WWE BackLash Tampa Bay happened tonight in front of a sold-out crowd with a heavyweight championship match between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu as the headliner. The promotion for the event also included a ‘huge announcement’ from the recently retired John Cena, making his second appearance since his December swan song.
Between the hype for the announcement and Dan Hausen’s mystery opponent, the WWE is poised to deliver on the sequel to WrestleMania 42.
Roman Reigns(c) VS Jacob Fatu—WWE World Title
The family feud came to a head tonight in front of the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa after weeks of build featuring every former member of The Bloodline. There were lines drawn in the sand as sides began to form, so much so that Solo attempted to bring Jacob back under his fold.
It was a very physical match, but there were no shenanigans or outside interference, despite some work along the ringside that pushed the boundaries of the rules. Fatu powerbombed Roman onto the commentary table.
It was certainly a violent affair at times, but the in-ring work was terrific, even though the chemistry was minimal. The near falls were abundant, but they elevated the match without ever feeling overdone. In WM42’s night two main event, Roman successfully defended his title against CM Punk in a match that did not overutilize the same tactics that Undertaker V Shawn Michaels used to set a standard for big match main events when they battled at Mania.
Fatu managed to beat the 3-count several times, but none were closer than his own near fall that came following his pop-up Samoan drop x Moonsault combo that nearly put Roman away for the match. Fatu eventually hit the Tongan Death Grip, which was the source of controversy between challenger and champ in the build-up to Backlash.
Roman was able to get the job done in a clean victory off a car wreck-level spear, but the match’s finish did not end the segment. Fatu began attacking Roman even when several WWE officials tried to put an end to it.
Fatu locked on the family chokehold once again as he superkicked the former “Hurricane” in an effort to get to Roman. Jacob walked out of the ring and finally made it to the stage, where he turned to the camera and claimed ‘victory.’ It was more of a moral victory he was claiming because he did lose the match, but his rationale was the person who ‘got their a** kicked’ is the one left on their back in the middle of the ring.
Roman had his own message to Jacob as he walked towards Gorilla with the strap around his shoulders. He gave a warning of sorts, but he was showing the physical signs of the Fatu beatdown. It is clear that this program will continue, but how they elevate the stakes will be interesting.
John Cena’s Announcement
John Cena offered his gratitude to the sellout crowd, and the “one more match” chants did not take long, even though it was only five months since he retired from in-ring action. He brought up the match against Gunther and the controversy that stemmed from the finish, but instead focused on the tone set on Saturday Night’s Main Event that night.
Before Cena’s last match, he announced that the competitors on that night would have to earn their spots with a qualifying win. The intention was to showcase the future of the WWE against the tried-and-true veteran superstars.
After reminiscing on an event meant to be a one-and-done, Cena asked, ‘Why not do it again in the form of a ‘John Cena Memorial’ event with lofty ambitions. Without announcing a date, a location/venue, or a branding name for the official event, he did provide some significant details.
For example, superstars competing on the show will, once again, have to qualify for their match on the card. Another interesting aspect of this announcement, Cena said the wrestler named the ‘Cena Memorial’ winner will be voted on by the fans—giving them the power to ‘put over’ the night’s performer.
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker—Singles Match
The story of this program played out in the ring as Seth was forced to contend with ‘that dog’ alongside Bron Breakker and ‘Vision’ faction members. It was a weird pace early on, but it was necessary to tell the in-ring narrative of Rollins being ‘behind the eight ball.’
Rollins’ injury-plagued last couple of years have him working from the theme of aging out of your prime as you learn to work smarter, not harder. Breakker worked Rollins hard throughout the match, but Seth finally got a second wind that coincided with The Vision’s biggest interference spots in the match.
He managed to handle the group’s flunkies in Austin Theory and Logan Paul, but the distraction was enough to give Breakker the edge in a match that was always his to lose, considering Seth has zero backup. Rollins lost with a dejected look on his face, one he wore later at the post-event presser, where he questioned whether he still has it in him to be the best wrestler on the planet.
The crowd cheered him on, and he left things by claiming it was now up to him to find a way to compete in this new, and younger, era of WWE/TKO.
Auska vs. Iyo Sky: Auska Retires?
This match has been built for months and was originally scheduled for WM42, but when it did not end up on either night, WWE determined it would be best to book it for Backlash. The problem with this feud was that WWE cut Kairi Sane, the story’s crux, in the first round of cuts several weeks ago—the story blew up on social media, with fans rallying behind Sane.
Rumors swirled that Sane would be brought back for this one night to finish off the story, but instead, Iyo and Auska put on one of the better matches on tonight’s card.
There was no big wacky booking at the end, just great wrestling, and still, there was a narrative that blew up the socials. Auska broke character after losing the match and began putting Iyo over like a face.
After this went on for a while, Iyo started putting over Auska, and it seemed as though Auska was ‘saying her goodbyes.’ Commentating did not respond with a confirmation, though Big E flat-out questioned whether this was Auska’s swan song.
Dan Hausen w/Mystery Partner vs. The Miz & Kit Wilson—Tag Team Match
The match was built around the mystery of who would be Dan Hausen’s partner. After the vampire gimmick got way over by every metric, Dan Hausen was utilized in the ring for a couple of singles matches.
However, his work with The Miz and Kit Wilson has helped to launch a program spanning both WWE TV and social media. The massive engagement associated with Dan Hausen paved the way for a spot on tonight’s card, teasing a mystery partner in the lead-up to tonight.
Rumors swirled online predicting who it could be, and the answers ranged from Jelly Roll to Mr. Iguana. In fact, there were several online gambling sites/apps with names of potential partners and their odds.’
Dan Housen made the reveal a spectacle with another box on stage opening up to unleash ‘Mini Hausen.’ The wrestler was AAA’s “Microman” (aka Little Beebo), but in order for Dan Hausen to pick up the win, he had to recruit a dozen or so more ‘Little Dan Hausen’s ‘ that busted out in the match’s finale.
They scattered the ringside area to help Dan Hausen pick up the win in a segment that might have been too silly for even the WWE Universe©, though that is tough to believe.
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