WWE Backlash 2016 Review: Top Highlights and Low Points
Every WWE event has pressure on it to deliver, but since Backlash 2016 was the first SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view since July's draft, even more was on the line.
This would be the first indication as to whether the blue brand was still the B-show everybody could skip or if the events would be good enough to justify watching SmackDown every Tuesday night.
Heading into Sunday's event, nothing was certain.
On one hand, the card was rather weak, with only six matches being announced instead of the standard eight or nine. That meant the show could just as easily have been stretched out with an excess of filler rather than adding more time to the fights.
On the other hand, the promise of two new champions being crowned, as well as two other titles on the line, meant there was also some potential if WWE could book the PPV in an entertaining way.
That being said, what was the end result? Were there more positives or negatives?
It's time to look back on the results from Backlash and single out the biggest highlights and low points of the evening, presented in order of appearance.
Highlight: Backlash Kickoff Gets a Match
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This card already had fewer matches than normal and felt as though it couldn't make the full three-hour time limit, let alone be something it was worth watching the pre-show for.
Most PPV Kickoffs consist almost entirely of the panelists running down what we've already seen for weeks, so unless a fight is added to the mix, there's no point in watching.
Thankfully, WWE decided to do just that, adding a match between Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews to help pad out the time.
These two are talented, but they need to be used well in order for the audience to care about them, yet for some reason, they have spent the majority of their time on the main roster sitting aside doing nothing.
Putting both of them on the card against each other is only a positive, as it gives them more experience and the audience something to watch that isn't just a recap.
It wasn't the best match ever. Nor is it likely going to mean anything in the long run. But it was better than nothing. At an event in need of positives, this qualified as one of them.
Highlight: Becky Lynch Wins the SmackDown Women's Championship
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The SmackDown Women's Championship was decided via a Six-Pack Challenge, with Becky Lynch coming out on top above her five opponents.
Generally speaking, this was just a nice moment to see. Becky clearly appreciates the honor, as evidenced by her emotional reaction to deservedly being crowned the first SmackDown women's champion.
For months, she was one of the best women on the roster in NXT. She won over a good portion of the crowd after her feud with Sasha Banks, and before long, she was moving up to the main roster.
One of the downsides to her career path was how she wasn't able to have a run as NXT champion and was also just shy of being the top woman on the main roster, meaning she was overlooked in favor of Charlotte, Nikki Bella, Paige and others.
Throughout all that, Becky has continued to improve. Now, she is definitively the face of the women's division on SmackDown and the top female on that brand.
Out of everyone in the match, it's hard to argue anybody else was a better choice to win, so it's great to see someone who has loved this her whole life get the respect she's more than earned.
Low Point: Repetition in the SmackDown Women's Championship 6-Pack Challenge
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While it was nice to see Becky Lynch take the win and become the first SmackDown women's champion, the Six-Pack Challenge itself was far from as good as it could—and should—have been.
Like the rest of the show, this was the first chance to show fans what they have to look forward to with the different divisions, yet this match ended up being mostly one spot repeated over and over again: the women tossing each other out of the ring.
For that to happen a few times is expected with this sort of stipulation since more than two people in the ring tends to get sloppy when it comes to pinfalls and submissions. However, it happened so often here that it became distracting.
Commentator David Otunga even pointed out several minutes into the match that none of the women were going for eliminations and needed to stop throwing their opponents through the ropes as it accomplished nothing.
What's bothersome about this is that it mostly just stalls for time and makes little sense. It isn't something exciting to watch even once, let alone 20 times, in a match.
When crunch time came, a flurry of eliminations were then rushed, making this feel like it was a typical television match.
All of these women are more than capable of performing a much better, more intricate and far more entertaining contest, yet this came off more like a training exercise in spilling out of the ring than a fight for a championship.
Highlight: Intercontinental Championship Match
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Both men have their detractors, but if you set your preferences aside and truly examine their careers, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz are two of the most consistent acts, not just on the SmackDown roster but in the entire company.
Ziggler has proved time and time again that he is arguably the best in-ring performer and can put on a decent match with virtually anybody, while The Miz knows his character better than anybody else.
This match showcased both of their strengths in full form. Ziggler was the truer wrestler of the two, continuing to fight despite an injured leg and the pain that goes along with that. Likewise, The Miz retained his title by cheating, as Maryse interfered on his behalf.
The Miz is turning heads and getting people talking by feuding with SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan despite the latter not even being cleared to compete. He found a fantastic way to carry that into this match by taunting Bryan as he performed several of his trademark moves—something the GM can no longer do.
As they are friends in real life, it should be no surprise Ziggler and The Miz have good chemistry, and that carried over into their performance in this match. Granted, this was not as great as it could have been, but it was a solid match from start to finish with the right man winning in the end.
