The John Report: WWE Backlash 2025 Review

It’s WWE Backlash featuring John Cena facing Randy Orton “one last time” and a whole lot more.

This year’s Backlash PLE is coming just three weeks after WrestleMania 41. I didn’t write a preview of Backlash because I was insanely busy in the last few days, but I always look forward to WWE PLE’s in this Triple H Era. I would like to see six or seven matches on a card like this because I think it’s hurt by only having five matches. However, the good thing about only five matches is that they should be given plenty of time, so I hope there are some great matches. The roster is so deep right now, yet this show doesn’t have Seth Rollins, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Bron Breakker, Sami Zayn and so many other talented people that should be on all PLE cards. Anyway, I still like the card. I think it would be better if there were more matches. That’s all.

There will also be a Saturday Night’s Main Event special on NBC in two weeks, so that’s another show that will feature some big matches.

There was a two-hour Backlash Countdown Show on WWE’s YouTube channel, but I don’t review those shows. Let’s get to the main show.

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WWE Backlash
From Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri
Saturday, May 10, 2025

Some pre-show walking was shown of Pat McAfee, Gunther (exiting his bus), Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria, Becky Lynch, and Randy Orton exiting the bus in his hometown. The fans cheered Orton on screen.

A video package aired setting us up for the show by focusing on the five matches. A very good video package as always.

It was a sold-out crowd, with Michael Cole announcing that 17,155 fans were in attendance. The commentary team was Michael Cole and Wade Barrett. Pat McAfee was not on the commentary team because he was in a match. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer.

LA Knight entered first for the fatal four-way match opening the show. The fans cheered for Knight as usual. Drew McIntyre was the next man up as he slowly walked to the ring. Damian Priest was third, and last up was Jacob Fatu, who is all about being all gas and no brakes.

United States Championship: Jacob Fatu vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest

There are no disqualifications and no countouts in a four-way match. The first pinfall or submission wins.

The fans were chanting “Fatu” early on and then “Yeah” as Knight punched Fatu repeatedly. Knight hit a neckbreaker on Fatu. Drew and Priest battled on the floor to start the match. Knight hit a sunset flip slam that sent Fatu into Knight’s knees. Knight hit a powerslam on Drew. Priest was back up, he grabbed Knight and Knight hit a DDT. Knight hit a double elbow drop. Knight hit a reverse DDT to counter a Fatu move. Priest did a sweep kick and Knight did an elbow smash to knock Fatu down. Priest and Knight slammed Fatu into the ring post. Drew suplexed Knight across the ring and hit a spinebuster, along with three neckbreakers in a row. Drew did a kip-up back to his feet. Knight clotheslined Drew, Fatu kicked Knight and Priest hit a jumping kick on Fatu. Priest gave Fatu a Frankensteiner off the top along with a flatliner on Knight. Priest elbowed Fatu on the floor. Priest was dominating with elbow smashes, a clothesline on Drew and a spinning kick to knock Knight down. Fatu caught a charging Priest on the floor and Fatu gave Priest a Samoan Drop on the barricade. Drew and Fatu had a staredown on opposite sides of the ring. Drew and Fatu exchanged punches in the ring. Fatu hit a running elbow along with a Samoan Drop. Fatu hit a running hip attack against the turnbuckle. Fatu slowly went to the top rope, which gave Drew time to recover, and Drew did an eye gouge. Knight tripped up Drew on the turnbuckle and kicked him a few times. Knight hit a running knee on Drew. Fatu knocked Knight down, then Drew popped up and suplexed Fatu onto Knight. Fatu hit a running hip attack on Drew and he dove onto Priest on the floor. Fatu jumped off the top with a Swanton Bomb on Drew. Knight hit BFT on Fatu, Priest hit South of Heaven on Knight and Drew hit a Claymore Kick on Priest, who landed on Knight, so Drew broke up the pin. All four guys were down in the ring while the fans cheered for them.

