Bron Breakker and Real Winners and Losers of WWE Backlash 2026 Match Card

In the aftermath of WrestleMania 42, WWE Backlash delivered big action in the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Bron Breakker took advantage of interference from The Vision to hit a trio of Spears to defeat Seth Rollins. Trick Williams successfully took down Sami Zayn again.

Danhausen found assistance in a mini clone to take down The Miz and Kit Wilson. Iyo Sky managed to put Asuka behind her. Roman Reigns defended successfully against a dangerous Jacob Fatu.

These were the real winners and losers of a night that pushed WWE forward past 'Mania and into the spring.

Winner: Bron Breakker

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Bron Breakker and Paul Heyman

Bron Breakker may have needed help to get the win, but he still defeated Seth Rollins, the biggest victory of his rising career.

The result was important, highlighted by Michael Cole's call after the finish. This was the moment The Big Dog stepped up to the next level.

A win over The Visionary should put Breakker right back into world title contention, even if The Big Dog is unlikely to be done with Rollins at this stage.

It may be sacrilege to say when he's wrestling a man known to be one of the best workers in WWE history, but Breakker outwrestled Rollins on this night.

While The Visionary struggled to connect on an ambitious offense, The Big Dog made it all look effortless and impactful.

By the end of this match, Breakker looked much closer to becoming the next World heavyweight champion than Rollins.

Loser: Sami Zayn

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Sami Zayn and Trick Williams

For the first time in a long time, Sami Zayn has embraced his dark side, and it's backfiring more and more each week.

He stole Carmelo Hayes' United States Championship and WrestleMania spot, only to lose the title at 'Mania and get embarrassed multiple times.

Backlash was not his redemption moment, losing again despite his desperate attempts to cheat, and Zayn is now further from his world championship goal than he has been in years.

Whatever he does next, Zayn needs a way back to relevance. He cannot keep spiraling in a feud with Trick.

Trick and Zayn did have great chemistry over two matches, though, and especially delivered at Backlash in a match that solidified the US champ.

Winner: Trick Williams

Despite multiple big names coming up from NXT in the last year, it was Trick Williams who passed them all up to win the first main-roster gold.

It would have been easy for WWE to move off Trick if this was not working, but it's clear that Trick is making everything work. Even with a messy Gingerbread Man angle, Trick has delivered in the ring and on the mic whenever asked.

The United States champion delivered again at the premium live event and put away a massive threat to his title reign.

It is hard to call anything in WWE a certainty, but it looks likely that Trick will be one of WWE's top champions for a long time to come.

Winner: Danhausen

Danhausen was not supposed to be a character and a performer who worked on a big stage, and after a strange debut, it looked like his WWE run would quickly fall apart.

Instead, he has rebounded to become one of WWE's most talked-about stars, quickly growing into an important role on SmackDown weekly.

Moreover, his style of comedy has changed the usual WWE formula, presenting the kind of zany moments the company has not relied on in decades, dating back to Doink the Clown.

Bringing in a mini-wrestler to back up Danhausen solidified that he is a singular act that will succeed or fail based on how much fans invest in him.

He did not need another wrestler's endorsement or one-time assistance. Instead, he presented a throwback comedy match that allowed him to win big in his PLE debut.

Putting The Miz and Kit Wilson behind him after his win, it should be interesting to see who next gets caught up in the unique universe of Danhausen.

Winner: Iyo Sky and Asuka

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Iyo Sky and Asuka

The best match of Backlash was easily Iyo Sky vs. Asuka. It may have been the best match WWE has seen all year.

While these two had over-delivered throughout their rivalry, this match was on another level, highlighting just how good they are.

The Empress of Tomorrow and The Genius of the Sky played the crowd in an electric encounter, built on their long history.

While this could have been even better with Kairi Sane involved, who was remembered in multiple "We want Kairi" chants in this contest, the two delivered an incredible performance.

Sky showed once again why she might just be the best wrestler in WWE today while pushing Asuka to a signature performance, rivaling her own personal WWE bests.

The two women earned their friendly hug at the end, no matter what it means for Asuka from this point on. She and Sky clearly have the chemistry to sell a tag team alliance.

Loser: Anyone Expecting Surprises

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John Cena

Hype always rises as we approach a WWE PLE, with the possibility of a shocking result or appearance.

Backlash had a couple of moments that promised major surprises: Danhausen's mystery partner and John Cena's announcement.

Neither delivered a major impact. The Cena Classic has potential, but sounds like an odd concept on paper, especially relying on fan vote to crown a new champion, even if they lose the match.

As great as Iyo Sky vs. Asuka was, many fans hoped Kairi Sane could return on this night like R-Truth did last year. Instead, WWE kept to the odd release of a popular and talented star.

None of the results on the night were surprising, leading to a show that many could simply write off as business as usual.

This is also coming off a fairly predictable WrestleMania, so WWE is on a cold streak in terms of creating major positive talking points coming out of PLEs.

Loser: Jacob Fatu

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Jacob Fatu

Jacob Fatu bet so much on dethroning Roman Reigns, risking his family relationships to threaten The OTC.

Despite this risk, The Samoan Werewolf walked out without the gold and may have gotten himself in hot water (suspension?) by attacking Reigns and officials afterward.

Not many win a world title in their first outing, but Fatu is 34 years old. He cannot afford to wait another two years for his second world title opportunity.

The Samoan Werewolf was clearly sold as a major threat to Reigns, who had to cheat to win against Fatu.

However, the post-match attack may cause The Samoan Werewolf problems that could keep him away from Reigns for a while.