Low Point: Randy Orton's Injury
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As mentioned before, this card was suffering from having a lack of matches, so it was even worse to hear that one of the few previously scheduled fights was not going to happen.
Injuries happen, and they are never a positive thing, but the low point isn't just the fact Randy Orton was unable to compete—it's WWE's lack of preparation to compensate for it.
The past few years have been horrible when it comes to injuries and suspensions getting in the way of WWE's plans, yet the company clearly hasn't learned the value of backup plans.
In recent weeks, Shelton Benjamin's return was put on hold, Sasha Banks dropped the Raw Women's Championship when it was thought she would be missing for a while, Finn Balor's time as Universal champion lasted mere hours, American Alpha was written out of the tag team tournament with a fake injury and then this happened with Orton.
This brand split is still in its infancy but so much potential has already been thrown away, stretching the already thin rosters even more. Eventually, as we've seen so many times in the past, we will reach a point where this is too much and the product suffers dramatically.
Sure, WWE tried to compensate by having Kane wrestle Wyatt in a No Holds Barred match, which was an adequate substitution as far as quality goes, but that isn't what SmackDown's air time was invested in.
All the time spent building to a clash between The Viper and The Eater of Worlds was made redundant at the last minute. What's happened far too much in the past year happened yet again: WWE basically told the audience it'd have to wait.
Orton's return has consisted of being decimated by Brock Lesnar and then being unable to compete at Backlash. Surely the era of the Apex Predator is over if this is what we can expect.
Highlight: Brian Johnson Makes WWE Debut
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Normally, when picking the highlights and low points, it's best to judge things from the perspective of the entire WWE Universe rather than use your own opinions. This example is going to fly in the opposite direction of that, as it's entirely motivated by a personal connection.
AJ Styles had a backstage segment following Bray Wyatt's match, during which he spoke to two wrestlers about how they would get to witness history. I'm unaware of the identity of the gentleman on the right of the image, but the man pictured in the center is named Brian Johnson.
He is a friend of mine and the head trainer of the Old Time Wrestling promotion in New Jersey. For years, I've seen Johnson progress in his career and help train many others, giving it his all in the hopes to someday make it to WWE.
To see him show up on a WWE broadcast put a huge smile on my face. Just as with the Becky Lynch title win, Johnson is someone who deserves it. It's great to see people rewarded for their hard work and tireless dedication to the business.
Whether something more comes out of this or not, witnessing a buddy's dream come true is a major highlight I can't help but rejoice in.
If you're a fan of independent wrestling, you should do yourself a favor and check out his matches in whatever way you can. He has a bright future ahead of him, and this could be the beginning of something great. It also shows WWE is continually looking for new, young stars to replenish the roster.
Congratulations, buddy—it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
Highlight: SmackDown Tag Team Championships Tournament
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There were some bumps in the road to get to this point, but overall, WWE did a great job with the tournament to determine the first SmackDown tag team champions.
As it stands post-Backlash, American Alpha is on the sidelines and waiting to win the belts the team deserves, giving fans something to look forward to in the future.
The Usos have fully transitioned into heels and will headline the division for quite some time, possibly by winning the titles as soon as Tuesday night's episode of SmackDown.
However, the audience still gets at least two days to celebrate with Heath Slater and Rhyno, the inaugural champions.
Oddly enough, despite being the one person on the roster not drafted to a brand, Slater has been one of the most entertaining characters on WWE television for the past few months. He's gone from a joke people didn't care to see to a joke people actually cheer for.
The crowd definitely popped for their victory and even had a nice "he's got kids" chant going on at one point.
This was just one of those examples of the silly and fun side of WWE rather than the serious athletic competition aspect. It also wrapped up the storyline of Slater's contract issues. Oddly, more was accomplished in this match than anything that has happened with Randy Orton since his return in July.
Highlight: WWE World Championship Match
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This match was easily the best of the night, which should be no surprise, as it featured undoubtedly the top two men on the roster and was for SmackDown's biggest prize.
On top of being a fun contest, the crowd got what it wanted by having AJ Styles finally climb to the peak of the mountain, winning the WWE World Championship for the first time in his career.
It's normally fun to see a title change no matter what the scenario, but it's even better when it goes to a guy who spent years stuck in the doldrums of TNA and is now one of the best performers in WWE.
The way it happened was a positive too. Low-blowing Dean Ambrose was a means to have the Lunatic Fringe lose the title without looking weak as well as keeping up Styles' heel persona. He has the talent to win it outright and clean, yet he cheated just to make sure he succeeded.
There are plenty of ways this could go, but we'll just have to strap in and see which direction WWE decides to take. No matter what is in store, with Styles as champion and Ambrose on the hunt to get the title back, it should be a lot of fun.
What did you think were the best and worst moments of Sunday's show? Is there anything that should be included on this list that isn't?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments section.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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