WWE BACKLASH REVIEW !!

A.J. Styles became the first person to capture major singles championships in WWE, New Japan, ROH and TNA when he defeated Dean Ambrose to win the WWE title in the main event of the 9/11 Backlash PPV from the Richmond, VA Coliseum.

Styles’ WWE title joins his two reigns as IWGP champion, a run as the ROH Pure champion (at the time the No. 2 belt in the promotion), three runs as NWA champion (under the auspices of TNA), two runs as TNA champion and even a PWG title thrown in.

While his NWA title obviously doesn’t have the prestige it had in the glory days, he joins Buddy Rogers and Ric Flair as the only people to have held the WWE and NWA titles.

Now 39, Styles’ has remained at the elite level in the industry, coming back from back injuries in 2015 that threatened his career as a full-timer. This year, even working a full-time WWE schedule, he’s avoided serious injuries and had some of the company’s best matches of the year.

Backlash was an otherwise normal show, with no bad matches, but nothing particularly great either, until an excellent championship match.

Next on the WWE’s agenda is the 9/25 Clash of Champions PPV show from the Raw brand.

The lineup for that show is Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal title, Rusev vs. Roman Reigns for the U.S. title, Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn, Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks for the women’s title, Cesaro vs. Sheamus in the final match of the best-of-seven series, New Day vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson for the tag team titles, and Enzo & Cass vs. The Shining Stars.

The Smackdown brand next show is No Mercy, on 10/9 in Sacramento. The main event has Styles vs. Ambrose vs. John Cena in a three-way for the WWE title and Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss for the women’s title. Nothing else is official, but it would appear to be Rhyno & Heath Slater vs. Usos (with Usos winning at some point and going into a program with American Alpha for the titles), and Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler (originally this was to be a cage match, with the idea Maryse couldn’t interfere, but that could change).

There was bad news when it came to interest level in the first Smackdown specific PPV in many years. The show only drew 7,000 fans, and that was with a lot of papering around town in the days before the show. There were reports of tickets being given away at night clubs as well as outside a Comic book convention the day before the show. In addition, for the first time in recent history, a WWE PPV show didn’t crack the No. 20 searches for that day.

1. Baron Corbin pinned Apollo Crews in 9:56. Crews tried a springboard but Corbin gave him a forearm and knocked him to the floor. Crews also used a standing moonsault and an Olympic slam for near falls, and a Samoan drop on the floor. Corbin used the deep six for a near fall. The finish saw Corbin use a knee to the chin and the End of Days. **½

2. Becky Lynch became the first Smackdown women’s champion in a six-way elimination match over Nikki Bella, Natalya, Carmella, Alexa Bliss and Naomi in 14:19. The match didn’t feel rushed even with five eliminations needed. But at times, especially with Carmella, you could see they weren’t ready for that long a match. Lynch and Naomi did a nice opening spot. Bliss did a double kneedrop followed by a standing moonsault kneedrop to the gut of Nikki. Naomi did a double eat defeat on Bliss. Everyone did their big moves on each other early. There was a save done at one point which made no sense since this is elimination rules and not first pin, so it’s to nobody’s advantage to do saves. Naomi did a springboard plancha on everyone. Naomi did a blockbuster off the top rope on Bliss off Natalya’s shoulders for the first pin in 9:37. Natalya won the second fall with a sharpshooter on Naomi at 10:50. Nikki pinned Natalya with the TKO in 11:55. Carmella pinned Nikki with a schoolgirl in 12:04. Nikki slapped Carmella after the match. It came down to Carmella vs Lynch. Lynch hit three exploders and used the disarmer in the middle for the submission. **1/4

Miz did a segment with Jagger Eaton of Nickelodeon where they talked about Miz being on his show. Eaton said he’d love to have him if they can’t get John Cena and then slammed the door in his face.

Next they showed Orton lying on the floor with the idea that he had been injured with the door slammed on his leg by Wyatt, to take him out of his match.

3. Usos beat Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley to go into the tag team title match at 10:10. Ryder dropkicked Jey off the apron. Rawley at one point did a double spear on both. They got heat on Ryder, who hot tagged Rawley. Rawley did two Stinger splashes. They picked up with Ryder doing a huracanrana off the top on Jey. The finish saw Jey give Rawley a chop block and Ryder took a chop kick and Jimmy made Ryder submit to a half crab. **½

There was one of those Vince McMahon comedy segments where Slater talked about having diarrhea from his wife’s crab dip with artificial crab. The joke was that Slater was telling Rhyno about it thinking the cameras were off. When Rhyno told him the cameras were on, Slater acted like it was a joke and he was just swerving Rhyno, but then ran off to go to the bathroom again.

