WWE Backlash 2017 Review: Defending Jinder Mahal

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That said, your article about your friend Megan and trip to Wrestlemnaia was the greatest thing you have ever wrote. Forget about the predictions you brag about getting right. This is your crowning piece. Maybe it is because I can relate as going to Wrestlemania is my ultimate dream and it will be happening next year. But I genuinely loved your article.

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– wrestling fan

Backstory

This is my WWE Backlash 2017 review. NXT Takeover: Chicago on Saturday night was excellent – I will write about that on another website in a few days. Be on the lookout. Let’s get to the Smackdown LIVE exclusive event…

WWE Backlash 2017

Tye Dillinger over Aiden English – Eh. Whatever. Tye Dillinger is actually settling in exactly where I figured he would be slotted on the main roster, so I have no complaints. English is getting a nice ‘sorry your tag team partner is gone’ spotlight. However, we know that won’t go very far after a month or so. As a Kickoff match, this worked. Now somebody needs to tell me where American Alpha are!

Shinsuke Nakamura over Dolph Ziggler – The very definition of a hot opener in the world of WWE pay-per-view. Perfect choice to start Backlash. Crowd guaranteed to be jacked, so the reactions would be there. Plus, you instantly grabbed a headline with a debut. I liked it. Ziggler put up just enough offense to not be a complete afterthought but also lost clean as can be (which was obviously the right decision). Nakamura is going to be used as a special attraction going forward; this kind of stuff is the new normal for him. When the time is right, he will be used more regularly and/or enter the main event WWE Championship picture.

The Usos over Tyler Breeze and Fandango – Again, the correct move. Keep the Smackdown LIVE Tag Team Titles on a serious pair. We did the comedy junk last year with Heath Slater and Rhyno. The Usos are the team that will match up with The New Day best, so it fits. Outside of Moppy returning from the wood chipper, I didn’t get the funny stuff or even laugh. Chicago appeared to love the Breeze spots, but that is Chicago for you. I’d rather them keep the comedy but gain some credibility inside the ring along the way – NOT dressing up as a grandma…or whatever that nonsense was.

Sami Zayn over Baron Corbin – Maybe the biggest upset of the evening, including the main event when you really think about it. Baron Corbin has compiled a nice record on PPV and television since leaving NXT WrestleMania 32 weekend. Zayn has done a whole heck of a lot of losing. The one point to be made here is Money in the Bank is next month. Usually (not always) the winner of the briefcase loses before that. Well, Corbin just lost to Zayn, which actually tells me Corbin may win MITB in June and not Zayn. Logic I guess?

The Welcoming Committee over Naomi, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch – I completely got this wrong. No idea why WWE cares about Tamina Snuka, Natalya, and Carmella in a faction. Beats me that this stable is sticking around longer, much less making Becky tap out. The one bright spot is (hopefully) we can all move on now and get to Naomi defending her Womens Championship. You know, THE TITLE!

Kevin Owens over AJ Styles – Via countout. Still United States Champion Mr. KO. This was my disappointment of the show. AJ Styles is capable of much more. Coming off a great Shane McMahon match (shutting up all of you who doubted them), a series of matches with Luke Harper, John Cena, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns before that. His Backlash match against Kevin Owens SHOULD have been just as good. It wasn’t. I am going to chalk this up as a bad night with a show losing momentum and crowd response. Whether that falls on Owens, AJ, or just the circumstances is your call. With the funky finish, a rematch is all but written in stone for June (no MITB for either then?). That is where I expect a better showing.

Luke Harper over Erick Rowan – No doubt about that one. I didn’t care about this bout before the event and still don’t. Harper is loaded with potential and dare I say gimmick change? Rowan is blah in every single way. Always has been.

Jinder Mahal over Randy Orton – …and NEW WWE Champion! Oh my goodness. Before Backlash began, I sent out a tweet that was as ominous as it was wild.

Rather than a hijacking and dumb chants, I'm predicting a big ovation for Jinder Mahal. Come on Chicago! #WWEBacklash

— Justin Watry (@JustinWatry) May 21, 2017

If you follow me on Twitter and read my Jay’s Ways column (on another website), you know that I repeatedly said there was an uneasy feeling in the air all day long. Heck, all week long. I’d go one step further and say the past four weeks have had that nervousness hovering over Backlash. WWE knew exactly what they were doing when Jinder Mahal became #1 contender in April and pushed all in Sunday night.

I chickened out last minute in the middle of my preview column and ended up picking Randy Orton to retain. However, the past month of columns have had me defending Mahal and his prospects of becoming WWE Champion.

