wrestling / Columns
411’s WWE Backlash Preview
* 411 columnist, Mr. Steve Cook.
* 411 contributor, Mr. Ken Hill.
* The Nostradamus of 411, Mr. Justin Watry.
* 411 contributor, Mr. Jake Chambers.
* 411’s Mr. NXT, Mr. Kevin Pantoja.
* 411 contributor, Mr. Mitch Nickelson.
* 411 columnist, Mr. Mike Chin.
KICKOFF MATCH: Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English
Mike Chin: For the time being, WWE seems ready to push Dillinger, and his NXT background and infectious “Ten!” chant should play well to the Chicago crowd. Meanwhile, English looks a bit directionless for the time being, and will hopefully get something meaningful to do rather than getting shuffled into obscurity. In any event, this match up seems pretty straightforward.
WINNER: Tye Dillinger
Steve Cook: I think Chicago will be all about the “Ten” chants. Putting Dillinger in the kickoff match is a great way to get the crowd going early and should work really well. No reason for him to lose, or for Aiden English to win, really.
WINNER: Tye Dillinger
“The Perfect Ken” Hill: Tye’s beaten Aiden handily twice,
while Phillips references Miami Vice.
No doubt to this match,
Perfect Ten wins, natch.
An end to this crying “shame” would be nice.
WINNER: Tye Dillinger
Jake Chambers: You know what, I’m actually interested in this match, which is not something you’re gonna hear me say too much throughout this discussion. Tye Dillinger is a guy who I don’t feel disappointed seeing in lame spots like this: I don’t think he’s a great wrestler and don’t have an emotional attachment to his career. So it’s kind of interesting to watch him work his way up from the bottom in a traditional WWE/F way. I much prefer his opponent though, despite the Vaudevillains being a horrible gimmick, this singing routine is one I can get behind. He has a legit skill there, so it’s another old-fashioned WWE/F style of exploiting and exaggerating a person’s real character inside of a symbolic framework. In a year from now it’s likely that these two will just be in some thrown-together tag team on Main Event, but for now it’s interesting to sit back and watch them try to create.
WINNER: Tye Dillinger
@JustinWatry: No explanation needed.
WINNER: Tye Dillinger
Mitch Nickelson : Babyfaces win on the pre-show. That’s a pretty safe rule to bet on. Tye Dillinger still has his very over “Ten” chant while Aiden English has an over-emotional crooning shtick. It doesn’t feel like the former Vaudevillain’s current gimmick has much potential, but maybe he’ll get a chance to show what he can do here. Tye will win and maybe if I cross my fingers hard enough, both he and Aiden can become more of a player on SmackDown in the coming weeks.
WINNER: Tye Dillinger
Kevin Pantoja: Well this one is easy. Tye beat English handily on Smackdown recently and I expect a similar outcome here. it should be more competitive though, which means it could be pretty good. Tye has been consistently strong for over a year now, and English is solid. Plus, I love his singing gimmick and am glad it’s back. Like I said though, Tye wins.
WINNER: Tye Dillinger
Luke Harper vs. Eric Rowan
Mike Chin: By all rights, Harper should win here. He’s so talented and underutilized, in particular relative to his former tag team partner. Given Rowan is still getting reestablished, though, and has the specter of the creepy picture he posted on Twitter, I have a feeling he’s going over, and this issue continues either in a linear fashion, or less directly, on and off for the months to come.
WINNER: Erick Rowan
Steve Cook: Member when Harper seemed on the verge of doing big things? I imagine there’s an alternate universe where he’s challenging for the WWE Championship at this show instead of Jinder Mahal. But in this universe, he’s trapped way down the card with his former tag team partner, good ol’ Rowan. The poor bastard. And I think he’s losing too, because Rowan needs the win more.
WINNER: Erick Rowan
Kizen Heazill: Rowan’s got a new clowny bit,
Makes Renee lose her place to sit.
Penny for my thought?
Wise man once taught,
“You better watch…IT!”
