Backlash has long shown the aftermath of WrestleMania, where feuds that haven’t ended spill over into the event. While quite often the matches don’t top their WrestleMania counterparts, there have been plenty of instances where they have more than lived up to expectations. Here are the top 10 best Backlash main events of all time.
10. Batista vs Triple H (World Heavyweight Championship) – Backlash 2005
After Evolution split, Batista and The Game went on to a series of matches over few months which ended at Vengeance inside Hell In A Cell. Their Backlash encounter was in the middle of this feud and was as intense as would be expected from these 2 Superstars. While not perfect, a few spots went sideways, the match was very good and showed why it could be argued that Triple H was the best rival that Batista ever had in his career.
9. Randy Orton vs JBL vs Triple H vs John Cena (WWE Championship) – Backlash 2008
What do you get when you put 4 of the best Superstars on the roster together? The answer is a pretty great main event. Normally, multi-man matches tend to not turn out as well as expected due to there being too many people in the ring, too many micro-stories to tell, and more people looking to get their spots into the match. With it being an elimination match it definitely helped as it eventually came down to Triple H and Randy Orton who went for another 20 minutes while being the final 2 competitors.
8. Randy Orton vs Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship) – Backlash 2017
I bet you’re surprised to see Jinder Mahal in a top 10 best match list, well here he is. Jinder Mahal unexpectedly got pushed to the moon by WWE in 2017, feuding with Randy Orton for a good part of it and actually having some really great matches. The two clashed at Backlash in what turned out to be probably the best match of Jinder Mahal’s career. The wheels were pulled on Jinder a short time later, but at least we got some matches out of his title run.
7. John Cena vs Edge (World Heavyweight Championship) – Backlash 2009
Following on from their 2006 clash, which also included Triple H, this time we got to see the two Legends face each other one on one at Backlash 2009 in a Last Man Standing match. As expected from these 2 competitors, the match was long and very intense. The finish kind of spoiled the match as Big Show chokeslammed Cena onto a giant spotlight. While not the worse ending in the world, it didn’t really need interference to finish an already fantastic match.
6. Dean Ambrose vs AJ Styles (WWE World Championship) – Backlash 2016
AJ Styles finally made his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble in 2016 and rose to the top of the card very quickly, and hasn’t really left that position since. The Phenomenal One took on the Lunatic Fringe at Backlash 2016, the first event under the Backlash name since 2009. This was during the period where Dean Ambrose finally saw a push as a main event talent, after having previously seen both of his famous Shield partners capture the World Championship before him. While he lost the title in this match, it helped prove that Ambrose had what it takes to carry the company at the main event level, and his career has gone really great ever since, with Ambrose, now called Moxley, being one of the top stars in AEW. Since this match, AJ Styles has continued to stay at the main event level and even was The Undertaker’s final opponent at WrestleMania 36.
5. John Cena vs Triple H vs Edge (WWE Championship) – Backlash 2006
The main event of Backlash 2006 saw Cena defend his WWE Championship against both Triple H and Edge after having previously retained the title against Triple H at WrestleMania 22. As expected, Triple H left the match a bloody mess, taking the pinfall loss after John Cena reversed a Pedigree. The match awesome saw one of Cena’s first display of strength, delivering an FU to both Triple H and Edge at the same time.
4. The Rock vs Triple H (WWF Championship) – Backlash 2000
Triple H vs The Rock will likely go down as one of the greatest WWE rivalries of all time, with it dating back all the way to 1997. By the time 2000 rolled around, both Superstars were on top of the WWF with both being multi-time WWF Champions by this point. The match was full of interference from Vince McMahon, Pat Patterson, and Gerald Brisco, with them all trying their best to screw The Rock. A returning Stone Cold Steve Austin returned to even the odds, allowing The Rock to score the win and claim his 4th WWF Championship.
3. John Cena vs Randy Orton vs Edge vs Shawn Michaels (WWE Championship) – Backlash 2007
At WrestleMania 23 John Cena retained the WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels. At Backlash 2007 he defended the title against not only HBK, but Randy Orton and Edge too. During the Raw prior to this PPV, Cena and Shawn Michaels went 56 minutes in a match, something we don’t see often in modern times. The matches ended after HBK delivered a Sweet Chin Music to Cena, but he fell on top of Orton, with the referee delivering the three count so Cena retained once again.
2. Chris Benoit vs Shawn Michaels vs Triple H (World Heavyweight Championship) – Backlash 2004
Fresh off their WrestleMania 20 encounter, which saw Benoit with his one and only World Championship, a rematch between the 3 was set for Backlash 2004. While not as good as their previous encounter, it is still a fantastic match that is essential viewing for fans.
1. The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin (WWF Championship) – Backlash 1999
Taking the top spot is the very first main event on a Backlash PPV, which saw The Rock challenge Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship. Hot off the heels of their first of 3 WrestleMania encounters, The Rock had his eyes set on the title that he lost to Austin to just 1 month earlier. This match was more of the same from their WrestleMania encounter, but that isn’t a bad thing. The two Superstars have some of the best chemistry ever seen in the ring, and when these two face off you know it will be a blockbuster match and this match was no exception.
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