Fatu was back up as he charged at Drew, who hit a shoulder tackle. Drew hit the Future Shock DDT on Fatu. Drew hit Future Shock DDT on Knight too. Drew hit a Claymore Kick on Knight for two because Priest pulled the referee out of the ring, so it was just a two count. Drew and Priest were fighting on the floor, and Drew sent Priest over the barricade at ringside. Fatu headbutted Knight to knock him down. Fatu went for a moonsault off the top, Knight avoided it and Knight jumped up top for a top rope elbow. Knight hit another top rope elbow for two. Drew and Priest were fighting in the crowd. Priest said Drew was “bored at work,” like Drew has said at past WrestleManias and Priest punched him. Priest and Drew were on some equipment that was near the fans. Priest raked Drew’s eyes. Priest gave Drew a South of Heaven slam off the crate, and they crashed through a table. It looked like Drew’s head hit the back of the table or maybe the floor.

Knight and Fatu were fighting at ringside as Knight sent Fatu face first into the ring post. Knight smashed Fatu’s head into the commentary table. Knight put Fatu on the table and went to the middle rope, but Solo Sikoa pulled Fatu off the table. Knight went after Solo and somebody in the crowd hit Knight with a clothesline. It was the newly signed Jeff Cobb. The fans reacted to that while Solo was giving Cobb orders. Cobb sent Knight into the ring post two times and Cobb splashed Knight against the ring post. Fatu looked confused by what was going on. Solo pointed to the ring to tell Faut to take care of it. Fatu hit the running hip attack on Knight. Fatu went up top and hit a moonsault for the pinfall win at 17:55.

Winner by pinfall: Jacob Fatu

Analysis: ***3/4 That was a fun match with many twists and turns. If there wasn’t the interference, then it’s four stars or higher, but I can’t ignore it. It seems to be one of those stories where Solo got Cobb to help Solo while Jacob had no idea it was coming, so that should lead to an issue between them. I’ve said for weeks now that it makes sense for Fatu to be a babyface because the fans love the guy, so it looks like that’s where this is headed. I thought Drew, Priest, and Knight did a great job in their roles in this match. I hope Drew is okay after taking that table bump that led to Drew’s head hitting the floor.

After the match, Jacob Fatu stared at Solo and Cobb. Fatu left on his own.

A commercial aired for WWE Night Of Champions, which takes place on June 28th from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

There was a video package to set up the Lyra Valkyria-Becky Lynch match.

Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch

There were some holds exchanged early on, with neither woman getting the advantage. Lyra trapped Lynch with a move that looked like a reverse surfboard submission. Lynch flipped Lynch over and Lya applied a surfboard submission. Lyra held Lynch down for a pin attempt, but Lynch kicked out. Lyra hit a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Lyra kicked Lynch into the barricade on the floor. They were back in the ring as Lyra went up top, Lynch knocked her down and Lynch slammed Perez into the ring. Lynch was booed while she punched Lyra repeatedly. Lynch got some offense going Lynch was in control with a Bexploder Suplex. Lynch sent Lyra to the floor, so Lynch hit a sliding kick. Lyra sent Lynch into the barricade. Lyra taunted Lyra’s fiancé at ringside, so Lyra fought back with punches until Lynch sent Lyra into the ring post. Lynch and Lyra exchanged some slaps. Lyra countered Lynch going for a move and Lyra hit a cradle suplex. Lyra was back up with two clotheslines, kicks to the body and Lyra hit a jumping kick. Lyra hit a sitout Powerbomb for two. Lyra gave Lynch a superplex off the middle turnbuckle for two.

Lynch and Lyra exchanged pin attempts. Lynch tried to use the ropes, but the referee caught her. Lynch hit a reverse elbow drop for a two count. Lynch went for the Manhandle Slam, Lyara avoided it and Lyra sent Lynch down to the floor. Lyra hit a slingshot cross body block on Lynch on the floor. Lyra hit a top rope leg drop for account. Lyra jumped off the top with a moonsault, but Lynch got her knees up to block it. Lynch flipped Lyra over and that led to an armbar, but Lyra got out of that and Lyra got a hold of Lynch’s arm. Lynch applied an armbar. Lyra came back with an armbar of her own. Lyra got a rollup for two. Lynch spiked Lyra with a Manhandle Slam for two. The fans were chanting, “This is awesome,” while Lynch had a shocked look on her face. Lynch punched Lyra repeatedly and Lynch brought a steel chair into the ring. Referee Jessika Carr took the chair away from Lynch. While that happened, Lynch exposed the top turnbuckle, so there was exposed steel. Lyra hit a German Suplex and a spin kick. Lyra jumped off the middle rope and hit a splash for a two count. Lynch sent Lyra into the middle turnbuckle and Lynch hit a second Manhandle Slam for a two count. Lynch was frustrated that it didn’t get the win. Lynch rammed Lyra’s head into the mat repeatedly. Lynch wanted to put Lyra into the exposed turnbuckle, but referee Carr stopped that. Lyra countered Lynch and hit Nightwing for a two count, but the referee was a bit slow count due to dealing with the turnbuckle. The fans booed the referee for not being there fast enough to count the pin. Lyra lifted up Lynch, who avoided Nightwing and Lynch wanted a Manhandle Slam, but Lyra rolled through for two. Lynch tried a rollup, but Lyra countered her and got the rollup for the three count. It went 18:45. Lynch kicked out right after the three count to show how close it was.

