after the company discontinued brand-exclusive PPVs. Attendence was at 14,500 with a buyrate of 210,000. This was a very low rate really for unkown reason. Card looked pretty good on paper.

Card featured 6 matches which is pretty odd as that's low but majority of the matches were pretty long with the shortest being a little over 9:00 minutes. The 2 big matches everyone was likely excited to see were the WWE Championship Fatel 4 Way which featured John Cena defending the belt against Edge, HBK, & Oroton and Last Man Standing for the World Heavyweight Championship which involved Undertaker/Batista. We also had a major storyline of Vince McMahon trying to do whatever it takes to get revenge on Bobby Lashley who he blamed for getting his hair shaved a month ago after the story against Trump. This made a Handicap match scheduled.

The Good - Well the main event was an excellent closure to the show. They didn't waste anytime and all 4 stars were hot from the start. Michaels was doing some excellent selling and got huge pops for his performance during the match. At the end it was an instant classic and one of the best Fatel 4 Ways ever in my opinion. The Last Man Standing was also great. I think it ending in a draw was a little bit of a head scratcher but it told a good story in later dates as the feud continued. All 3 opening title matches were good and didn't disappoint in anyway especially the US title match of Chris Benoit vs. MVP. I thought it was way better than their match at WM a month earlier.

The Meh - The Handicap match ended up being an average match overall. The in-ring performances of each star was kind of odd but match itself was entertaining and the crowd was into it.

The Bad - The only bad thing was Vince winning the belt in this storyline which many would say basically killed the ECW Championship. But nothing else to criticize this show of.

Overrall - A all around great show. When the worst match is actually average and you have an instant classic, that's definitely a double thumbs up. Not one of the greatest B-Level PPVs but still a fun show.

Score - 8 out of 10: Really Really Good

0 = Terrible : 1 = Bad/Lackluster : 2 = Decent : 3 = Good : 4 = Awesome : 5 = One of the Best of all Time :

1. The Hardys vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch: World Tag Team Championship - 3.5/5

2. Melina vs. Mickie James: WWE Women's Championship - 3/5

3. MVP vs. Chris Benoit: WWE United States Championship - 3.5/5

4. Bobby Lashley vs. Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, & Umaga: ECW World Championship (Handicap Match) - 2.5/5

5. Batista vs. Undertaker: World Heavyweight Championship (Last Man Standing) - 3.5/5

6. Shawn Michaels vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena: WWE Championship - 4.5/5

Best Match - Shawn Michaels vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Worst Match - Bobby Lashley vs. Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, & Umaga

Most Memorable Moment - Batista spearing Taker off the stage.

Top 5 Performers

1. Shawn Michaels - Outstanding Performance

2. John Cena - Good Performance

3. Randy Orton - Good Performance & Promo

4. Edge - Good Performance

5. Batista/Undertaker - Good Performance.