John Cena and Real Winners and Losers of WWE Backlash 2025 Match Card
WWE rolled into St. Louis Saturday night for its annual Backlash premium live event, headlined by the final encounter between John Cena and Randy Orton.
The first PLE post-WrestleMania 41, it was an opportunity for some names to build momentum entering the summer months and for others to silence their critics.
Who emerged from the event as winners and losers and why? Find out with this recap of the May 10 spectacular.
Winner: Jacob Fatu
1 of 5
Jacob Fatu's aura was on full display Saturday night in the opening contest of Backlash, in which he successfully retained the United States Championship with a win over LA Knight, Damian Priest, and Drew McIntyre in a Fatal 4-Way match.
The explosive Fatu, arguably the most interesting worker in WWE today, again showed out by mixing his undeniable athleticism with his show-stealing intensity.
And that is before former New Japan Pro-Wrestling standout Jeff Cobb made his debut with the company, attacking Knight and revealing a union with Solo Sikoa.
Fatu looked confused by the events that unfolded in the closing moments of the match, as if he was unhappy about the assist and the partnership Sikoa appeared to have forged with an unknown entity to the Bloodline.
Not only did Fatu again steal the show and encourage chants of his name from the fans, but he also saw his character evolve and story advance, thanks to the introduction of a new face and his gradually devolving relationship with Sikoa.
This year is going to be an enormous one for Fatu because of fruitful nights like this.
Winner: Lyra Valkyria
2 of 5
Women's intercontinental champion Lyra Valkyria was not the bigger of the two stars entering Saturday's defense against Becky Lynch, and the fans in St. Louis let her know it early.
The reaction was louder for The Man upon her entrance, and the crowd took its time warming up to the babyface.
Then, Valkyria fired up, the fans came to life and WWE discovered the key to getting the Irish competitor over at the next level.
She has a unique look, sure, but Valkyria is a physically intense worker. She is at her best when she is exchanging forearms amid a fiery comeback and it was that gritty in-ring style that saw her win the fans over at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Had she lost the match, she still would have been considered a winner if for no other reason than the fact that WWE gained an invaluable look into how to present her in a way that connects her with audiences more efficiently and effectively than she had to that point.
That she earned the win over Lynch all but guarantees this feud will continue, meaning more opportunities and exposure for one of the breakout candidates of 2025.
Loser: Penta
3 of 5
After his Men's Intercontinental Championship victory at WrestleMania, the WWE Universe is pro-Dominik Mysterio and that was problematic for Penta in St. Louis.
The clear babyface in his weekly rivalry with The Judgment Day, he fought for the crowd's attention Saturday as the fans in the Gateway to the West were in favor of the heel champion.
It never subsided, either.
While there was a section of the audience behind the luchador, the crowd's attention was heavily focused on Mysterio. Not until JD McDonagh, Finn Balor and Carlito interfered and Penta took them out did the fans shift their allegiance.
This is not a long-term issue with Penta and if anything, his impending reunion with Rey Fenix and feud with Chad Gable/El Grande Americano will only further enhance his popularity in WWE.
For one night, though, he played second fiddle to a young star who was the most hated man in WWE up until WrestleMania 41.
Winner: Gunther
4 of 5
The match between Gunther and Pat McAfee was better than expected, an exercise in the importance of character dynamics when it comes to connecting with the fans and selling them a story.
Much of the success of the contest between The Ring General and the Raw color commentator can be attributed to Gunther's virtuoso performance.
An all-time great worker who can wrestle many different backgrounds and styles and deliver a Match of the Year candidate at the drop of a hat, he is an underrated orator and perfectly interjects body language and facial expressions into his performances.
He did that against McAfee in a match that relied on his ability to infuriate the fans with menacing grins, visible taunts of Michael Cole at ringside, his overconfidence, and eventual physical dominance.
While the match is not going to win any year-end awards, Gunther's manipulation of the crowd and his selling for McAfee's spirited comeback attempts helped elevate it in terms of quality and made it a success that other, less-talented performers would not have been able to.
Loser: The Main Event
5 of 5
The amount of overbooking that went into the main event between Cena and Orton was on an ungodly level.
From multiple referee bumps to an appearance from R-Truth to another interaction between The Viper and Nick Aldis that ended with an RKO for the SmackDown general manager, the match was an overbooked mess designed to keep the fans invested (it succeeded there) and to mask the undisputed WWE champion's physical shortcomings at this point in his career.
It is disappointing, too, because Orton and Cena were on their way to having the best match of the latter's retirement tour before the nonsense started.
Their chemistry is undeniable. While both are a step slower than they were in 2009, they turned back the clock and had another fun match that saw them play the hits and deliver exactly what the fans wanted.
Cena still looks incredibly uncomfortable as a heel from an in-ring perspective. So much of his career has been committed to being the superhero babyface that setting the pace, getting heat and selling his opponent's comeback are foreign to him.
It shows, and unless his early days in WWE as the Doctor of Thuganomics return, expect more of the same overbooked main events with low blows, ref bumps and screwy finishes.
The mic work has been good, but Cena needs to find himself and a level of comfort in his new role before the fans become disenfranchised.
.jpg?w=480 "49ers Eagles Football")
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Hall of Fame Recap 👏")
