Baron Corbin defeated Apollo Crews

In an unadvertised pre-show match Apollo Crews took on Baron Corbin. The match showcased Apollo’s athleticism and Corbin’s Brutality. A king-sized Lariat was only about to put down Crews for a two count, followed by Apollo administering an angle Slam for another 2 count. Baron manages to hit a Deep Six for another nearfall shortly before finishing off Crews with an End of Days. No line was set for this match but it was nothing less than competitive as Baron continues to regain his momentum.

A nice tribute for the fifteen year anniversary of 9/11 is shown to start the PPV.

Shane McMahon’s music hits and he enters the ring to the usual fanfare and Daniel Bryan does the same. They thank the audience before explaining what’s on the plate for Backlash despite everyone already being sold on the event, having bought a ticket. The 6-Pack Women’s Championship starts thankfully. Becky Lynch is a massive favorite at -1050 as the lines closed for this bout for the “Big Blue”.

All the women brought a significant contribution to this match, which set the tone for the PPV and may end up stealing the show altogether. A satisfying subplot with Nikki Bella and Carmella being kept apart for a decent part of the match. Alexa Bliss stepped it up a notch, hitting the Glitz Flip better than she ever has and adding superlative vocalization to the match. Naomi utilized the Cattle Mutilation and pulled off a daring Springboard Dive to the outside. Natalya seemed to be controlling traffic in this match, but in the end it was Becky’s night.

Becky Lynch defeated Nikki Bella, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Natalya and Carmella

Natalya powerbombed Alexa Bliss while at the same time Naomi hit a blockbuster. Naomi gets the pin on Bliss. Shortly thereafter Naomi taps out to a Sharpshooter by Natalya. Nikki pins Natty after hitting her new finisher and Carmella sneaks a quick pin on Bella. Becky and Carmella are the last two women and after a series of suplexes, Becky submits Carmella with The Disarmer. No upset here as Becky is the first WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion.

The Usos defeated The Hype Bros

The Usos have a new look to go with their heel persona and are favored here. The Hype Bros showed a plethora of fire here but Zack Ryder ended up tapping out to a half crab as the Usos advance.

The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler

A masterfully crafted epic with a captivating backstory. The Miz has totally reinvented himself and is developing a mean streak that hasn’t been seen of him before. His attack on Ziggler’s leg ended up being the story arc of the match. Dolph fought convincingly from underneath, even evading the pangs of a figure 4 leglock. It would take interference by Maryse and a foreign object to grant Miz the opening to deliver the skull crushing finale and retain his Intercontinental Championship. Immediately before the match The Miz was favored heavily, although this match flipped in both directions over the weekend.

Kane defeats Bray Wyatt in a No Holds Barred Match

Bray picks up a win against Bray by forfeit and is issued a new opponent in Kane. Lack of build hurt the chances of this being a memorable match, although seeing a senton putting Kane through the announce table was enjoyable. Orton shows up and hits an RKO on Wyatt and Kane follows up with a chokeslam for the win. There were not any odds on this match because it was announced on the spot. The Orton match ended up being canceled with no action taken by sportsbooks.

Heath Slater and Rhyno defeat The Usos to become the first ever Smackdown Tag Team Champions

The Usos are embracing being villains and Heath Slater is more beloved by this crowd than ever before. Slater nearly gets the cover after a leaping DDT but the pin is broken up and after Rhyno manages to sneak in a Gore behind the referees back, Heath scored the pinfall and champions are crowned.

AJ Styles defeats Dean Ambrose for the WWE Championship