WWE Backlash 2017 Review: Top Highlights and Low Points
Following the Superstar Shake-Up, Backlash 2017 was an event with a surprising card as new challengers were brought into the mix.
Since the spring cleaning of Payback was out of the way, SmackDown's refreshed roster sought to start the summer off with as much momentum as possible.
Heading into the pay-per-view, some of the biggest selling points were the potential Match of the Year candidate between Shinsuke Nakamura and Dolph Ziggler, the possible ascension of Jinder Mahal from jobber to main event star and even the chance to declare a new Face of America.
With every WWE event, there are always elements on both sides of the spectrum as far as pros and cons. No show is flawless, but, at the same time, it's nearly impossible for everything to be a disappointment.
Now that the event has concluded, what was the end result? Were there more positives or negatives on the show?
What mistakes did WWE make that hurt this pay-per-view's overall wow factor and what were the moments you should kick yourself for having missed if you didn't tune in?
It's time to look back on what happened at Backlash 2017 and single out the biggest highlights and low points of the evening, presented in order of appearance.
Low Point: The Majority of the Pre-Show Kickoff
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Most pre-show content before pay-per-views is entirely skippable, and Backlash was yet another example of just why people tend not to pay attention to it.
The match between Aiden English and Tye Dillinger wasn't bad, but virtually nobody will have seen it because everything leading up to it was entirely superfluous and the match itself had virtually no build on television to entice viewers.
Sami Zayn's appearance in the social media lounge was completely flat, especially compared to entertaining versions we've seen in the past with Jeri-KO and others.
To sum up the analysis from the panel would be hard to do, as Booker T in particular spent a lot of time dragging out his words to essentially say absolutely nothing by the time he was done talking.
From a personal experience, several friends of mine were surprised to see Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura as the first match of the card, as they just hadn't paid any attention to that announcement during the pre-show.
This is a full hour that could be used in a much more advantageous and watchable way, but WWE is used to a more stagnant formula that simply isn't fun to sit through.
Highlight: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler
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There's a distinct possibility for people to have been disappointed in this match after having set their expectations far too high, but for all intents and purposes, these two put on a great show.
It may not be able to top the United Kingdom Championship match from last night's NXT TakeOver: Chicago for the best match in a while, yet that doesn't take away from the quality of the performances of Dolph Ziggler and Shinsuke Nakamura.
In a way, it's better for this to leave some room for the future, as it's clear this feud isn't going to end with just one match.
Now that Nakamura's introduction to the SmackDown roster is over and done with, he can wrestle on a more regular basis, and a rematch against Ziggler will be somewhere down the line, for sure.
It was a smart decision to book this as the first match of the night, as it helped spread out the most important fights with a more even distribution than overloading everything toward the end.
On top of this, the energy here made sure the audience was treated with something hot to kick things off, which is exactly what Ziggler and Nakamura seemed to promise from the start.
Where WWE goes from here in continuing this feud should play a factor in how well the program is looked at in retrospect, but based on their showing at Backlash, it's at least trustworthy that Ziggler and Nakamura will be able to deliver in the ring.
Highlight: SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
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Who would have thought a few weeks ago that the ingredients for one of the best matches on the Backlash card would be Breezango, a janitor's outfit and a dress?
Somehow, the recipe worked, and this ended up being an absolutely silly and highly entertaining segment.
It's nice to get a change of pace from everything having such a serious tone where there isn't much to poke fun at beyond the unintentional goofs and cringe-worthy attempts at humor.
This was a rare example where the jokes were so ridiculous that it just connected with the crowd, who played along perfectly.
More boos were given to the mop being broken than what the average heel gets after an enthusiastic promo.
Likewise, the chants of "Let's go grandma" were a louder reaction than what some of the babyfaces can get.
Tyler Breeze slowly rolling around the ring to avoid a splash was reminiscent of something Santino Marella would have done, and to cap it all off, JBL had a fantastic reaction to the dress being thrown at him, saying the last time that happened to him, he paid for it.
This was just a stupidly fun match to brighten the mood, and while they lost, Breezango's stock definitely went upward after this performance.
Low Point: Six-Woman Tag Team Match
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While this was nothing horrendous, it was definitely a step down from some of the other segments on this card.
This felt more like it belonged on a regular television episode of SmackDown rather than a pay-per-view.
In the grand scheme of things, it did nothing to advance the story. All six women are in the exact same spot they were before the match.
Going into this, The Welcoming Committee had been getting the better of their three opponents, and nothing has changed.
There was an awkward moment where Naomi tried her best to get the crowd to chant "glow" but the audience just wasn't feeling it.
Mind you, this is the same group of people who went ballistic earlier in the night for a random mop.
Despite its high volume, Becky Lynch's hair alone should be a low point, as she looked absolutely ridiculous and like a cross between the worst 1980s hairstyles and Rufio from Hook.
This probably would have been better off as just a normal SmackDown Women's Championship defense from Naomi against Natalya, Carmella, Tamina or possibly even Charlotte Flair.
Highlight: United States Championship Match
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Given their track records, it was expected that Kevin Owens and AJ Styles could have a good match together.
Thankfully, they followed through with those expectations.
This could have been the main event of the night, and it's doubtful fans would have argued that it wasn't worthy of that spot.
Without needing weapons or a strange stipulation or anything gimmicky to overcomplicate things, they were able to tell a simple story, with Styles' leg being targeted.
Owens looked vicious and smart by playing into this while Styles came off as the hero with a lot of heart for fighting through it.
In the end, this was one of the rare instances where a count-out wasn't just a cheap way for WWE to write themselves out of a corner they painted themselves into.
The finish of the match fit in perfectly with everyone's characters and will be a great motivator to keep this feud going in the coming weeks, as evidenced by the chorus of boos when the bell started to ring.
Low Point: Luke Harper vs. Erick Rowan
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Being given the dead slot on a pay-per-view to act as a buffer between two much more important matches is never a good thing unless you are able to steal the show, but Luke Harper and Erick Rowan failed to accomplish that task.
This feud has a lot of potential that isn't being tapped into—at least, not yet.
Harper and Rowan have a history together as former members of The Wyatt Family and NXT tag team champions, but without having gone through that past as a viewer, one would think this is just a random pairing of two big scroungy guys.
There was a noticeable drop of energy from the crowd, which had been ruckus during the United States title match. Here, not many people were buzzing about particularly anything.
WWE needs to invest more time in the story for this feud and can start off by allowing Rowan to creep people out in an environment other than the pre-show and Talking Smack so people may actually watch it.
To cap it all off, the finish of the match was an abrupt and less than impactful move that felt like it was done just to end things rather than to send the segment home with a bang.
Both of these guys have it in them to prove they are better than this, so it's a shame to see them not reach that level.
Highlight: WWE Championship Match
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In what was perhaps the most shocking thing to happen so far in 2017, Jinder Mahal of all people defeated Randy Orton to become the WWE champion.
Let that sink in for a moment.
This is the same man who was losing to Hornswoggle and nobody would blink an eye.
Out of nowhere, a random push from WWE's creative team changes absolutely everything, and he has now achieved a status few people ever reach.
Rowdy Roddy Piper, Ted DiBiase, Mr. Perfect, Razor Ramon and other legends have never won the WWE Championship, but Jinder Mahal has.
This just goes to show you how some people just need a little nudge and some support from WWE in order to make their career take off, rather than being cast aside in the hopes that it will motivate them to get over on their own.
At this point, it's far too early to tell just how this will all play out, but at the least, this was an immense shocker in a fun segment that changes the game for not just SmackDown, but the entire WWE going forward.
What do you think were the highlights and low points of Backlash 2017? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
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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