Winner by pinfall: Lyra Valkyria

Analysis: **** I thought it was an excellent match that was even most of the way and it had a lot of counter wrestling. All of that counter wrestling set them up perfectly for the finish since Lyra was able to counter Lynch going for a rollup and Lyra managed to counter a Lynch move for the win. It was the right move to end it that way because it told the audience that those moves are meaningful and not just ways to fill time. Lyra was getting good reactions from the fans, which is great to see because Lyra has a lot of talent, but personality-wise, she is still learning a lot. Lynch gave Lyra a lot of offense, but it was also about using Lynch’s heel persona to get Lyra over more, and that’s what they did very well. The reactions Lyra was getting were encouraging to hear. Working with Lynch will help Lyra a lot, not just in the ring but also in terms of character development.

After the match, Lynch beat up Lyra with punches. Lynch applied the Disarm-her on the left arm. There were WWE Officials there to make Lynch stop and eventually, Raw GM Adam Pearce yelled at Lynch to stop, so Lynch stopped to end it. Lynch walked to the backstage area while Lyra celebrated with her Women’s IC Title in the ring.

Analysis: A cheap attack by Lynch to get more heat and likely set up another match between them. That’s fine with me.

There were commercials for WWE LFG and SummerSlam, among other things.

There were clips shown of John Cena facing Randy Orton for the first time in OVW in 2002 and their last match on Smackdown in 2017.

A video package aired about the IC Title match between Dominik Mysterio and Penta.

Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta

Penta dropkicked Dom early on, along with a running hurricanrana. Dom came back with his own running hurricanrana. Penta superkicked Dom followed by a Backstabber double knee attack to the back. Dom sent Penta onto the top rope and sent him out of the ring. Dom hit a suicide dive DDT on Penta on the floor. That was an incredible move. The fans were singing “Dirty, Dirty Dom” like the WrestleMania crowd. Dom and Penta exchanged chops. Dom sent Penta into the steel steps. Dom worked over Penta with stomps and punches. Dom grabbed a chinlock, Penta broke free and hit a kick to the chest. Penta hit the Slingblade neckbreaker. Penta jumped off the top of the ring post and hit a cross body block onto Dom on the floor. Back in the ring, Dominik kicked Penta in the ribs and hit a suplex. Penta blocked a suplex, but Dom tripped Penta to the ropes. Dom wanted a 619, and Penta moved out of that. Penta jumped on Dom’s back, which led to a crucifix pin for two. Dom hit a dropkick and an Oblivion like Liv Morgan for two. Penta sent Dom to the turnbuckle and Penta delivered a kick. Penta went to the apron, and Dominik kicked Penta there. Dom tried a suplex on the apron, but Penta kicked Dom in the head. Penta hit a Mexican Destroyer on the apron to put both guys down on the floor. Carlito showed up to distract the referee. Finn Balor & JD McDonagh were there and Finn wanted to use a chair, but Finn was too slow to use the chair, so the referee ejected them. Penta hit a somersault dive over the top onto a few guys on the floor. Pent a nailed Dom with a superkick. Penta went up top, Balor was on the apron, and El Grande Americano showed up at ringside to headbutt Penta with the mask that has a metal plate in it (we assume). The referee never saw it. Dom went up top and hit a Frog Splash for the pinfall win. It lasted 9:20.

Winner by pinfall: Dominik Mysterio

Analysis: ***1/4 It wasn’t a long match, but there was a lot of action in the time given. It was like a TV match in terms of the time they got. They hit some big moves throughout the match. Penta had to deal with Dom’s three friends on the floor, and then Americano was the difference maker, so Penta had to deal with four people outside the ring. This was one of those cheap heat finishes to get more heat on Dom because that’s the kind of champion he is.