WINNER: Luke Harper
Jake Chambers: Ouch, are there any more weekly-TV level matches they can squeeze onto this card? Didn’t I just see this match literally end cleanly on Smackdown two episodes ago? You know the WWE doesn’t give a fuck any more when you look at this card, they’re gonna get their sustainable subscription numbers from Wrestlemania and SummerSlam, and the rest of the year from now on is just gonna be filler for us boobs who still hang on watching these things expecting something exceptional to happen. Instead, what we’ll get is a safe match like we’ve seen on TV, with no story between two opponents we’re given very little reason to ever care about, who are gonna do a match that will look no different from all the other matches by using the same basic moves and structure. I’d just copy and paste this paragraph to describe pretty much every entry in this Roundtable, but apparently even I have more pride in my work than the WWE has in theirs these days.
WINNER: Eric Harper
JUSTIN WATRY: It is Erick Rowan. Eric with a “k” at the end. Not like it matters. He will be eating an “L” at Backlash. Sadly, that won’t mean much for his opponent either. I was NOT a fan of Luke Harper randomly entering the WWE Championship picture in February. It completed derailed the Bray Wyatt/Randy Orton story, and it never recovered. Same with AJ Styles. I know they had to get him to Shane McMahon somehow, but it was a mess and helped no one. Now, after the dust has settled…shocking! Harper is doing nothing, and Rowan is doing even less. Harper deserves better but in a good way. Not randomly feuding at the top of the card or winning the IC Title for a month and then losing the belt. Heck, go the Braun Strowman route and give him two minutes a week on television to beat a local talent. That’s it. Two minutes per week for the next two months. I think we can do that for the big man. Then come Summerslam, he will have momentum and be worthy of a spot on the card. This? THIS? After Harper already lost to Rowan on Smackdown LIVE a few weeks ago? No. Nobody wins here. Not Rowan. Not Harper. Not us.
WINNER: Nobody
Mitch Nickelson : I honestly had no idea these guys were having a singles match on this show. They had a match against each other at the London episode of SmackDown Live and it felt random, but I guess that constitutes a feud. I’ll forgive any storyline incontinuity it would cause to make this happen but how about just letting them tag again? Give them another 2 out of 3 falls match against The Usos and boom, people are excited about Harper and Rowan once more. For now, Harper gets the win.
WINNER: Luke Harper
Kevin Pantoja: Another rematch of a recent Smackdown outing. Once upon a time, this feud sounded interesting after the original Wyatt breakup. They got back together, split again and had a few singles matches with no build, so it’s lost a lot of luster. Rowan was highly entertaining on Talking Smack this week and I think Harper is one of the most underutilized guys on the roster. He’s so damn good. Harper seems to just put people over though.
WINNER: Erick Rowan
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
Mike Chin: This is probably the truest toss up with any stakes for the night. Both guys are potential eventual main eventers, and both guys could really use this win. While I fully want Zayn to prevail and think he has way more up side in the long term, WWE clearly sees something in Corbin. Particularly after coming up short against AJ Styles and Randy Orton, I see Corbin going over here to recoup some momentum.
WINNER: Baron Corbin
Steve Cook: Corbin seemed on his way to a WWE title program, but is currently sidetracked with Sami. It’s likely for the best, as Sami will make him look like a million bucks and help improve his standing with the audience before he moves up the card. Sami is at his best going against bigger guys, which might not be great for his life expectancy, but is great for his popularity.
WINNER: Baron Corbin
Ken Hill: Sami longs for RAW and Senpai Kurt,
His run on SD Live’s become inert.
Fight as he will try,
Sami’s End of Days is nigh,
and boy is that gonna hurt.
WINNER: Baron Corbin
Jake Chambers: If this match was taking place in Evolve, or hell, maybe even NXT, I might have been pretty hyped. El Generico had such a great career once, I mean, every time the guy was heading to the ring for a match you’d get excited. Where’s that feeling now? When he’s making his WWE entrance and you know he’s about to get beaten in a nothing match against a guy like Corbin, I just feel depressed. Zayn is the ultimate indy band who made their sell-out, crossover record; the WWE is Zayn’s Black Album, and this match could very well be his “Enter Sandman”. Now, if he was actually fighting The Sandman, that would be another story.
