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HOW THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED WWE BACKLASH EVENT SETS THE TONE FOR THE FUTURE: KEY TAKEAWAYS, HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS

WWE Backlash came back in 2020 only to find the wrestlers competing in an empty arena with canned noises, crowd simulations, and lack of an adrenaline-stimulating environment. Despite the apprehensions, the event was packed with several highlights, unexpected wins, and certainly a few underwhelming takeaways.

Highlights and Duds

The Rise of McIntyre

The event made sure that wrestling fanatics get a new superstar to look up to in Drew McIntyre. The extremely productive and eventful matchup with Bobby Lashley was probably a career-defining moment for McIntyre. Despite several twists and odds stacked in favor of Lashley, it was Drew who came out on top courtesy of the ‘Claymore’. Although Lashley was on his way to the title as he could unleash the Full Nelson, a brief period of unintentional distraction from Lana changed the course of the match. 

Hardy’s Demons and Subsequent Loss

According to Lines.com, Sheamus winning the Backlash against Jeff Hardy was the least expected outcome provided the sentiments were with the latter. Moreover, WWE opted for a more cinematic build-up towards the match by unleashing and revealing the inner demons of Jeff Hardy, related to substance abuse. The matchup wasn’t a dead rubber as the pendulum constantly shifted between the opponents. However, the ending was surprising with Sheamus pulling off an unlikely win. 

Triple-Threat Ensemble

The divas weren’t left behind as the Backlash featured a fantastic triple-threat matchup, involving Bayley, Banks, Alexa, Nikki, and IIconics. Although Bayley and Banks retained their title as ‘Women’s Tag Team’ Champion, the match was far from one-sided. However, the event did create some tension between the winners; thereby setting the perfect ambiance for a Bayley vs. Banks matchup in the future. 

The Classic between Orton and Edge

However, it’s time to finally address the elephant in the room by talking about the much-hyped wrestling match between Edge and Randy Orton. What was deemed as a classic fell flat in terms of ambiance with the production team doing a pathetic job in recreating crowd noises! The commentary, on the other hand, was excellent with the audience at home getting a chance to relive the era of The Rock, Kurt Angle, and the late Eddie Guerrero. That said, the match would have been appropriate if conducted in front of a packed house. Moreover, the performances were brilliant as the famed wrestlers did their best to make this a once-in-a-lifetime event. Randy Orton came out as victorious despite commendable resistance from the Edge who even tore his triceps in the process. 

Double-Count Downer

Lastly, we come to the lowlight of this event, featuring a dulling finish between Nia Jax and Asuka. Although the matchup promised a lot and started on a positive note, the double-count ending wasn’t something that the viewers’ deserve, especially at a Backlash event. The match definitely lacked creativity and was the least eventful of the lot.

A lot went wrong at the Backlash 2020 but considering the pandemic and the restricted set of options, WWE seems to have fared well. Without the doubt, the good from the event i.e. rise of McIntyre and the classic duel between Orton and Edge outweighed the occasional bad. However, the event prepares all of us for the much-anticipated matches in the future. 

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