There were some commercials promoting different items, including The Miz shilling some Old Spice.

This Monday on WWE Monday Night Raw:

* AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor

* War Raiders vs. The Creed Brothers

* Iyo Sky & Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez & Giulia

* CM Punk returns

In two weeks, on Saturday Night’s Main Event on May 24th, Jey Uso will defend the World Heavyweight Title against Logan Paul.

The video package aired for the Gunther-Pat McAfee match.

Pat McAfee got a good ovation for his entrance. Michael Cole said he’d be biased for this match since Pat is his close friend. Gunther was up next, looking supremely confident on his way to the ring.

Gunther vs. Pat McAfee

Pat took his NFL-style jersey off, and he was shirtless and wearing pants, along with sneakers, while facing off with “The Ring General” Gunther. When they locked up, Gunther tossed Pat down to show he was in control. Gunther grabbed an armbar, Pat used some athleticism to get out of it and Pat avoided a chop, so the fans cheered that. Gunther did a clean break by the apron, Gunther patted him on the head and Pat came back with punches. Pat tripped jumping over the ropes and then Gunther nailed Pat with a chop to the chest. Gunther kicked Pat to keep him down. Pat worked over Gunther with chops that had little impact, so Gunther nailed Pat with a hard chop to knock Pat down. Gunther stared at Cole on commentary. Cole was standing during this match. Gunther worked over Pat with chops and kicks. Gunther chopped Pat again to knock him down. Gunther hit a shoulder tackle. Pat avoided an elbow and Pat kicked Gunther in the back. Gunther did a snapmare followed by a kick to the back. Pat hit some chops, Gunther hit a chop and a boot to the face. Gunther invited Cole into the ring. The fans chanted, “You tapped out” at Gunther because that’s what he did at WrestleMania 41. Pat did a slap to the face, so Gunther slapped back and Gunther hit a German Suplex. Gunther applied the dreaded Sleeper hold, but Pat fought out of it, so Gunther hit another German Suplex. Cole told Gunther to end it, while Gunther was laughing about it. Gunther put Pat onto the top turnbuckle and teased a suplex, but Pat hit some elbows to knock Gunther down. Pat jumped off the top rope with a moonsault, Pat landed on his feet, Gunther went for a suplex and Pat landed on his feet again. Pat kicked Gunther a few times including a hard kick to the jaw, but Gunther kicked out at one. Gunther and Pat exchanged some strikes and Gunther’s looked great, while some of Pat’s punches didn’t look great. Pat hit a jumping kick and a superkick. Gunther blocked a kick and Gunther hit a Powerbomb. Cole was shouting at Gunther that he should end the match. Gunther applied a Boston Crab submission. Cole left commentary to try to encourage Pat or maybe tell Pat to tap out. The fans popped for Cole at ringside and chanted “Michael Cole” for him. Gunther elbowed Pat in the head a few times.

Gunther pulled Cole into the ring. Gunther teased a Powerbomb, but Pat kicked Gunther in the head. Gunther kicked Pat to knock him down while Cole left the ring. Pat got a rollup for two. Gunther tried a suplex from the apron, Cole grabbed Gunther’s left foot, and Pat landed on top for two. The referee didn’t see Cole grab Gunther’s left foot. Pat applied a Sleeper hold, but Gunther got out of that, and Gunther hit a lariat. Pat did a flip bump to sell that. Gunther applied a Sleeper again, along with body scissors. Pat managed to get back up with some elbows to the ribs. Gunther took Pat down to the mat again with a Sleeper, and Pat sold it like he had passed out, so the referee called it. The match went 14:00.

Winner by submission: Gunther

Analysis: *** It was more about the story than the action in a match like this. Gunther played with Pat early on, then Pat fought back and got some nearfalls, but Pat couldn’t do enough damage to win the match. Gunther winning was the right call since he’s the full-time wrestler and Pat’s an announcer who gave it his all, but he had no business winning a match like that. The pop for Michael Cole was huge in this match, so it was smart to have him get involved and Cole nearly helped Pat win. They got through it fine. It’s not some all-time classic match or anything, but as a story, I think it was enjoyable. Pat looked exhausted early in the match, which tends to happen when you don’t wrestle often. You can be in shape, but it’s not easy to go 14 minutes on a PLE with Gunther. I thought Pat looked better as the match went on, but I’m sure he’ll feel those chops in the morning.

