I have always liked WWE premium live events (PLE) held outside of the USA for two reasons. First, the crowd. WWE Backlash France was a prime example of why crowds are the best thing about wrestling. The French crowd made a B-tier PLE feel like almost an A-tier PLE. Second, I watch these shows at a standard time rather than 5 a.m.
This Backlash was an all-timer. WWE’s post-Wrestlemania storylines are not up to the mark, but all the matches on this card are delivered. And the crowd, man!! The crowd made the whole experience a lot better. Let’s talk about the whole event.
Kevin Owens & Randy Orton vs. The Bloodline
The crowd went nuts when Kevin Owens’ music blasted. The whole stadium singing Randy’s theme was a sight to behold.
All four men entered into a brawl before the opening bell. Security tried to intervene but was also taken out. I love what WWE did right here. Nick Aldis turned the match into a Street Fight because it fits this rivalry. The crowd went more rowdy. The competitors used everything they could get their hands on to dish punishment on each other.
It was a very long match, but it didn’t feel that way. I was entertained during the entire thing. Bodies were battered, Prime bottles were thrown, and tables were broken. Some of the spots were just scary. The Babyfaces had the match won after Kevin Owen’s amazing top-rope piledriver until a familiar face appeared to ruin their win. Everyone was speculating about Jacok Fatu, but no! Tama Tonga’s brother Tanga Loa took Orton and Owens out with ringside steel steps, allowing The Bloodline to win.
Triple threat match for the WWE Women’s Championship
Bayley walked into Backlash France as the reigning WWE Women’s Champion. The Role Model went up against Naomi and the upcoming star, Tiffany Stratton. Again, another great match was when I knew this would be a good PLE.
Stratton was arguably the star of the match. Her impressive athleticism and character work made for a great foil to both Bayley and Naomi. Even though she lost, she was the MVP of the match. We also saw a pretty cool finish where Bailey Pinn Naomi was, but it protected Naomi’s credibility. Pretty awesome first-title defences from Bayley.
Damian Priest (c) vs Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Title
Jey Uso’s entrance at Backlash France might be the coolest WWE visual of 2024. The Yeet Master had the entire arena doing his dance routine. Before the match, Jey had a stare-down with the new Bloodline backstage. Paul Heyman didn’t say anything, but his eyes told many things.
The match itself was formulaic, with Jey’s strength being his ability to work the crowd. Priest pulled off some big moves. There were so many near falls that I thought Jey was winning the title at one point. But of course, Judgment Day interfered, and Jey lost. The most exciting thing was that JD and Balor continued to beat down Jey after the match, but Damian stopped them. Priest’s inevitable face turn is now only a matter of time.
WWE Women’s Championship match at Backlash France
The penultimate match of the night saw Kabuki Warriors defend their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship against Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. This was arguably the weakest match of the night, with plenty of botches and miscommunication.
Jade had some solid hot-tag moments. Her powerhouse persona was used effectively to clear the house. That said, the referee forgot the script, especially when he called Kairi Sane’s tag illegal, only to declare her tagging Asuka as legal less than a minute later. It was a predictable win for Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill, and they now reign supreme over WWE’s tag team division.
Cody Rhodes (c) vs AJ Styles for the Undisputed WWE Championship
Despite having no proper build, this match had a big match feel, and the crowd only added to the fire. Cody had to prove that WWE trusted the right guy, and Styles had to prove why he was still the phenomenal one.
The hardcam was shaking from the crowd’s thunderous ovation for AJ Styles.
It felt like the crowd was pro-AJ. This brought out Cody’s aggressive side, which is necessary moving forward. From the in-ring action to crowd reaction, this match is my pick for the game of the night from Backlash France. Both men went back and forth for nearly 28 minutes, delivering an instant classic. The American Nightmare solidified his Undisputed WWE Championship run with a fantastic Cross-Rhodes, which was also a good thing. It looked like he couldn’t win a match without a triple-cross Rhodes.
Overall, Backlash France was a really enjoyable show from start to finish. The story wasn’t so much about a match or a result. It was about the crowd. With Backlash out of the way and King of the Ring coming up, we should be getting some ideas for SummerSlam in the next few weeks, at the very least planting the seeds for the next big stadium show in the U.S. We’ll likely see that once the dust clears from the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments that begin on Monday’s Raw.