Miz was with Daniel Bryan. Miz told Bryan that he wanted his contract renegotiated and to be paid like an A-lister. He said that you guys need to have the IC champion on your brand. They’re clearly building something with these two, because in Miz’s match, he did several Bryan drops.

4. The Miz pinned Dolph Ziggler to retain the IC title in 18:17. Miz did Bryan spots such as the bow-and-arrow submission and three corner dropkicks. Miz also did a power bomb onto the top rope and then the mat. They went back-and-forth and had the second best match on the show. Miz was much better than usual here, looking really good. The finish, which made sense with the directions they were planning for the program, did come off flat. Maryse sprayed Ziggler with something in the eyes and Miz won with the skull crushing finale. ***1/4

5. Kane pinned Bray Wyatt in a no holds barred match in 10:55. Wyatt demanded that they count out Orton and he be announced as the winner via forfeit. But then it was announced that Wyatt would face Kane as a replacement. Wyatt used the ring bell on Kane early. He also hit Kane’s knee with a chair. Wyatt used several more chair shots. Kane came back and went to DDT Wyatt on a chair but just missed the chair. Fans started chanting “We Want Tables.” Wyatt used a hard lariat on the floor and put Kane on the American announcers table. Wyatt posed and stalled before doing a running senton from the Spanish table and putting Kane through the American table. Wyatt set up Sister Abigail, but Kane reversed and hit a choke slam for a near fall. That didn’t get much of a reaction. Wyatt used a uranage on a chair reversing out of Kane’s attempt at another choke slam. Orton then came out with a taped up right ankle and hit the RKO on Wyatt and Kane hit another choke slam for the pin. **3/4

Styles was backstage making fun of two guys in their trunks. Why were guys dressed in their trunks backstage when they weren’t on the show? I think the idea was to make fun of them for having lousy looking bodies. Styles told them that they were destined for failure, destined to be sleeping in their cars because they can’t afford a hotel, but that they can say they met the face that runs the place on the night he won the WWE title.

6. Heath Slater & Rhyno captured the WWE tag titles in the tournament final over the Usos in 9:54. There was an “ECW” chant for Rhyno to start things off. Slater got suplexed into the post and worked on for several minutes. Rhyno hot tagged in. After he was worked over, Slater hot tagged in and had Jimmy pinned after an implant DDT, but Jey pulled Slater off him and out of the ring. Rhyno gave Jimmy a gore and Slater pinned him. Slater winning, thus getting his Smackdown contract, got a big pop. Slater & Rhyno did an interview after where Slater did a spoof on the normal title win interview saying this was the greatest moment of his life except for a couple of his kids being born. ***

7. A.J. Styles pinned Dean Ambrose in 24:48 to win the WWE title. The crowd was behind Styles more than Ambrose, but there were dueling chants. Ambrose set up a tope but Styles jumped in the ring and gave him a drop toe hold and Ambrose caught his neck on the bottom rope. Styles did his perfectly timed dropkick spot. Ambrose tried a German suplex but Styles landed on his feet. Ambrose did the elbow off the top rope to the floor and also got a near fall with the Dodon (called that by Mauro Ranallo, which is what the move is called in Japan). Styles escaped from Ambrose’s Dirty Deeds to set up a calf crusher. Ambrose got out of it by kicking his face over and over. Styles got it a second time and Ambrose made the ropes. Ambrose catapulted Styles into the post and used a rabbit lariat on the floor. Ambrose was selling and hobbling from the calf crusher but did a running bulldog and a La Magistral cradle for near falls. Styles came back with an Ushigoroshi for a near fall. Styles used an Argentinean backbreaker into a power bomb for a near fall, as well as a springboard 450. Ambrose came back with a neckbreaker, knees and a dropkick. Ambrose hit a tope that send Styles flying backwards over the American announcers table. Ambrose threw Styles over the barricade. He then ran across the tables and did a springboard off the barricade onto Styles. Styles hit the Pele kick but Ambrose came back with the rebound lariat. Ambrose went for Dirty Deeds, but Styles blocked and ref Mike Chioda was squashed into the turnbuckles. Styles hit a low blow and then hit the Styles Clash for the pin. The match was really good from start-to-finish, and picked up to be even better in the last few minutes. ****1/4