After the match, Gunther extended a hand to Pat and Cole. There wasn’t a handshake, but it was as if Gunther was saying this issue was over. They showed some replays. Pat hugged Cole in the ring. Pat’s face was purple, and his chest red after taking many so chops during the match.

A video aired about the movie Karate Kid Legacy. It’s in theatres on May 30th.

On June 7th, two WWE-produced shows will take place in Los Angeles. WWE Worlds Collide with AAA in the afternoon and Money in the Bank later that day.

Michael Cole was back on commentary with Wade Barrett for the main event.

A video package aired to set up the main event as John Cena defends the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton. It was an excellent video showing a lot of Cena-Orton history and their recent interactions to set up this match.

Randy Orton made his entrance first and the fans popped huge for him as a hometown hero. On his way to the ring, the crowd sang Orton’s “Voices” song. It wasn’t as loud as the epic Backlash France crowd, but St. Louis did a great job showing love to The Viper. Orton took a while to get into the ring and did his signature poses while the fans cheered him.

Analysis: I am enjoying this chapter of Randy Orton’s career. Based on his age, he probably has five years or less left in his career, so you can tell he’s having fun. This is a more mature and respected version of Randy Orton, a living legend still competing at a high level. I’m happy to see him out there.

The Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena was up next. There were a lot of boos for him, but also some cheering because it was their last time seeing him in action in St. Lous. The fans were singing “John Cena Sucks” for his song.

Analysis: I can remember watching OVW VHS tapes featuring these two, along with Brock Lesnar, Leviathan (Batista), and Shelton Benjamin, among others. Now it’s 48-year-old John Cena against 45-year-old Randy Orton, who is the same age as me. One last time.

When Cena got into the ring, the ring announcer Alicia Taylor, introduced the wrestlers.

Undisputed WWE Championship: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

The wrestlers locked up a couple of times and then let go. Cena extended his hand for a shake, Orton shook the hand, and Cean did a poke to the eye. Orton came back with a shoulder tackle and a poke to the eye of his own. They were going at a very slow pace. Orton stomped on Cena’s limbs repeatedly, as he has done many times in the past. Orton hit a kneedrop to the face for two. Cena was able to fire Orton into the ropes and Cena applied a Sleeper Hold. Orton was able to counter it into his own Sleeper. Cena and Orton took turns going for the Sleeper hold until Orton hit a belly-to-back suplex on Cena. They were both down selling for about a minute. Cena hit two shoulder tackles and the “You Can’t See Me” hand gesture. Cena followed up with the five knuckle shuffle. Orton slipped out of an AA attempt, Orton hit a clothesline and a powerslam. Orton went for a draping DDT, but Cena got out of it and applied an STF submission, although Orton was able to get out of it. Orton kicked Cena to the apron and Orton hit the draping DDT off the middle ropes. Orton set up for the RKO, the fans were getting loud for it and Cena managed to shove Orton away. Cena went for an Attitude Adjustment, but Orton countered it with an RKO. Both guys were lying on the mat for about a minute as the fans chanted, “This is awesome” for them.

Orton and Cena exchanged punches and kicks. Cena punched Orton in the face followed by Cena hitting AA for two. Cena ran the ropes with a shoulder tackle. Cena charged at Orton, who countered him, and Orton hit an RKO. The fans came alive for it, but there was no cover from Orton due to selling fatigue. Orton went for The Punt, Cena avoided it and hit a second AA for a two count. Cena teased his own version of The Punt, Orton avoided it, Orton teased an RKO, and Cena shoved Orton into the referee Chad Patton to put him down. Cena hit a third AA. Cena brought the WWE Title in the ring, Orton was back up and Orton hit an RKO for just two. Referee Chad Patton was back up to make the count, but it was a slower count. Orton cleared off the commentary table while the referee tried admonishing Orton for that idea. Cena shoved Orton, who bumped into referee Patton, and the referee hit the steel steps. Cena picked up Orton to tease an AA through the commentary table, but Orton countered it and Orton gave Cena an AA through the table. It didn’t break the table normally, but it appeared to be broken. Orton set up a table at the ringside area. Cena had a big scar on his upper right back. Cena sent Orton into the barricade and the steel steps. Orton fought back to give Cena an AA through the table. The fans loved that. Orton had some Prime energy drink that was at ringside.

