Predicting WWE Backlash 2026 Winners and Storylines to Emerge from Full Match Card
Roman Reigns returns to the squared circle, less than one month after winning the World Heavyweight Championship from CM Punk at WrestleMania 42 to defend his gold against his cousin, Jacob Fatu, Saturday night in Tampa in the main event of WWE Backlash.
That contest headlines a card full of long-running rivalries and features former world champions like Seth Rollins and Iyo Sky, as well as red-hot fresh faces like Trick Williams and Danhausen.
Who will emerge from the night's matches, and where might the stars go from here?
Find out in this preview of the next premium live event.
Danhausen and A Mystery Partner vs. Kit Wilson and The Miz
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Hijinx have ensued since Danhausen arrived on the scene, with The Miz and Kit Wilson oftentimes being the butt of the joke.
Friday night on SmackDown, however, the heels got the best of the very evil, very nice, very beloved babyface, setting in motion the match that will conclude the rivalry Saturday in Tampa.
The only kicker? Who will Danhausen get to be his partner?
Without any established friendships on TV, it could quite literally be anyone.
Does "Pepsi Phil" CM Punk have a match? How about "Cory" Rhodes.
The options are endless, but this could be a fun spot to bring in a former AEW associate, like Royce Keys or Ricky Saints.
Regardless, Danhausen wins here and puts this enjoyable, fun-loving feud to bed.
Prediction: Danhausen and his mystery partner
Iyo Sky vs. Asuka
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Two weeks ago, this was the best rivalry on Raw, a story centered on Kairi Sane's submissiveness to Asuka and her friend, Iyo Sky, trying to convince her to leave that life behind.
Sane's unexpected release, though, has left this a shell of its former self, now with former senpei Asuka promising to teach her student a lesson at Backlash.
The match will be great, as Sky and Asuka have delivered in big moments before. Still, one cannot help but feel as though this should have taken place back at WrestleMania, especially if there was an inkling that Sane would not survive the roster cuts that followed just days later.
Sky wins here because she is more popular and a greater point of emphasis for the creative team, but it does beg the question: where does Asuka go from here? Hopefully, she remains in the mix for a shot at the women's world title as one of the greatest and most decorated competitors in women's wrestling history.
United States Championship Match: Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn
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Zayn's obliteration of the Gingerbread Man on SmackDown took this storyline down a path no one asked for, resulting in the character's "death" and a fake funeral on next week's show.
Unless it ends with Williams sitting up out of the casket and delivering an ass-kicking to his No. 1 contender, the entire thing will have been a gigantic waste of time for a feud that does not need cartoonishness.
Zayn is the heel who did nothing wrong to earn the fans' wrath before ultimately letting it consume him. His loss to Williams at WrestleMania only further pushed him toward the dark side while the new United States champion embraced the fans' cheers.
It is an easy story to tell and one that should write its last chapter in Tampa Saturday with Williams avenging all the nonsense and pinning Zayn to retain his title, thus sending the newly turned villain toward a showdown with Cody Rhodes, which has been teased at multiple points over the last two months.
Prediction: Williams retains
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
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This may be the toughest match to predict on this weekend's card.
Rollins is fresh off a loss to Gunther at WrestleMania despite a big comeback and could probably use a win to build some momentum. On the other hand, Breakker is fresh off a return of his own and probably should not be losing this early in his comeback.
Yet, here we are.
Rollins winning essentially halts Breakker's momentum and proves The Architect right, that Breakker has put all of his apples in the wrong cart; that he has done the wrong thing by aligning himself with Paul Heyman and The Vision rather than sitting under Rollins' learning tree.
A Breakker win puts Rollins at a crossroads. His entire goal is to get back into world title contention, and losing for the second consecutive match puts him further away from challenging Roman Reigns for the championship.
Still, Breakker is the future and the star the creative team is clearly more concerned with protecting at this moment, so he gets the win, no matter how tainted and laden with interference from Logan Paul and Austin Theory that it may be.
Prediction: Breakker wins
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Roman Reigns
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Jacob Fatu wants a better life for his family, and his path to that is through Roman Reigns, whom he challenges for the World Heavyweight Championship on Saturday in the main event of Backlash.
If he fails to dethrone The Tribal Chief, however, he must fall in line and acknowledge him, opening up a path toward the newest chapter of the Bloodline Saga.
How would the Samoan Werewolf act as a hired gun for the OTC? Would it completely neuter him as fans know Fatu now and adversely affect his popularity, or would it lead to a scenario down the road where he eventually stands up to, and fights against, Reigns, ala Jey Uso on his road to immense popularity?
Pulling the proverbial trigger on the red-hot challenger would be the most interesting move, but the likelihood is that Reigns retains and Fatu begins a story arc that could result in greater stardom for him moving forward.
Prediction: Reigns retains
