Backlash Line up
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
San Juan Street Fight: Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Zelina Vega
Matt Riddle and Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) vs. The Bloodline
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. IYO SKY
United States Championship: Austin Theory vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed
Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Omos
Predictions
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
Who will win: No Contest
Who should win: Cody Rhodes
Thoughts: I see this feud being dragged out at least until the Night of Champions PPV so I would be really surprised if there is a clean finish either way. Cody Rhodes should probably win if WWE wants the haters to finally stop complaining about WrestleMania.
San Juan Street Fight
Who will win: Bad Bunny
Who should win: Bad Bunny
Thoughts: Normally, I wouldn’t want the celeb to go over the wrestler, especially when the wrestler is part of a faction that is supposed to be feared, but this is a no brainer. Bad Bunny winning in Puerto Rico makes all the sense in the world. Rhea can continue to carry The Judgement Day on her very capable shoulders.
SmackDown Women’s Championship
Who will win: Rhea Ripley
Who should win: Rhea Ripley
Thoughts: I love that Zelina is getting this moment to shine in front of her people. Her and Rhea have great chemistry together so it should be a really fun match! I am sure that there will be Judgement Day vs LWO shenanigans, but end of the day, Rhea’s reign is just getting started and there’s no way she should lose yet.
Matt Riddle and Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. The Bloodline
Who will win: Riddle, Owens, and Zayn
Who should win: Riddle, Owens, and Zayn
Thoughts: The Bloodline saga needs to move forward and them losing now is the best way to do it. The tension between the Usos and Roman Reigns has now extended to Solo Sikoa so it makes for it to boil over after a loss at Backlash. Solo turning on the Usos (Jay especially) will push them further into babyface territory, which will be a big plus in a feud against the Tribal Chief!
Raw Women’s Championship
Who should win: Bianca Belair
Who will win: Bianca Belair
Thoughts: I am a fan of Bianca, but will be the first to admit that her title run has gotten stale. I think Iyo is a star and would love to see her as champ. However, after the long and iconic run she’s had, Belair’s big loss should probably be saved for a bigger PPV. I hope that they at least give Iyo a big push with this match and make her look strong even in defeat. Maybe even to the point that she only loses is because of a possible betrayal coming from within her own faction, Damage CTRL??
United States Championship
Who will win: Bobby Lashley
Who should win: Bronson Reed
Thoughts: I think Theory’s run as United States Champion is coming to an end. With the title now doing the heavy lifting on SmackDown, I think they will want to put the title on someone more popular. After the infamous WrestleMania snub it is fitting for Lashley to be the guy. Personally, I think a fresh face would be fun, but I think Theory has a better chance of retaining than Reed does of winning.
Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Omos
Who will win: Seth Rollins Who should win: Seth Rollins Thoughts: We all know what this match is. It’s the one where we see the fan favorite face the giant monster of a man and we get to cheer and smile (and sing!) as David takes out Goliath. Rollins is completely over right now and him getting this win will be a fun boost before heading to Night of Champions (where he will hopefully win again!).
Bonus Predictions
Match of the Night: Riddle, Owens, and Zayn vs The Bloodline
Sleeper Match of the Night: Rhea Ripley vs Zelina Vega
Story of the Night: Riddle, Owens, and Zayn vs The Bloodline
Best spots Match: Riddle, Owens, and Zayn vs The Bloodline
WWE Backlash 2023 is live on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.
