Backlash 2024
Do you smell what the Radiant Team is cooking, Lyon, France?
The day has come—Backlash is here, and we're live from the completely sold-out LDLC Arena! Four titles are on the line, so this should be a night to remember. I don’t expect any titles to change hands tonight... but hey, I’m always open to unexpected twists. I can’t wait—let’s start this PLE!
Kevin Owens & Randy Orton vs. The Bloodline
The Viper and The Prizefighter are in the building, and the French crowd is already losing their minds! Their opponents? Solo Sikoa and the mysterious Tama Tonga, in what is a deeply personal and crucial match for the new head of The Bloodline.
As Solo made his entrance, the fans passionately chanted “We want Roman!” 👀 Clearly, the True Tribal Chief hasn’t been forgotten.
Backlash 2024 - The match never got a proper start—chaos exploded before anything could begin.
What seemed like a standard tag match erupted into chaos immediately, with everyone brawling before the bell. Security swarmed in, and even Nick Aldis had to step in to calm things down. Then came the 🔥 announcement—this is now a Street Fight! Oh, we’re eating tonight.
Kevin and Randy dominated early, with Tonga introduced to the commentary table by Randy and Solo’s skull getting well acquainted with the steel steps. Trash cans, kendo sticks, chairs—every weapon came into play. And when Kevin sent Tama crashing through a table, the crowd exploded!
But The Bloodline fought back hard—Solo dropped Randy through a table with a thunderous Samoan Drop and nearly decapitated Owens with a clothesline. Tama Tonga showed he’s certifiably insane—no fear, just ruthless aggression.
Still, you don’t make mistakes in the ring with the Legend Killer—RKO to Tonga! But Solo saved the match. He tried to hit the Samoan Spike on the announce table, but instead… RKO FROM OUTTA NOWHERE! 😱 Meanwhile, Owens destroyed Tama with chair shots, followed by a brainbuster onto a chair—the first OMG moment of the night!
Backlash 2024 -Tama Tonga just got his official introduction to WWE, courtesy of Kevin Owens—and it wasn’t exactly a warm welcome.
Just when it looked like the end, someone ran in—Tonga Loa, Tama’s brother, making his shocking debut! He pulled the ref out, then smashed Orton and Owens with steel steps. Solo finished the war with a devastating Samoan Spike to KO for the win.
And the post-match chaos didn’t stop there—Paul Heyman protected Kevin Owens from further destruction, practically begging Solo to stand down. The Rogue Bloodline has grown, and Solo is starting to walk in Roman’s shadow.
Backlash 2024 -Solo put a vicious exclamation point on the match with a thunderous slam through the steel chair. That landing looked painful.
WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat: Bayley (c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
Bayley’s first title defense is here, and she’s got her hands full with former champ Naomi and the pink storm of chaos, Tiffany Stratton. With no rules, I was almost certain we’d see some kind of interference. You already know who I suspected—Nia Jax.
Backlash 2024 - Tiffany Stratton ran through the entire competition like a wrecking ball.
Going into this match, I had mixed feelings about Bayley as champion. Something just feels… off. Maybe it’s her recent behavior or her lackluster performances. Honestly, I wanted Tiffany to win this.
And to her credit, Tiffy absolutely carried this match. She was out there fighting both opponents, blocking pinfalls, and stealing every moment. Naomi had a great chance with a submission on Stratton, but Bayley broke it up.
Then Stratton snapped. Two Alabama Slams through the announce tables (!!), but she missed the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. That gave Bayley her window to roll up Naomi for the cheap win.
So, yeah… Bayley retained, but once again, didn’t look like a champion. Naomi showed heart, but Tiffany was the real standout. After the match, Naomi embraced her friend in a respectful moment—but trust me, Tiffy deserves another shot. This ain’t over.
World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso
Main event time! And once again, Main Event Jey Uso is chasing a world title. He’s come up short against Roman and Gunther—will tonight be different? Not gonna lie, this is his best chance yet. But don’t sleep on the champion—Damian Priest is on a roll, and the Judgment Day’s powerhouse is dangerous. Real dangerous. I had to bet on him to retain.