WINNER: Can I say The Sandman?
JUSTIN WATRY: Good feud for the blue brand right now. Baron Corbin can beat up a fan favorite, and the heel can gain another victory on pay-per-view. Yes, they are still pay-per-view events. If rumors are to be trusted (insert punchline here), WWE has some serious plans for The Lone Wolf in mid-late 2017. For that reason alone, he should defeat Sami Zayn. Then there is Zayn himself. I know people do not always like when I say this, but his role is to lose. That is what being an under dog usually entails 90% of the time. When the time comes for his turn to shine, yeah, he will. We know his talent. Fans will rally around him and fed up with all his losses, the big celebration will mean that much more.
WINNER: Baron Corbin
Mitch Nickelson : Baron Corbin is a future World Champion and Sami Zayn is a future Dolph Ziggler – at least that’s their current trajectory. Sami might taste a top title a time or two in his career, but WWE mostly sees him as a guy who can make their chosen champion look great in the ring. Corbin is still busy building his future main eventer resume, so a win over Zayn in a somewhat competitive match will be a lovely notch in his belt.
WINNER: Baron Corbin
Kevin Pantoja: Another seemingly easy prediction. Sami Zayn is the most natural babyface the WWE has seen in a long time but the guy just loses on a consistent basis. Has he even had a big win since beating Kevin Owens last summer at Battleground? In a YouTube clip, he showed a ton of frustration after losing the Six Pack Challenge, but it hasn’t translated to TV. I suspect Corbin, who has been awesome since being drafted to Smackdown, is a potential challenger for the WWE Title down the line. I could see Sami stealing a win but I’ll go with a Corbin win.
WINNER: Baron Corbin
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler
Steve Cook: We finally get to see The Artist wrestle! I’m pretty excited about it, and one expects that the crowd here will be as well. If Nakamura is on his A game and Ziggler is ready to fly around & make him look good, this should be a very enjoyable match. This is probably the most predictable match in the history of the 411 Roundtable, unless Nakamura did something to anger Vince since arriving.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura
Ken Hill: The Artist has arrived, yes?
Debut is at hand?
Mister Ziggles is done for.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura
Jake Chambers: LOL… the WWE really doesn’t get why Nakamura was cool or a star at all, do they? I mean, how is it possible? Someone there must be a New Japan fan, right? You know we’re just a couple of months away from “Dancin’ Naky”, and don’t say you haven’t thought it. I don’t know about you, but when I was watching all those years of insane Nakamura matches in New Japan I kept saying to myself, “wow, this guy is just like Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury!” LOL, as if! Now THERE’S two hardcore badasses you want to be associated with as a fighter… and super current references too. Nakamura is drinking that “King Harley Race” Kool-Aid, and let’s just hope it doesn’t go all Tensai on him too quickly. WWE had no idea why they bought Mistico, why they bought Bryan Danielson, or why they keep buying Chris Hero, and hey, maybe Nakamura can make it work, but it’s not looking good to me, and a “debut” match with the forever mediocre Dolph Ziggler, ugh, that’s not a good sign.
WINNER: Hopefully Nakamura’s bank account.
