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Cody Rhodes & The Bloodline Carry WWE’s Backlash

An electric crowd in Décines, France added to the excitement

Justin Barrasso

New champions, a surprise debut, and a successful title defense for Cody Rhodes.

Yes, WWE hit all the high notes at Backlash.

Energized by an electric crowd in Décines, France, WWE’s first major show since WrestleMania 40 was carried by–fittingly–Cody Rhodes and The Bloodline. In what was championed as the largest gate in any WWE arena show–who is fact-checking these records?–Rhodes closed out Backlash with a clean victory against AJ Styles.

New champions were crowned when Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defeated Asuka and Kairi Sane to win the women’s tag team titles. It marks the first taste of gold for Cargill in WWE, and builds more interest in the tag division. Tanga Loa was also revealed as the newest member of The Bloodline, a group that continues to forge its own identity in the absence of Roman Reigns.

Here are the results:

  • Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga defeated Kevin Owens and Randy Orton in a street fight
  • WWE women’s champion Bayley defeated Naomi and Tiffany Stratton in a triple threat match
  • World heavyweight champion Damian Priest defeated Jey Uso
  • Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defeated women’s tag champions Asuka and Kairi Sane
  • WWE champion Cody Rhodes defeated AJ Styles

Backlash opened with a phenomenal opening bout, as Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga battled Kevin Owens and Randy Orton in a street fight. It was physical, and no better example of that occurred when Owens hit a brainbuster on Tonga off the top rope onto steel chairs. Owens had Tonga beat, but he was unable to get the pin due to the interference of Tanga Loa, the real-life brother of Tonga and longtime tag partner.

The finish is important–it continues to protect Orton, which is smart, and it adds another layer to The Bloodline. Also, Owens’ role in building The Bloodline over the years into a dominant faction cannot go unnoticed.

The two singles titles matches on the undercard were both meaningful. Bayley pinned Naomi in a triple threat that also starred Tiffany Stratton, who is consistently proving she is the future of WWE’s women’s division. And Damian Priest overcoming Jey Uso, only because he had repeated assistance from Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, added a unique wrinkle when Priest was upset about the interference, but only after he won.

This was a textbook Paul “Triple H” Levesque card. It was five matches, to the point, and there was meaning embedded in every finish. There was also a title change for the live crowd, as Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill won the women’s tag team titles by defeating Asuka and Kairi Sane. Belair is a major star, and WWE has extremely high hopes for Cargill, so a new opportunity for the two of them–before their inevitable split–is smart.

And the main event was everything it needed to be. Even though he is less than a month away from turning 47, AJ Styles has very few peers in professional wrestling. He ensured Cody Rhodes looked exactly the way he should, which is the best in the world as WWE champion. Ideally, this feud continues, as there is a lot these two can do in a program together.

WWE will make headlines again today, as there is a WrestleMania announcement–likely to be Las Vegas as the location for WrestleMania 41–set for the Kentucky Derby pre-race show on NBC.

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Justin Barrasso
JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.