Backlash 2024 - Damian hit one of his hardest moves, but Uso just wouldn’t stay down.
The match began with both men showing their strengths—Priest with brute force, Jey with speed and ring awareness. Then JD McDonagh got involved, buying Priest time to hit a sick Spear, but Jey still kicked out. After a brief scolding from Priest, Jey took out JD with a superkick, followed by a spear + Uso Splash combo, but still couldn't put the champ away.
JD tried helping again later, putting Priest’s foot on the rope after another Uso Splash. Then Finn Bálor ran in for another distraction. It was basically 3-on-1 the entire match! Priest finally caught Jey off guard on the top rope and delivered a second-rope South of Heaven chokeslam—absolutely monstrous!
That was it. Priest retains, and surprisingly, stopped Bálor and JD from continuing the beatdown post-match. A moment of honor from the champ.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair
Honestly, I really felt this would be the end for the Kabuki Warriors’ title reign—and I wasn’t wrong. Asuka and Kairi Sane are, in my opinion, the most faceless champions on the roster right now. They don’t even speak for themselves anymore; their entire voice is Dakota Kai. The only real cool thing about them is their in-ring performance, which is still top-tier.
Backlash 2024 - ade and Bianca treated Kairi like a mere doll, toying with her at will.
I was already leaning toward new champions being crowned. What disappointed me, though, was Jade and Bianca entering separately—not exactly a good look for a real tag team. That said, they did rock matching bright red gear, and let’s be real—Jade Cargill looked insanely sexy tonight.
As expected, both Jade and Bianca stormed the ring like forces of nature, unleashing pure dominance and unmatched athleticism. But over time, their stamina started to fade. That’s when the Kabuki Warriors started to shine with their incredible tag team coordination and technical mastery, cutting the ring in half and keeping their opponents grounded.
Backlash 2024 -This should’ve been the end for the contenders, but Cargill was on guard.
There was a moment I thought the champs would steal it—both Jade and Bianca were trapped in simultaneous armbars, and it looked bad. But strength spoke louder: they muscled out of the submissions with raw power. 💪
The finish? Predictable but satisfying. Cargill stormed the ring, stunned Kairi, and hit the Jaded with authority, while Bianca took a blind tag, CoD’d Asuka, and scored the 1-2-3 for the win!
Backlash 2024 - A devastating CoD brought the final chapter to the Kabuki Warriors’ reign.
Congratulations to our NEW WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions! 🎉 With this victory, they’ve officially completed the Damage CTRL downfall. Consider it completely dismantled.
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles
Now this was a huge main event for both men. For Cody, it was about continuing his story and proving his title reign is no fluke. For AJ, it was a chance to remind the world that he’s still capable of winning big-time gold.
I’ll be honest—Cody Rhodes matches are starting to feel a little formulaic, kind of like John Cena’s run a decade ago. You always know what you’re getting. Sure, there were references to Stardust, Bullet Club, and the Too Sweet gesture, and while WWE tried to make it feel personal, I just didn’t feel the fire.
Cody came in with a badly bruised arm from his match against Carmelo Hayes, and Styles wasted no time targeting the injury, plus added some punishment to Cody’s back. The match flowed in the classic WWE title style—each man got bursts of momentum, only to hand it right back.
The best part was watching them pull out signature moves from deep in their arsenals. It was a true back-and-forth clinic, and things escalated big time when Cody powerbombed AJ through the French announce table!
The match could have ended there, but both men barely made the count back into the ring. What followed was the classic middle-ring slugfest, complete with Cody’s Bionic Elbow—which, sorry, is still one of the dumbest moves of 2024. 😂
AJ turned up the heat with a beautiful combo—Exploder Suplex + 450 Splash, but it still wasn’t enough. Then, out of nowhere: Burning Hammer!! 🔥 Cody kicked out at two and even dared AJ to bring more. Unbelievable.
Backlash 2024 - The fact that someone kicked out after a Burning Hammer is absolutely insane!
Despite the damage, Cody somehow landed a Cody Cutter, but again, it wasn’t the end. In a shocking moment, Cody even channeled Brock Lesnar and locked AJ in a Kimura Lock! Styles tried to escape and even countered the CrossRhodes multiple times, but he couldn’t hit the Styles Clash.