JUSTIN WATRY: I have written about this match a million times during the past month (on another website). Not much to add after Tuesday’s show. Dolph Ziggler finds Nakamura to be over rated and unproven in the WWE Universe. Fans know better and are booing these accusations. Simple and effective. The Artist will show up in Chicago, paint his knee all over Ziggler’s face and win clean. Easy story. If given time and set up to steal the show, it will. If it is just designed to be a quick win for Nakamura, that will be disappointing. These guys can deliver. Let them.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura
Mike Chin: I have friends who are already distraught about Nakamura not wrestling yet and having his first feud booked against someone entrenched in the mid-card, reading these points as signs WWE feels unsure of him or plans for him to be a mid-card guy. I’m taking an optimistic perspective that WWE’s is just building Nakamura more slowly, and pairing him with Ziggler as not just a mid-carder but also a former world champion, and as sure a bet as anyone on the Smackdown roster (besides Sami Zayn and AJ Styles, whom Nakamua will hopefully get to) to give him a great match, and a great first win.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura
Mitch Nickelson : I said in the Zayn/Corbin matchup that Sami is a future Dolph Ziggler. Well, Dolph Ziggler is actually Dolph Ziggler, so he’s not winning. WWE sees him almost exclusively as a super talented guy who can give their main eventers a great showing in the ring. I wish WWE saw him as more because Lord knows he has talent, but such is life. I’m excited to see what these guys will do if given a proper amount of time but they’re going to have to work harder than they’ve ever worked before if they’re going to get me to buy into any nearfall that could see Ziggler winning.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura
Kevin Pantoja: Man, how much more fun would this have been if Nakamura feuded with Miz instead of Ziggler? I like the idea of saving Nakamura’s first main roster match for a PPV. It makes him feel like a big deal. The issue was that the PPV was too far away. He debuted on the main roster almost two months ago. Some segments have worked, but some have just been bad all around. The match should be good and the outcome is clear. Let’s just hope we get a Nakamura who brings his “A game” (think major NJPW matches or the match with Zayn) instead of phoning it in Nakamura (the rest of his NXT run), during his main roster run.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura
Naomi, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs. Tamina Snuka, Carmella and Natalya
b>Steve Cook: The Welcoming Committee has been good, harmless fun so far. Well, maybe not harmless to their opponents, but they’re perfectly good bad girls. I get the feeling that the combined talent of Naomi, Charlotte & Becky will be too much for them to handle…if Charlotte & Becky can get along and if Naomi can trust the two women that are the top challengers to her status as champion.
WINNER: Naomi, Charlotte & Becky
Ken Hill: The Queen, Glow and Fire?
Vince’s ’70s references catch my ire.
Charlotte’s at the feud’s core,
She’ll even the score.
Then Naomi’s title reign looks dire.
WINNER: Naomi, Charlotte & Becky
Jake Chambers: All I care about is that we get to see more of the jerk-off James Ellsworth character – that guy is gold! Is he gonna wrestle for the Women’s Title, or what? I mean, why not? Don’t we want gender fluidity in the world today anyways, so give Ellsworth a shot. He’s easily more charismatic than 4/6 of these women, and I’m being nice to Charlotte because I remember when she was a heel.
WINNER: That team Ellsworth is managing.
Justin Watry: I still believe the end game is Charlotte as Smackdown Womens’ Champion. Naomi didn’t actually beat her in their previous meeting and isn’t even defending the belt at Backlash. Holding patterns it appears until this Welcoming Committee junk is sorted out. Becky Lynch? Heel turn or not, she will be in the spotlight because she is well known and can excel in the ring. The other three? Eh, don’t even get me started. Charlotte wins on Sunday to start a new Smackdown PPV Streak and earns a future title shot against Naomi.
WINNER: Charlotte over Natalya
Mike Chin: I’m cautiously optimistic about this whole angle that seems to be turning Charlotte Flair full-fledged face, and giving all of the major players on Smackdown something worthwhile to do. While the possibility always lurks of a Flair heel turn and the formal launch of a Four Horsewomen stable, I suspect that WWE is holding off on that (if they ever go in that direction) and instead this one will be about setting up Flair for a feud with Snuka or Natalya while Carmella shores up her spot as a challenger for the title for the next month or two.
WINNER: Tamina Snuka, Carmella and Natalya
Mitch Nickelson : I like that all these ladies, especially those on the heel side, are getting plugged into a somewhat coherent storyline. Even with their terrible stable name, they’re a perfectly acceptable faction. However, the bigger story is whatever future singles match might get set up among the babyface wrestlers, or at least it should be. The Welcoming Committee could get a win due to their opponent’s inability to work together, but I don’t even foresee that happening. WWE should keep the ladies who actually are going to be working those title matches on the winning side.
