Twitter Reacts to Roman Reigns' Lackluster Win and More WWE Backlash Results

WWE has made many questionable and frustrating decisions over the past packed month of action, but WWE Backlash 2018 may end up standing out as the lowest point of the year for the company if the reaction to Sunday's show from Newark, New Jersey, was anything to go by.

On the surface, this card looked innocuous with Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe and AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura leading the pack on a night with mostly filler. It was hard to even expect any surprises along the way.

Unfortunately, Backlash did stand out for its sheer audacity, managing to send fans walking out in droves before the show was even over. Pure booking alone caused an uproar that made up for a night with expected results across the board and no title changes.

Only the opener between Seth Rollins and The Miz overachieved, showing that WWE may have made a massive mistake that caused a reaction from many WWE fans that is hard to ignore.

The Unprecedented Main Event Walkout

The Reigns experiment has officially gone off the rails. The usually consistent in-ring performer has put on his worst string of main event performances in his career, and it had fans actually walking out of Prudential Center before his bout with Joe was over.

The contest got the first-ever "beat the traffic" chant as WWE cameras caught fans filing out of the building early. The milestone moment truly impressed Deadspin's David Bixenspan, as WWE showed the outrage of fans to a babyface victory:

While some of this is related to the decision to only start the match after the three-hour mark, causing a massive 30-minute run over, it was also just a bad performance from two men putting on excellent TV matches together over the last year.

Where did fans put the blame? Obviously, they threw it squarely on Reigns' shoulders. The biggest takeaway was this had to be the final straw for Reigns' standing atop WWE, with Bleacher Report's own Dave Schilling and CBS Sport's Jack Jorgensen echoing each other on the matter:

It is tough to say where WWE can go next after this. Reigns is clearly better than this performance, as is Joe, and there is certainly blame to go around. However, it would be silly to see fans walking out on your top babyface at this level and still believe there is no problem.

Booking Keeps Styles and Nakamura Away from Their Dream Match

Unfortunately, the big talk does not get much more positive regarding the other main event angle at Backlash, with Styles vs. Nakamura once again disappointing. This time, though, it was a case of backstage booking that kept them out of the spotlight.

Many were hoping that SmackDown's top duo would get the main event spot for the night, leaving many flustered when they started fighting with two matches left on the show. Fans and even broadcaster Sam Roberts questioned the decision:

The match went down well enough. It was the most heated and energized the two have looked to date, and it might have been a showstopper with the way they were moving. There was even some fantastic storytelling that led to some fans clearly having fun with the focus of the bout:

In a war of low blows, no one wins, though, and that was especially true here with an ending that left too much to be desired. Ruled a no-contest after both men could not get back to their feet, this was the worst way to end this match.

After Styles and Nakamura put their best foot forward in easily their strongest bout to date, this result shocked and frustrated fans. Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Bryan Alvarez did not hesitate to slam the booking:

Perhaps the two will get their legendary match down the line, but this feud is wearing thin. Before long, it will be impossible for anyone to be excited for Styles and Nakamura clashing, no matter how much work they put in.

Rollins and Miz Steal the Show at the Start

It was not a close race for match of the night, as The Architect and The A-Lister stole the show in the opener, never giving it back. Their match was a fiery back-and-forth clash where Rollins ended up kicking out of two Skull-Crushing Finales.

The action had everyone talking the moment it ended, singing the praises of a contest that should be in the conversation for match of the year throughout 2018. It was a perfect finish for a nine-day stretch of excellent matches that have solidified the WWE intercontinental champion's reign.

The praise came from all corners, with both Pro Wrestling Sheet and Rock Bottom Radio heaping on the compliments for this excellent match:

With a vested interest in this match between Raw's Rollins and SmackDown's Miz, Raw general manager Kurt Angle was clearly paying attention. He was quick to make clear how impressed he was with Rollins' performance:

Now both men have to look forward. Miz has lost all of his chances at the IC title, and he will have to focus on his position on SmackDown. One match fans are certainly excited to see is Miz vs. Daniel Bryan, with writer Jason Solomon one of many to hope that is the next story for The Awesome One:

Rollins has been established as the workhorse of Raw, so anyone could step up to him and get a shot. However, it should be a while before he loses the title he is making even more prestigious with each match.

Carmella Takes Charlotte Flair's Momentum

Charlotte Flair pulled out a huge victory at WrestleMania 34 that shocked many who questioned if it was the right time for anyone to be ending Asuka's undefeated streak. The hope was that the win would lead to something bigger down the line.

So far, it is not looking great for The Queen, who lost her next pay-per-view match clean to Carmella. It was perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, but it was not entirely welcome. Cultaholic's Adam Pacitti put things into perspective:

It could be a big step to developing Carmella as a star for SmackDown, but the match did not exactly feel like The Princess of Staten Island's coming-out party. The quality of the bout was questionable at best, which is not a good sign against one of the elite female stars in Charlotte.

The reaction to the match was certainly mixed, as the Daily DDT praised everything but the finish, while other fans were completely thrown out of the action thanks to Carmella's crowd-piercing voice:

All in all, it was an odd booking decision on top of an odd match that may be showing that WWE is not playing the long game well with SmackDown's women's division.

The Bizarre Time Filler

There were some benefits to the Raw-SmackDown combination for this show, but no one was quite ready for what we got as the filler in the midsection. Elias came out for a concert only to have everyone ruin his day.

The New Day, Rusev Day, No Way Jose, Breezango and Titus Worldwide all made appearances before Bobby Roode added a final exclamation mark to it all by DDT'ing the musical sensation. No one knew what to make of this filler spot. One fan, Steve Yurko, may have put it best:

On a fairly disappointing night as a whole, this segment may best define the show, leaving this lasting image of Raw and SmackDown faces partying together from the WWE Universe account:

The tag team champions and cruiserweight division may have missed this show, but at least this odd assortment of midcard talent made it.