Cody Rhodes Winning And 5 Smart Booking Decisions

WWE goes worldwide as soon as once more with Backlash France, its post-WrestleMania pay-per-view that includes Cody Rhodes’ first title protection as WWE Common Champion.

The most recent abroad dwell occasion is a part of WWE’s new technique to host its non-“Massive 5” PPVs exterior of america, which has labored out properly for the corporate to this point. Backlash follows within the footsteps of February’s Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia, which, in keeping with WWE, was “WWE’s highest-grossing and most-viewed Elimination Chamber in firm historical past.”

With a robust match card headlined by Rhodes vs. AJ Kinds and a blockbuster tag crew match pitting the Kabuki Warriors towards Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair, WWE Backlash ought to proceed WWE’s current scorching streak of stellar PPV showings. As WWE formally strikes on from the PG period, Backlash France represents a big turning level for WWE’s total product.

Listed below are 5 good reserving selections WWE should make for a profitable Backlash 2024.

ForbesWWE WrestleMania 40 Outcomes: Cody Rhodes Defeats Roman Reigns To End His StoryBy Blake Oestriecher

Bayley Pins Naomi In WWE Ladies’s Championship Match

On condition that Bayley simply gained the WWE Ladies’s Championship at WrestleMania 40, it’s unlikely that she’s going to drop the title so quickly after such a monumental victory.

This triple risk match towards Bayley and Tiffany Stratton has been constructed up fairly properly in current weeks, however in fact, there needs to be a loser in France. Stratton is an enormous star-in-the-making whose simple recognition—regardless of being a transparent heel—has even taken WWE officers without warning.

Stratton is a surefire future world champion, and although a world title reign doesn’t seem like coming simply but, she’s a robust candidate to win the Cash within the Financial institution briefcase later this yr. Thus, Stratton must be protected by the reserving shifting ahead, which necessitates Naomi taking the pin at Backlash.

Damian Priest Retains The WWE World Heavyweight Title

Damian Priest vs. Jey Uso feels extra like a midcard title match than a World Heavyweight Championship bout, however the post-WrestleMania season is often when WWE pushes stars who may not be featured as a lot at different occasions of the yr.

Nonetheless, Priest is the definition of a transitional champion, and with Drew McIntyre re-signing with WWE, he’s the very best wager to be the subsequent World Heavyweight Champion. Probably the most logical reserving of Uncooked’s world title image is for Priest—who cashed in his Cash within the Financial institution briefcase on McIntyre at WrestleMania 40 to win the title—to lose it again to McIntyre.

The clear long-term route is Punk vs. McIntyre, and that ought to be a crimson scorching return rivalry each time Punk is ready to wrestle once more. That signifies that Priest must retain over Uso at Backlash, if solely to drop it to McIntyre—ideally at June’s Conflict on the Fort in McIntyre’s house nation of Scotland.

Tama Tonga Will get The Pin In First-Ever WWE Match

If WWE followers thought that The Bloodline saga was coming to an finish when Roman Reigns misplaced at WrestleMania 40, boy, had been they mistaken.

As a substitute, WWE has primarily fashioned a “New Bloodline” with Solo Sikoa and newcomer Tama Tonga taking up the reigns, pun supposed, whereas Reigns is sidelined indefinitely. That has led to Sikoa and Tonga vs. Randy Orton and Kevin Owens at Backlash in a star-studded conflict that has remodeled Orton and Owens into unlikely allies.

As WWE takes this new route with The Bloodline, it’s crucial that the new-look group continues Reigns’ momentum, which has carried the corporate for the final 4 years. WWE has masterfully introduced Tonga as a vicious and necessary star in just some quick weeks, however that’s all for naught if he doesn’t win matches.

Keep in mind, it was Sikoa who mentioned after Reigns’ loss that “shedding has penalties,” so The Bloodline should not undergo one other main loss for months, not less than.

Jade Cargill And Bianca Belair Win Gold

Jade Cargill vs. Bianca Belair is a real dream match that each stars have brazenly talked about desirous to have. That ought to be the top aim of their budding storyline, too.

However what higher approach to construct to an eventual break up than for Cargill and Belair to revitalize the ladies’s tag crew division first? It’s no secret that WWE’s ladies’s tag crew division has struggled to achieve its footing over the previous few years, however a prolonged title reign from two of its largest stars might go a good distance towards altering that.

There may be an total notion that the ladies’s tag titles don’t imply a lot proper now, and that’s comprehensible. That’s nothing towards the Kabuki Warriors duo of Asuka and Kairi Sane, however it’s time for a change.

Cargill and Belair ought to win the belts and elevate the tag division over the subsequent half a yr, if no more.

Cody Rhodes Efficiently Defends Towards AJ Kinds

Now that Rhodes has “completed his story,” a brand new chapter has begun. Previously the hunter, Rhodes is now the hunted.

WWE appears to be build up Rhodes as a preventing champion who takes on all comers, and AJ Kinds would be the first man to get an opportunity at dethroning him. Too dangerous for Kinds, that simply isn’t taking place. Particularly with Rhodes vs. The Rock probably going down at WrestleMania 41, Rhodes—very like Reigns—figures to have a prolonged title reign.

Will it final three years or extra like Reigns’ title run did? Most likely not. However there’s no approach that WWE spent the previous two years cementing Rhodes because the face of WWE solely to have him drop the Common title to a less-pushed Kinds just some weeks later.

Rhodes ought to win in resounding style and transfer on to greater and higher feuds en path to SummerSlam.