WINNER: Naomi, Charlotte Flair, & Becky Lynch
Kevin Pantoja: I could see this going either way. The heels should win since Carmella seems to be headed towards a Women’s Title match. I’d have her pick up the win, maybe over Becky since she keeps pinning Naomi. However, this is the WWE and the babyface team has lady BIG DOG. Charlotte seemingly has to win nearly every match and look dominant while doing so. She could win and a throw a wrench into everything, beating the very expendable Tamina or Natalya. I’ve said it before, but I never bet against the female Roman Reigns. Charlotte wins.
WINNER: Charlotte, Becky and Naomi
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: Champions The Usos vs. Tyler Breeze and Fandango
Steve Cook: The Fashion Files segments have been on point & Breeze & Fandango are getting over in the ring as solid tag team competitors. This seems like the time to pull the trigger on them and see how far they can carry the ball. Worst-case scenario: Usos get the belts back a few weeks later and wait for the next hot team to come along.
WINNER: Breezango
Ken “I get this in a size XXXL” Hill: The Fashion Po-Po are here,
Trend victims need not fear!
No prob for the Uso Brothers,
Until New Day’s Kofi recovers.
Fandango’s still a thing? How queer!
WINNER: The Usos
Jake Chambers: You know you’ve got a really rock solid title scene when both your Tag Team and World titles are being challenged for by career jobbers who were elevated out of that status in less than a month. This Breeze and ‘dango team is about a year too late from what should have been their New Age Outlaws moment, but now it’s feeling a little too New Midnight Express for me. I’m gonna admit, I actually found their backstage skits slightly amusing, more than I ever would have expected, but if we start deciding which teams should be champions based on comedy sketches then we might as well be living in the “Broken Universe”. The Usos are WAY too good for this match, and if it turns out to be a 15-minute barnburner, as they say, then you’ll know who to thank.
WINNER: The Usos
JUSTIN WATRY: Time for another unpopular opinion from yours truly: The Usos have had the better promos in this feud. Not Tyler Breeze and Fandango. I believe the company wants The New Day to instantly enter the tag team title picture on Smackdown in a few weeks, so that means a heel team has to hold the belts. That is The Usos. No shame in losing Breeze and Dango. They have made an impact over the past month and should be okay after Sunday night. Win or lose, now we know they are legitimate. That has to be a moral victory at least, right?
WINNER: The Usos retain
Mike Chin: While FaBreeze has been reasonably fun, as title challengers, this is the definition of a placeholder program. The Usos will go on to feud with New Day and/or revisit their issue with American Alpha. Breeze and Fandango are probably reaching their peak just in getting a PPV title shot.
WINNER: The Usos
Mitch Nickelson : The Fashion Files has been one of the most entertaining parts of SmackDown Live as of late. Tyler Breeze & Fandango are all in with their comedy characters and they’re brilliant at what they do. I’m not sure if WWE sees them as title holders, especially against the perpetual franchise tag team The Usos. But then again, Heath Slater & Rhyno were an unlikely pair that seemingly won the straps last year simply by riding a wave of momentum. Why couldn’t the same happen for Breezango? I’m not confident at all about this call, but I’m going with new champs at Backlash.
WINNER: The Fashion Police
Kevin Pantoja: Has anyone transformed themselves more than the Usos in the past year or so? They went from good, but very stale tag team. They turned heel, changed their style and attitude and feel fresh. Their recent promos have been good and different from pretty much all other promos in the WWE. Meanwhile, Breezango have been tremendous in their Law and Order spoof segments. These are the two most fun tag teams on Smackdown, since American Alpha does a lot of nothing, and the match could surprise many. The Usos retain though.
WINNER: The Usos
WWE United States Championship Match: Champion Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles
Mike Chin: In a more just universe, this would be the WWE Championship program and the main event. As it stands, at least there’s a title at stake, and there’s every reason to believe this could both be the match of the night and build to lengthier rivalry. Given that I’m pegging this as just chapter one, I’m picking Owens to retain, either by cheap means or DQ, and set the stage for a rematch.
