WWE Backlash 2016: Matches Sure to Cause Controversy Among Fans

The first brand-exclusive pay-per-view event of the New Era will take place this Sunday night as SmackDown Live presents WWE Backlash 2016.

Headlined by a WWE World Championship match pitting Dean Ambrose against AJ Styles, the show is the blue brand's first opportunity to prove its young roster has what it takes to deliver an acclaimed event despite a lack of emphasis reserved for Raw.

As is the case with any major wrestling event in the 21st century, there are matches guaranteed to stir controversy and leave fans buzzing.

Just days from the broadcast, these are those bouts that will have fans up in arms for one reason or another.

Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles

Credit: WWE.com

The match the entire event has been built around will see The Phenomenal One challenge The Lunatic Fringe for the WWE World Championship. Styles is fresh off a clean victory over John Cena at SummerSlam, and most expect to see him complete one of the greatest first years in WWE history with a victory and his first heavyweight title in Vince McMahon's promotion.

For that to happen, he would have to end the title reign of the immensely popular Ambrose, something that would strike a nerve with fans who want to see the former Shield member hold on to the gold as long as possible.

At the same time, a victory for Ambrose would halt the momentum Styles has built for himself to this point. He has wrestled and beaten every major star under the WWE umbrella. His performances have earned him the right to carry the WWE World Championship, and his star power is that of a franchise player.

Regardless of who leaves victorious in the marquee match of the night, controversy will exist within the fanbase, with pockets of fans arguing their guys should have won for a variety of valid reasons.

Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt

Credit: WWE.com

Bray Wyatt has long been one of the more compelling performers in WWE, a virtuoso talker whose character has been hurt by nonsensical losses to main event babyfaces. Every time he builds momentum of any kind, it is sacrificed in the name of putting The Undertaker, Cena, Daniel Bryan or Roman Reigns over. It has hurt Wyatt's credibility and kept him from achieving the run atop the promotion that he probably deserves.

That brings us to Backlash Sunday night and his match with Randy Orton.

Being drafted to SmackDown has created the opportunity for Wyatt to be one of the brand's marquee stars. No longer overshadowed by the logjam of talent ahead of him on the pecking order, he has a legitimate chance to become the consistent main event attraction he should have been a long time ago. For that to happen, though, he cannot be sacrificed to Orton.

Fans recognize that. They understand that Wyatt is a star in waiting and that they cannot continue to be teased with a major push, only to have him beaten down and jobbed out in the name of reminding the world of Orton's greatness.

A loss at Backlash may not obliterate Wyatt's momentum, but it will create controversy and lead some to wonder if the third-generation star will ever realize his potential under a WWE Creative team that is so inconsistent when it comes to his character's growth and development.

Six-Pack Challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship

Credit: WWE.com

When Nikki Bella becomes the first-ever SmackDown women's champion Sunday night at Backlash (don't fool yourself...it's happening), the fans who have long cited Total Divas and her relationship with Cena as the reasons for her push will once again denounce the booking choice.

They have a point—but not for the reasons they will spew on message boards and social media.

Bella just returned from an injury and has not competed consistently enough to ensure management that her neck is 100 percent or that she is capable of maintaining the schedule expected of a champion.

Meanwhile, Becky Lynch has been the most steady and consistent babyface in the entire women's division, a superb worker who has repeatedly been overshadowed by peers WWE Creative considers more valuable.

The fans who denounce Bella as a worker will vocally erupt, their frustration over another reality star succeeding at the expense of a hardworking wrestler fueling the fire. There will be calls for Alexa Bliss or Naomi to unseat Bella or for Lynch to be shown the same respect that has been awarded to Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Bayley following their call-ups to the main roster.