WWE Backlash 2016: Final Picks and Predictions for Entire Match Card
WWE Backlash 2016 will be the 12th installment in the event's history, and it airs live from the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia, at 8 p.m. ET.
AJ Styles has been riding high since his blockbuster victory over John Cena at SummerSlam, and Sunday night he will have his chance to take home his first piece of WWE hardware in the form of the WWE World Championship. Can Dean Ambrose set back the challenge of The Phenomenal One?
For weeks, Bray Wyatt has haunted Randy Orton, claiming that the Apex Predator has become his prey. How will Orton look to overcome The Eater of Worlds in their first one-on-one encounter, especially coming off his humiliating SummerSlam loss to Brock Lesnar?
Not one but two new championships are set to debut at the event: the SmackDown Women's and Tag Team Championships. Who will walk out of Backlash having made history as the inaugural champions?
Fans have been speculating for weeks about which Superstars will reign supreme not only in the main event but across the card. With WWE's first brand-exclusive pay-per-view in close to a decade nearly upon us, these are the predictions that matter most.
SmackDown Tag Team Tournament Semifinals and Finals
1 of 5
Mere days removed from SummerSlam, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan constructed an eight-team tournament to crown the first set of SmackDown tag team champions. Various tandems battled it out in the weeks that followed, with American Alpha as well as Heath Slater and Rhyno earning spots in the finals.
However, due to an injury suffered by Chad Gable at the hands of The Usos on the latest SmackDown, American Alpha was forced to pull out of Backlash. In the team's absence, The Usos will battle The Hype Bros, with the winning team facing Slater and Rhyno for the titles later in the night.
The Usos' heel turn on Tuesday night was long overdue and will shake up the division on the blue brand. That said, it should be a no-brainer that they defeat The Hype Bros so fans will rally behind the makeshift duo of Slater and Rhyno in the finals.
It is possible The Usos win the straps in order to put Alpha in chase mode once they return to action, but that feud doesn't need the titles. Meanwhile, there would be nothing left for Slater if he loses again Sunday, and his surprisingly pleasant pairing with Rhyno would come to an abrupt end.
Slater and Rhyno could well be the modern-day Team Hell No if they have a long shelf life, and thus they should and will become the inaugural SmackDown tag team champions.
Prediction: Heath Slater and Rhyno win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
Elimination Six Pack Challenge (SmackDown Women's Championship)
2 of 5
While Raw appeared to have the stronger all-around women's division coming out of the 2016 WWE draft, SmackDown Live has done a far better job of utilizing everyone on the women's roster.
By and large, everyone has meaning of some kind, and as a result, any one of them could win the SmackDown Women's Championship at Backlash. The unpredictable outcome is what makes the match so exciting for fans, because there are many different routes WWE can take.
Nikki Bella, the longest reigning Divas champion, should not hold gold anytime soon. She feels fresh again as a babyface, but if anything, she should be in chase mode with Carmella as champion.
That said, Carmella should be considered a top choice to capture the title, though she is far from ready for taking the reins of the women's division on SmackDown. She and Nikki can continue to feud through No Mercy, just not over the strap.
Instead, Becky Lynch has been long overdue for a major moment, given her constant losses on pay-per-view in 2016. WWE must make her the champion while she is still as over as she is and transition her into a feud with Eva Marie once the latter returns.
Prediction: Becky Lynch wins the SmackDown's Women's Championship.
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler (Intercontinental Championship)
3 of 5
Since winning back the belt for a fifth time in April, The Miz has been virtually unstoppable as intercontinental champion. From Zack Ryder to Cesaro to Apollo Crews, he has retained his title against all comers these past five months.
Other than Crews, there isn't a single Superstar on the SmackDown Live brand who deserves to be the next champion, including Dolph Ziggler. He has had his various runs with the title, and it would be asinine for him to cut Miz's momentum short following his controversial Talking Smack promo.
WWE had its chance to make Ziggler a champion again at SummerSlam against Dean Ambrose, but once he was unsuccessful, it was back to square one for him. Sure, he has cut some convincing promos in recent weeks about wanting to raise the prestige of the intercontinental title, but Miz is already bringing more eyes to the belt through his reign.
Although The Awesome One isn't nearly as skilled of a wrestler as Ziggler, he knows how to manipulate an audience. He is in the midst of his hottest streak in years and thus should maintain his possession of the prestigious prize.
A Ziggler victory wouldn't surprise me, given WWE's notorious track record for ending things prematurely, but it would be the wrong move. Miz is my official pick to walk out with the title intact.
Prediction: The Miz retains the Intercontinental Championship.
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
4 of 5
Randy Orton has been attracting all kinds of attention from various Superstars, including Brock Lesnar and mostly Bray Wyatt, since returning from injury this summer. Orton fell victim to The Beast Incarnate at SummerSlam, and it wasn't long before Wyatt was taunting Orton over his loss.
I have been waiting to see this rivalry surface for at least two years, and I am glad WWE is finally going in this direction. But now the question turns to who reigns supreme in the initial one-on-one encounter at Backlash.
In any other instance, Orton should win following his dominant defeat to Lesnar at the August extravaganza, but let's remember that Wyatt wasn't even on that card. He sat on the sidelines and wasn't a part of the event in any capacity, despite being healthy.
Enough damage has already been done to the Wyatt character, but he can still be salvaged on SmackDown Live as a top guy. First, he needs a major victory over an established star, and thus Orton is the perfect opponent for him.
Their rivalry has only begun to take shape, so this should be the first of many matches to come between the two. With that in mind, it would be foolish to have The Viper win decisively so early into their program.
Prediction: Bray Wyatt wins.
Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles (WWE World Championship)
5 of 5
Dean Ambrose shook the WWE landscape to its core when he won his premier WWE World Championship at Money in the Bank, but he has had a rather underwhelming reign in the three months that have followed.
Whether it is a lack of interesting opponents or a string of disappointing title defenses, Ambrose hasn't delivered in the role. He could and should flourish as a main event-caliber competitor when he inevitably turns heel, but for now, he feels stagnant.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have AJ Styles, who has been a breath of fresh air in WWE since arriving on the scene in the 2016 Royal Rumble match. He has yet to have a below-average outing and should have had gold around his waist months ago.
No one in the company at the moment has more momentum than him, which means it is high time he became WWE world champion. The matches he could have with the rest of the roster would be nothing short of sensational, and he is already the uncrowned champion of the blue brand.
Furthermore, Ambrose would benefit from being in chase mode and Styles avoiding him at all costs. Despite all that, I fear WWE won't strike while the iron is hot and will instead hold off on the title change until at least No Mercy, but Styles will still win via disqualification somehow here.
Prediction: Dean Ambrose retains the WWE World Championship.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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