WINNER: Kevin Owens
Steve Cook: A lot of people believe that the title makes the man. I believe that the man makes the title, and the United States Championship has been elevated in recent years by most of the gentlemen that have held it. John Cena, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns & Chris Jericho are all recent US Champions, and Styles & Owens were both main champions of their respective brands for most of 2015. So this might be the most important match on the show. I give the edge to Owens because he is the New Face of America and it’s pretty awesome.
WINNER: Kevin Owens
“I’m a Real Ameri-Ken” Hill: This match won’t at all be junky,
These two don’t wrestle clunky.
Styles’ knee will be a wrench,
So I best learn Owens’ french,
That Cheese-Eatin’ Surrender Monkey!
WINNER: Kevin Owens
Jake Chambers: WWE kind of Rusev-ing Kevin Owens has pretty much ruined this feud for me. And what’s even funnier about choosing NOW to do a generic anti-American bit is that you’ve got the biggest ratings-getting target for mocking the USA providing new material for mockery on an almost hourly basis, and Owens can’t even bring it up due to the WWE ties to Trump. So funny. A cocky French Canadian who talks down to America but can’t even name drop the President who is being ripped apart ruthlessly by every newspaper, talk show and blue state Twitter user in the country. The WWE is creating content so milquetoast at this point they might as well be making Disney movies. And, whoa, if they aren’t walking the tight rope on the most prefect Pro-Trump persona in the entire company with Georgia’s own AJ Styles, but America is so fragile and WWE so gutless that they can’t even do a Patriotic pro-Trump character either. God, it would be nice to have some actual content with these wrestling storylines, something relevant and interesting like where these wrestlers stand on what is such a monumental period in the cultural history of the USA, but nah, let’s just have them kick out of each other’s finishers like five times, that’ll keep the fans on the edge of their seats.
WINNER: Whoever bets the Over on how many open-mouthed, “I can’t believe he kicked out” faces these two do.
JUSTIN WATRY: Difficult to predict. Kevin Owens is STILL mocking Chris Jericho. Those two have been connected at the hip since August. No wonder television ratings are in the toilet. Those two need to move and fast. Since they’re on the same show and WWE went out of their way to make that happen, you have to think Y2J is heading back soon to resume the KO story line. Could he cost him the United States Title at Backlash? I don’t know his Fozzy tour schedule nor do I care to take five seconds to look it up. On the flip side, there is AJ Styles. Getting more and more popular by the week and has now made TWO promises to win on Sunday. That is pretty heft language in wrestling. If a top face is going to be that strong in his conviction, he better follow through. My initial thought was Owens keeps the belt for awhile until Jericho comes back. Now? I’m going with another new U.S. Champ. Actually, no. Scratch that. Just changed my mind again. Owens purposely gets disqualified. AJ keeps his promise to win…but is screwed out of the title. Fair compromise?
WINNER: AJ Styles
Mitch Nickelson : I’m sure I’m not the only one pegging this matchup as the pick for best match on the card. Kevin Owens & A.J. Styles are fantastic in-ring performers. The title does feel a little like a step down for two guys who were The Universal and The WWE Champion just a few short months ago, but at least they’re making this belt the hottest thing on their brand right now. I think A.J. will be back in the WWE Championship contention in a few short months, so I’m not expecting him to actually capture the U.S. Championship here. Owens should retain, although it might be by less than honorable tactics.
WINNER: Kevin Owens
Kevin Pantoja: This should be the clear match of the night. These are two of the best guys in the company (with Styles being the best wrestler on Earth) and this absolutely should go on last. It’ll make the United States Title feel important and the crowd will eat this up. Technically, I’d say Styles should win because he’s a recently turned babyface and Owens got the better of him most recently. I don’t think it happens though. Owens already had a short reign with the title and I don’t think it happens again. Unless he drops it and moves onto a WWE Title feud, while AJ makes the US Title relevant. However, I don’t think this ends here. Owens retains and wins by cheap means or loses by DQ. I’m gonna say he loses by DQ.
WINNER: AJ Styles via disqualification
WWE WWE Championship Match: Champion Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal
Steve Cook: This will be Jinder Mahal’s chance to prove he belongs in the main event scene. For the good of the quality of Backlash, I hope he passes with flying colors. I don’t think he wins the match though…Orton’s big match experience and expertise at headlocks will give him the advantage.
