WWE Backlash 2016: Full Results
WWE Backlash 2016 – Complete Results
Liam, Andy and Sam came together to discuss the full card of the first SmackDown-exclusive PPV; who they thought would win, what they would like to see, and had some fun with the fans in the run-up to the PPV. Below are the full list of results from the night.
AJ Styles faced off against WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose in the main event for the WWE’s most prestigious prize. New Women’s and Tag Team Champions were crowned for SmackDown, and Bray Wyatt would face off against Randy Orton… or did he?
Becky Lynch won the Six-Pack Challenge to become the first SmackDown Women’s Champion
The new SmackDown Women’s Champion would be decided at Backlash, and what better way than a six-pack elimination challenge match? Word salad, indeed. In the run-up to this match, Carmella turned heel, attacking the now-face Nikki Bella. A curious series of events, making the match dynamic slightly more interesting. A championship forum conducted on SmackDown Live by Daniel Bryan ended in disaster, as it should, giving us a taste of what would come in this match.
Naomi first pinned Alexa Bliss, Natalya then made Naomi tap out to the Sharpshooter, and Nikki Bella eliminated Natalya before quickly being eliminated by Carmella. After a brief struggle between the final two participants, Becky Lynch proved that Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan were right in selecting her for their first female-draft pick by making Carmella tap to the Dis-arm-her. A passionate promo followed, and we all go home happy knowing that Lynch proved herself.
The Usos defeated The Hype Bros – Tag Team Match to Qualify for Tournament Finals
In an effort to crown new Tag Team Champions, SmackDown announced a tournament to conclude at Backlash, featuring such teams as The Usos, American Alpha, and… Heath Slater and Rhyno? More on that later. On the SmackDown preceeding Backlash, American Alpha defeated the Usos after twenty seconds, meaning that AA advanced to the semi-finals! … but then the Usos decided to do something different for the first time in years, turning heel and “injuring” Chad Gable. So now we have the villainous Usos against the Hype Bros, a team from the opposite side of the bracket that were defeated at the hands of “Slayno”. The winners of this match would face “Slayno” in the finals.
Sporting all-black gear, removing their traditional face-paint and opening dance, the Usos were clearly playing the villains in comparison to the Hype Bros. And yet I still found myself cheering for the Usos. After a decent showing, the Usos made Ryder tap out to the Tequila Sunrise.
The Miz (c) (w/ Maryse) defeated Dolph Ziggler – Singles Match for the Intercontinental Championship
I feel like we’ve been here before… after cutting the best promo of his life on Talking Smack against Daniel Bryan, The Miz’s popularity has increased. So of course, WWE put him in a match with storied rival Dolph Ziggler. Whilst Ziggler repeatedly failed to capture the WWE World Championship, he instead settled for the silver medal in the Intercontinental Championship. The words “safe-working coward” kept being thrown at Miz, sparking much debate in the wrestling community.
Despite the small build going into this match, they put on the Match of the Night, at least in my opinion. The storytelling from The Miz stealing Daniel Bryan’s moves to Ziggler not being able to accept another loss, made this match greater than it had any right to be. Miz picked up the victory here, meaning that he gets a credibility boost going forward. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Bray Wyatt defeated Randy Orton via forfeit
After getting wrecked by Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and setting the wrestling community on fire, Randy Orton moved on very quickly, into a feud with none other than Bray Wyatt. The two exchanged promos over the weeks leading into Backlash, with Wyatt expressing his desire to hunt the snake. The snake responded by saying “nah man, I’ll hunt you”. Promo class 101 aside, this match should have been interesting at the very least… if it actually happened.
Backstage, Wyatt appeared to have attacked Orton already, meaning that Randy suffered an injury, leading to Wyatt winning their match via forfeit. A fine way to proceed with events, knowing that Orton is somehow injured already, despite returning a month prior. However…
Kane defeated Bray Wyatt in a No Holds Barred Match
This happened. After a lacklustre, contrived, entirely unnecessary bout, Wyatt appeared to have the upper hand on frequent rival Kane. However, Randy Orton would come out, distract Wyatt, hand out an RKO and then have Kane chokeslam Wyatt onto a steel chair to collect the win. I almost wanted to just quit at this point, but I went on regardless. For some reason.
Heath Slater & Rhyno def. The Usos to become the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions
Heath Slater, the hottest free agent in WWE, had been vying for a SmackDown contract. Daniel Bryan said that he can have one, but only if he won this entire tournament with a partner of his choosing. Picking Rhyno, mostly because nobody else would agree to his proposal of forming a team, Slater introduced us to his home life in the preceding weeks, delivering some of the most entertaining WWE segments in a while. But would his tale end with a happy celebration, or would we see him again on Raw?
Facing off against the newly-turned evil Usos, it seemed that the team of “Slayno” was at a disadvantage… but the Cillerenda dream came true as Rhyno gored Uso #1, leading to Slater picking up the win after a hard-fought battle. Slater earned himself a SmackDown Live contract, a Tag Team Championship reign, and a new best friend all at the same time. A true WrestleMania moment, right here at Backlash.
AJ Styles defeated Dean Ambrose (c) – Singles Match for the WWE World Championship
After defeating John Cena clean at SummerSlam, AJ Styles had been wearing the “Never Give Up” armband on his head as a sign of his victory. Goading Dolph Ziggler for losing to Ambrose at the same event, and after being named the new number one contender, a match was set up between Styles and Ziggler. If Ziggler won, the main event would become a triple-threat match. As you already know, Ziggler lost to Styles, setting the main event as such. The two combatants exchanged fists and trophy-talk before Backlash, building the anticipation for this match. Would Styles continue his roll, or would Ambrose steamroll his roll?
A gruelling match occurred, putting each man to their limit. After failing to lock in either man’s finishing manoeuvre, things seemed desperate on both ends. However, Styles is a crafty fox, taking advantage of a referee distraction by low-blowing Ambrose, hitting the Styles Clash, and pinning the downed champion. Ladies and gentlemen, your NEW WWE World Champion… AJ Goddamn Styles. 2016 is the weirdest bestest year ever, guys.
What were your thoughts on Backlash as a whole? Comment below, and we’ll respond on this week’s show!
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