I said this last month and will again: Randy Orton winning the Royal Rumble and the title at Mania was always about The Wyatt Family breakup. It was never really about the gold. From the onset, that was just tacked on. Similar to Chris Jericho and Edge in early 2010. The story was never the title. I mean, Bray went weeks without wrestling or even having the belt mentioned in promos leading up to WM33. Orton got his victory in Orlando, had his NON-TITLE rematch versus Bray (and lost), and that was it. There was nothing left. The story was told and like it or not, that peak was Mania…and probably shouldn’t have even peaked at all using hindsight from Backlash.

The garbage reporting and sourcing about how there would be no title changes on Smackdown LIVE for the next four months was embarrassing. There could be a title change at the drop of a hat, much less during the next four months. Silly story, silly source, and silly that website continues to get attention with such silly headlines. For that reason alone, I’m glad Orton lost at Backlash.

Ratings and viewership have tanked on the blue brand for the past month. I was quick to point out it happened after the Superstar Shakeup when Jinder Mahal entered the main event picture. Not with standing the huge losses of Daniel Bryan, John Cena, The Miz, Dean Ambrose, Alexa Bliss, and others – what about the fact that Randy Orton was WWE Champion? The post-Mania bump in numbers does not count because that will happen regardless. After that wears off, it falls on the shoulders of the main eventers and top story lines, right?

Well, you could blame Jinder. You could also blame Orton. No matter which side of the coin you fell on, the two were having a match at Backlash for the WWE Title, and one of them had to leave with the gold. The options were stick with the status quo going into the summer or shocking the world and giving an unproven mid-card wrestler a massive opportunity to hold the most prestigious belt in the industry.

JBL in 2004.

Sheamus in 2009.

Jinder Mahal in 2017.

The first two worked out pretty well. Now, we await on how this goes. The move actually is not entirely unprecedented. We’ve seen “undeserving” champs before and will in the future. Each time, it surprises fans and makes Vince Russo smile at the PROPS being tossed around for story line purposes. I am as stunned as anybody at the end of Backlash but knew it was a distinct possibility. Once Mahal gets that spot, WWE has to go all the way and pull the trigger or admit they are just wasting a month with no plan.

Clearly, WWE has a plan. My guess is they wanted to prove the Superstar Shakeup was a success and point to that. Also, Smackdown LIVE can forever brag about being the land of opportunity. Plus, a new talent is getting a chance to shine that both Randy Orton and management behind the scenes support. All you have to do is look at the outpouring of praise from fellow wrestlers on social media the past 24 hours. Some may be forced or just being nice; most are likely very genuine. People are happy for the guy making a complete life makeover, so kudos there. Nothing wrong with that at all…

…and yeah, the expansion in India is definitely a reason. WWE is smart to market towards 1.3 billions fans. That is smart business to anybody. Admit it folks – the WWE market in the United States is what it is in 2017. Live attendance isn’t moving. Ratings are not going to move. Merchandise sales and all that other jazz are stagnant. Good or bad. The US fanbase is stuck where it is. Why not reach out to China? Or Japan? Or India? Or the UK? Go for an international audience and focus on that for awhile. There is an entire world out there beyond North America.

If WWE believes Mahal can help them expand their business model more than a guy like Orton who is already established and been around for 15 years, then go for it! Remember the company is a business. Always has been and always will be. The goal is to make money. Forget story lines and feuds and titles and blah, blah, blah. Whatever brings in the cash is what you do. If this all fails and was just a quick transitional title run, we can all look back and laugh at Backlash. If this means more than any of us could ever imagine (Bradshaw main eventing in 2004), then the bigger picture will far outweigh any whining or crying from fans in May 2017.

Time will tell.

I enjoyed the main event at Backlash but LOVED the victory and celebration. Good for Jinder. Got fired, worked his butt off to come back, did NOT take a pointless offer from elsewhere, returned to WWE and became the top champion in the business. Once again proving nobody is ever “buried” in wrestling or the constant junk you read online about losses being super important. It all means jack. You would think us SMART fans would know this all by now but nope! Everybody is always buried forever, and losses are the end of the world for our favorites. Riiiight.

Jinder Mahal is WWE Champion.

Jinder Mahal.

NRW: The Return – June 17th

It’s happening! Get ready. Much more on my Twitter/Youtube account. Details and exciting news to come soon…

Mr Greeny vs New Moon vs Fallen – Last Man Standing Tables Match https://t.co/NzgAQiQAHC via @YouTube #NRW

— Justin Watry (@JustinWatry) May 22, 2017

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