Orton put Cena back into the ring, but there was still no referee. Orton hit Cena with an RKO, referee Eddie Orengo ran down to the ring, and Orton covered Cena for two. Cena argued with the referee, Orengo. Cena charged at Orton with a WWE Title shot, Orton ducked it, and Cena hit referee Eddie Orengo with the title. Orton hit another RKO on Cena, but there was no referee to count the pin. The WWE Smackdown GM Nick Aldis went into the ring to check on referee Orengo, and WWE Officials were there too. Orton dropped Aldis and WWE Officials like Shane Helms, Shawn Daivari, and Jamie Noble with RKO’s. The fans loved the RKO Fest, of course. Orton went for The Punt, but R-Truth went down to the ring to try to stop Orton. We know Truth thinks of Cena as his “childhood hero” so that’s why Truth was there. That led to Orton dropping Truth with an RKO. Cena hit Orton with a low blow and Cena hit Orton with the WWE Title to the head. Cena covered Orton as referee Chad Patton crawled back into the ring to count the one…two…and three. It went 27:50.

Winner by pinfall: John Cena

Analysis: ***1/4 It was another extremely cheap victory for Cena, who won the WWE Title in a similar fashion and this time it was after Orton had a number of nearfalls and moments where Orton could have won, but there was no referee to count the pin. R-Truth also saved Cena by stopping Orton from hitting The Punt in the match. This will likely set the tone for what kind of WWE Title matches Cena will continue to have because it was as cheap as it gets. If fans are angry about it, then what do you think was going to happen? Cena wasn’t going to drop the title three weeks after he won it. Instead, Cena won and did so as cheaply as possible to show that he’s the kind of cowardly heel champion he used to hate, but now he’s embracing that role. I thought Orton did a great job throughout the match and the fans loved him as usual. I didn’t expect Orton to win, but I liked some of the nearfalls and the counts with no referee there, as we wondered if Orton would win if there was a referee to count. It was a good match, but not a great main event.

John Cena celebrated with the WWE Title. They went to replays.

Cena did a promo saying he doesn’t need music. He said he needs competition, but he told the fans he didn’t need them. Cena told St. Louis to drink it in because this is what the Last Real Champion looks like. Cena held up the WWE Title in the ring, and the fans booed him. That was the end of the show.

WWE Backlash had a runtime of 2:45:18.

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Five Stars of the Show

1. Lyra Valkyria/Becky Lynch
2. Jacob Fatu
3. John Cena
4. Gunther
5. Randy Orton

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Final Thoughts on WWE Backlash

I’m going 7.25 out of 10 for this show.

A pretty good show most of the way, but I don’t think it was an amazing PLE or anything like that. Three of the five matches had cheap finishes with interference, so if you’re hoping for clean finishes on a PLE, there wasn’t much of that on this show. The only babyface winner was Lyra Valkyria and she got attacked by Becky Lynch after the match too. I thought Lyra and Becky had the best match on the show, just ahead of the 4-way for the US Title. Welcome Jeff Cobb to WWE as well, and I think that’s the angle that will turn Jacob Fatu into a babyface, which is cool with me.

The John Cena win over Randy Orton was as cheap as it gets because that’s how Cena will be in his title matches. It was as overbooked as it gets. When Cena says he is going to “ruin wrestling” I guess part of it is having cheap finishes in his matches, and it’s the kind of thing that will frustrate fans, but it’s also fitting for this version of Cena as a heel.

It wasn’t a bad show by any means. However, I think the quality of PLEs in this era are higher than ever, so compared to what we get from most PLEs, it was a bit below average as a show. I doubt I’ll remember too much from Backlash other than being a PLE with a bunch of cheap heel finishes.

Here are my rankings of WWE PLE’s in 2025:

Elimination Chamber (March 1) – 9 (out of 10)

Royal Rumble (February 1) – 8.5

WrestleMania 41 (April 19 & 20) – 7.5

Backlash (May 10) – 7.25

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As a reminder, I have a listing of every WWE PPV that I reviewed in order by year. Thank you for supporting us at TJRWrestling. We appreciate you.

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