WINNER: Randy Orton
Ken Hill: The sudden rise of Jinder,
Is one Orton’s yet to hinder.
But the Boyz can’t Singh a tune,
The run’s come along too soon,
So watch Randy also burn it to a cinder.
WINNER: Randy Orton
elevation trick and make Jinder Mahal the WWE Champion. When they feel confident enough to have guys like Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose main eventing shows, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg feuding over a major championship belt, and they actually put that Roman Reigns / Undertaker match as the main event at Wrestlemania, it really almost doesn’t matter who is in that ring anymore. We like to hold onto our old concepts of how you “book” a wrestling promotion, but the WWE defines it at every turn and they continue to grow. That’s what a multinational corporate does. They get more out of perpetrating the fan “hatred” for Roman Reigns than they would by trying to mold Jinder Mahal into a Matt Riddle-level ring worker. And in this case they’ve got you either fantasy booking all day about a JBL-esque run for Jinder or justifying the smart “business” strategy of promoting a brown guy to the Indian market, so they’ve already won. That’s why they feel so safe putting a match between the most dull main event-level in-ring performer they’ve got and a legit jobber on a PPV for the legendary WWE Title without any real story or motivation, because they already have you and they don’t have to work hard to keep you.
WINNER: From Buddy Rogers to Bray Wyatt, your new WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jinder Mahal!
Justin Watry: Another match I have discussed repeatedly (on another website) for the past month. My latest column about trusting your gut instinct sums up this entire battle. Go read it and let me know what you think. Basically, WWE has taken many chances during their existence. Some have worked, some have stunk, and others are still in play. This one may be a minor risk (main event of Backlash is not a serious thing people), but when you involve the WWE Championship, fans pay attention. If this were non-title or any other situation, nobody would care that much about Jinder Mahal in a headlining slot. The thought of him beating Randy Orton to earn the biggest prize in the industry that many legends never touched? Yeah, WWE is taking a chance alright. My prediction is Mr. RKO wins in the end, but I am not too sure. Ratings have not done too well for the blue brand since this feud was introduced. Now, does that mean Jinder is to blame? Or maybe Orton is the issue? OR perhaps viewers are just tuning out as the show has not been very good for awhile now? We may never know the answer to those questions. What we WILL know this weekend is who walks out of Backlash as WWE Champion. Jinder Mahal or Randy Orton…
WINNER: Randy Orton
Mike Chin: I get the business concerns that have placed Mahal in this program, and am OK with him being built as a longer term upper card threat. For the time being, though, this feels a lot like when JBL transformed from Acolyte to New York businessman main eventer over night. The difference is, JBL’s talking game quickly brought him up to speed as a believable main eventer. It’s not impossible Mahal will get there, but he is no way ready now.
WINNER: Randy Orton
Mitch Nickelson: I don’t have a huge problem with Jinder getting this out of nowhere, massive push. He’s got a great look and he’s decent enough on the mic. The one knock I still hold against him is that I haven’t seen any fantastic singles matches so far. Maybe this match can be a tester for him? With the Singh Brothers at ringside, the match can end with some sort of shenanigans that work in Jinder’s favor. If the match proves to be solid, then maybe a real discussion about a potential Jinder Mahal reign can be had. However, if the match is a big snooze then this experiment can quietly start fading away.
WINNER: Jinder Mahal (By DQ – No Title Change)
Kevin Pantoja: This match and rivalry is absolute dogshit. Randy Orton as WWE Champion in 2017 is a joke. He was fun with the Wyatts but without them, he’s back to the same dull guy we’ve known for years. To make matters worse, he doesn’t even get a good opponent for his first defense. He gets Jinder fucking Mahal. A guy that has been in the bottom five of performers in the WWE since his debut. He hasn’t improved and doesn’t deserve to be here but he is. Orton should retain. Not because I want him as champion, but because he’s a better option as champion than someone as horrible as Mahal. Though don’t be surprised if WWE puts the title on Mahal to spite everyone.
WINNER: Randy Orton
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