Kane Defeats Bray Wyatt at WWE Backlash After Randy Orton Forfeits Due to Injury

Bray Wyatt went 1-1 at WWE Backlash on Sunday night, beating Randy Orton by forfeit and then losing to Kane.

Wyatt was originally scheduled to face Orton.

However, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer (via Josh Nason of F4WOnline.com) confirmed earlier in the day that Orton wasn't medically cleared to wrestle. Meltzer didn't specify the reason Orton couldn't participate in the pay-per-view.

Before the match, Wyatt attacked Orton backstage, courtesy of WWE:

WWE shared a photo of Wyatt standing alone in the ring after Orton failed to appear:

Kane then arrived as a replacement. He prevailed with a helping hand from The Viper, who delivered an RKO to Wyatt after limping down to the squared circle.

WWE shared a photo of the former world champion with his right leg taped up:

The Big Red Monster capitalized, hitting Wyatt with a chokeslam before earning the victory.

Brandon Stroud of Uproxx didn't think Wyatt came out looking strong:

Being unable to wrestle wasn't a positive development for Orton, who walked away from SummerSlam needing staples to close a cut Brock Lesnar opened, either.

The Ringer's David Shoemaker argued his absence created problems for both him and SmackDown Live:

SmackDown has generally been good since the brand split—arguably more so than Raw.

The problem, though, is that SmackDown is relying on a number of wrestlers who are either fresh out of NXT—American Alpha, Alexa Bliss, Carmella and Mojo Rawley—or not considered top stars by the majority of the fanbase—Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, The Ascension, Tyler Breeze, Fandango and Apollo Crews.

Beyond Orton, Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles, the roster will be thin in terms of main event talent until John Cena returns. Should Orton's leg injury be a long-term issue, it will exacerbate the problem.

Even when Cena re-enters the fray, SmackDown will continue to have a hard time presenting itself as equal to Raw. WWE has marginalized the show to the point where the damage may be irreparable.

Backlash had the opportunity to be a springboard for Wyatt after he and The Wyatt Family stagnated and had a forgettable feud with The New Day. Even in a losing effort to Orton, Wyatt could've come out looking stronger Sunday night.

Orton's failure to wrestle at Backlash wasn't a disaster for the involved parties, but the timing was unfortunate.