Finally, Cody caught AJ mid-air with a Cody Cutter, followed by a devastating CrossRhodes, and that sealed the deal.
Backlash 2024 - One glance at Cody from this view, and you’ll see why they call him the Nightmare.
The American Nightmare is STILL our Undisputed WWE Universal Champion!
Final Thoughts
The first PLE after WrestleMania XL is now in the books—and overall, I have pretty good feelings about it. Let me share some thoughts with you right now:
Bloodline is Growing 🔥
Nick Aldis made a great decision by turning this match into a Street Fight. Honestly, I was convinced it was going to be just another no-DQ match, but it turned out to be way more chaotic and creative. The wrestlers brought out an amazing arsenal of weapons and used them well. Of course, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens have more experience in this kind of environment and made a huge impact.
But as I said earlier—the Bloodline could only win with a miracle, and that miracle arrived in the form of their newest member: Tonga Loa! 💥 He made a critical impact and instantly made this version of Bloodline even more dangerous. I’m almost sure Solo Sikoa will bring in even more family members soon. They’ll try to take over SmackDown by playing the numbers game.
It may work for a while, but remember—even Roman’s original Bloodline collapsed when the entire roster stood up to help Cody. Still, it’s going to be really interesting to track the rise of the new Bloodline. 🔱
Did You See Bayley in the Match? 👀
This triple threat was really fun—if you’re a fan of Tiffany Stratton. She absolutely shined tonight, showing off her athleticism and composure while taking on both Naomi and Bayley. Tiffany is super talented, and if she can manage to get rid of Nia Jax, I believe she’s the next real contender—especially if she gets a one-on-one shot.
The most important thing? Tiffany wasn't pinned, so you just know she won't rest until she gets another title opportunity. Naomi showed some good stuff too... but Bayley? I barely saw her.
The champ spent most of the match laid out somewhere, completely lifeless 😅—and only at the last second did she wake up to steal the victory. With the competition heating up on SmackDown, I don't think Bayley's reign will last much longer.
Damian Is Not Proud of Himself 😶
Tonight, Damian Priest’s goal was clear: prove to himself (and to all of us) that he could defeat Jey Uso on his own. He said it multiple times and even ordered Judgment Day to stay out of his business.
Unfortunately for Jey, JD and Finn didn’t listen—and their interference ultimately saved the title. Damian is strong, yes, but this match proved that he still can’t stand alone against YEET Boy. I'm expecting serious tension inside The Judgment Day on Raw.
That said, the coolest part was when Damian stopped JD and Finn from injuring Jey after the match. That was a sign that there's still a good man somewhere inside the champion.
The End of Damage CTRL 💔
When Bayley created this group, they really ran the division. At one point, they were holding three different titles. But now? They're completely dethroned.
Tonight felt like the end of Damage CTRL. Asuka is now entering the Queen of the Ring tournament, and Kairi will probably move into solo work or something else. Maybe I’m wrong, but it feels like only IYO SKY still has championship ambitions, and she might come after Bayley's title next.
As for Jade and Bianca—they look great as a team, but let’s be real... they’re dominant solo players. I’m not convinced their partnership will last long.
The Nightmare Is Still Your Champion 🧨
Not much to say here. It was a classic main event, but not much intrigue. AJ Styles gave it everything—good moves, strong attitude, and serious motivation to win his third world title—but it just wasn’t happening tonight.
Let’s be honest: we all knew Cody was going to retain. He's clearly destined for a long reign, and he still has massive support from the fans. But here's the thing—everyone already wants Roman Reigns back. The Tribal Chief is still the biggest star in WWE, and I can’t wait for him to return. 🔥
The big question now is: Who will be Cody’s next victim?
This was a solid PLE. Not mind-blowing, but definitely interesting—and the crowd in France made it feel special with their energy and support. 🇫🇷❤️ I’m really looking forward to Raw after Backlash—it should be absolutely 🔥!
And don’t forget—King and Queen of the Ring tournaments are coming soon! 👑
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you all Monday night on Raw!