WWE Backlash 2018 went down tonight, May 6th, live on the WWE Network. We’ve got the match results and our overall thoughts on the show for you to check out below. Let us know what you thought about the show by tweeting us, @TheRumbleRamble.
Kickoff Match: Ruby Riott (w/ The Riott Squad) vs. Bayley
Two words to say about this…
OOOOOHHHHHH YEEEEEEEAAAAHHHHH! #WWEBacklash @itsBayleyWWE pic.twitter.com/Sz0PbXoH4F
— WWE (@WWE) May 6, 2018
Ruby Riott got the win via the Riott Kick, but only after her fellow Riott Squad members caused a distraction. Riott should, in theory, be headed toward a title shot in the near future. She’s one of the more talented performers on the Raw brand at the moment.
Winner: Ruby Riott
Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Miz
Intercontinental Championship Match
FEELIN’ FROGGY! 🐸🐸🐸#WWEBacklash @WWERollins pic.twitter.com/hkMxunII8O
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 7, 2018
This match was one of the better opening pay-per-view matches in recent memory. The crowd was hot, and the action was even hotter, which is the recipe for success in pro wrestling.
At one point, Rollins hit a beautiful frog splash, flying more than halfway across the ring, but only got a two count for his troubles. Later on in the match, Rollins and Miz were battling it out on the ring apron when Rollins went for a ripcord knee and missed, causing his knee to collide with the ring post in brutal fashion. Miz keyed in on the knee, and even hit two Skull Crushing Finales, but couldn’t put Rollins away. Rollins eventually hit a beautiful Curb Stomp to get the win and retain his Intercontinental Championship.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Nia Jax (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
Raw Women’s Championship Match
It is officially PLAY TIME for the #RAW #WomensChampion!#WWEBacklash @NiaJaxWWE pic.twitter.com/cSQbXmhCr5
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 7, 2018
This match went about five minutes too long, and it would have been better if Jax was a little more dominant in her victory, but it got the job done nonetheless.
During the match, Jax took a nasty fall from the top rope to the floor outside. Bliss followed this up with a DDT onto the stairs at ringside, which was a cool spot that looked great. Ultimately, Jax got the win with a Samoan drop, closing out her feud with Bliss for good.
Winner: Nia Jax
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Randy Orton
United States Championship Match
Talk about appearing OUTTA NOWHERE!#WWEBacklash @JEFFHARDYBRAND pic.twitter.com/IwnZZX6DaB
— WWE (@WWE) May 7, 2018
Both Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton were extremely aggressive tonight, which leads us to believe that this match isn’t one and done. The two brawled with one another outside of the ring for a good portion of the match, beating the piss out of each other along the way. Unfortunately, the crowd wasn’t really into it, until the finish that is, where Hardy hit the Swanton Bomb for the win.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Elias In-Ring Segment
If @IAmEliasWWE is going to dedicate a performance to @springsteen, #TheNewDay wants in on it, too! #WWEBacklash @WWEBigE @TrueKofi @XavierWoodsPhD pic.twitter.com/V6Y7qXjpAH
— WWE (@WWE) May 7, 2018
Elias tried to sing songs, but everyone and their momma kept interrupting him. The New Day, Rusev Day, No Way Jose, Breezango, and even Titus Worldwide made an appearance. Just when it looked like things couldn’t get any worse for Elias, Bobby Roode showed up and hit him with a Glorious DDT. Twitter and the live crowd went bananas for this segment, so if you enjoy silly and wacky pro wrestling, this is the segment is for you.
Big Cass vs. Daniel Bryan
AAAAAAAAAAAND HERE HE GOES!#WWEBacklash @WWEDanielBryan pic.twitter.com/6YDzBtpqiQ
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 7, 2018
During the match, Big Cass got the best of Daniel Bryan early, allowing for Bryan to sell his ass off and make Cass look like a million bucks. However, Bryan, being the ultimate technician, only needed a little bit of breathing room in order to tap out Cass via the Yes Lock. After the match, Cass put a beatdown on Bryan that was so bad even Corey Graves was upset about it. The live crowd ate this up, especially the post-match beatdown, which bodes well for Big Cass and his future as a major player on SmackDown Live.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
SmackDown Live Women’s Championship
#SDLive #WomensChampion @CarmellaWWE is it LOCKED IN…
Will @MsCharlotteWWE tap out to the Code of 🤐? #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/HCLyvg8WuA
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 7, 2018
In the first few moments of the match, Charlotte hit Carmella with a big boot that didn’t come anywhere near Carmella, which kind of took us out of it for a few moments. We weren’t the only ones not into the match, the crowd was silent for the entirety of this segment.
Carmella went toe-to-toe with Charlotte, which isn’t really believable at the moment, but WWE was obviously trying to establish Carmella as a credible threat going forward. Carmella got the win after Charlotte tweaked her knee on a moonsault that she landed on feet first. Mella followed up with a kick to the knee and a roll up for the win.
Winner: Carmella
AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship
What makes @ShinsukeN the #KingOfStrongStyle? Moves like THIS.#WWEBacklash #WWEChampionship pic.twitter.com/GteXzuDwHJ
— WWE (@WWE) May 7, 2018
Early on, Styles took the Foley bump over the steel stairs, which looked like it broke his legs. Later on, Nakamura hit a reverse exploder onto a chair that was lying flat in the ring, but didn’t get the three count from it. He followed that up with a Kinshasa attempt that was blocked by Styles, who threw a chair directly into his knee. The chair actually ricocheted off Nakamura’s knee and hit Styles in the face, busting him open. The two eventually kicked each other in their respective happy places, which left both men lying on the ground for the count of ten. This match was going so well, but the finish completely ruined it.
Winner: No Contest
Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
The POWER of @fightbobby is on display early at the expense of @FightOwensFight! #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/DUjEXhuJVJ
— WWE (@WWE) May 7, 2018
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn got into an argument towards the end of the match, which ended when Zayn left Owens hanging, allowing Lashley and Strowman to get the win. After the match, Lashley and Strowman continued to beat Owens down while Zayn begged them to stop. Not only did the two not stop, they eventually got their hands on Zayn, laying him out as well.
Winner: Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman
Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns
NO TIME is being wasted by @SamoaJoe, as this match has not even started yet! #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/SaTnvq7T1Z
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 7, 2018
Before the bell rang to start the match, Samoa Joe attacked Roman Reigns, putting him through the announce table at ringside. Once the match finally began, Joe had the upper hand and continued the assault. He used every opportunity to rough up Reigns using various rest holds, which drew “this is boring” chants from the live crowd. WWE did everything they could to lose the crowd post-Elias in-ring segment, and it’s safe to say that they managed to do just that.
Reigns got the win via the spear, but half of the arena walked out during the action, and the other half chanted things that weren’t remotely related to the match.
Winner: Roman Reigns
What letter grade would you give tonight’s show? #WWEBacklash
— Rumble Ramble (@TheRumbleRamble) May 7, 2018
