WWE Backlash 2017 Matches: Best Finish for Usos V Breezango and Full Match Card
Sunday night, SmackDown Live presents WWE Backlash, its first brand-exclusive pay-per-view extravaganza since the Superstar Shake-up, which gutted the blue brand and left it with many questions to answer in its wake.
Can Jinder Mahal successfully make the transition from perennial enhancement talent to main event attraction as he challenges Randy Orton for the WWE Championship?
Will Shinsuke Nakamura's first televised match result in success and propel him toward bigger and better things?
Is AJ Styles the Superstar to unseat Kevin Owens and rescue the United States Championship from The New Face of America?
More important than the answers to those questions are the finishes that will accompany them, ensuring the right effect is achieved.
Which finish sets up the perfect scenario for the Superstars involved in the aftermath of the event, ensuring they remain significant and successful members of the SmackDown Live roster?
Take a look for yourself with this preview of Sunday's spectacular.
WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal
1 of 8
The great Jinder Mahal project culminates Sunday night in a pay-per-view main event against future Hall of Famer Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.
The Maharaja will compete in the biggest match of his career, and his performance within will determine his future at or near the top of the card—as will his booking in what is almost sure to be a loss.
Mahal has cheated his way to victory every week on the road to Backlash. Whether he has utilized the presence of The Singh Brothers or benefited from the interference of someone like United States champion Kevin Owens, Mahal has scored a number of wins without having to do anything himself.
There is no doubt whatsoever that Sunil and Samir Singh will attempt to interfere on behalf of their associate. That will likely get them banished from ringside and lead to the downfall of the No. 1 contender. As it should.
Best Finish
Unable to win a match by himself, and with The Singh Brothers sent packing, Mahal turns in an inspired performance but sees his attempt at The Khallas countered by Orton, who catches a rebounding Mahal with the RKO to successfully defend his WWE Championship.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler
2 of 8
Much has been made of AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens' likelihood of stealing the show at Backlash, but do not be surprised to see Shinsuke Nakamura and Dolph Ziggler wow the fans in Chicago and earn that honor Sunday night in what is The King of Strong Style's first televised main-roster match.
Ziggler has repeatedly expressed his frustration and disappointment with the attention paid to Nakamura when The Showoff has worked night in and night out for the WWE Universe to significantly less fanfare.
Sunday night, he will look to stick it to the spoiled WWE fans by defeating Nakamura and proving once and for all why he is one of the best of his generation to do what he does.
Unfortunately for The Showoff, things will not go his way.
Nor should they.
Best Finish
Nakamura silences Ziggler with Kinshasa, igniting a monumental run for himself with a big win in his first pay-per-view appearance.
United States Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens
3 of 8
The United States Championship will be up for grabs Sunday night as two of the most celebrated wrestlers of their generation square off in traditional singles action. AJ Styles challenges the self-proclaimed New Face of America, Kevin Owens, in a match that should be greeted with a molten-hot reaction by the wrestling-appreciating fans in Chicago's historic Allstate Arena.
Styles earned the opportunity to challenge for the title by defeating Baron Corbin and Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat match, but it has been Owens who has stolen the show on the road to Sunday's pay-per-view, rediscovering his confidence as a singles performer without the safety net of Chris Jericho's catchphrases and one-liners.
His attitude is back, his sarcasm is running wild and one can only hope his in-ring game follows suit because standing across the squared circle from him will be the measuring stick for all great professional wrestlers today.
Best Finish
Styles is the face of SmackDown and should be protected. Owens should not be beaten yet.
That leaves SmackDown Live's writing staff with few options.
Though it may not be the most satisfying conclusion, and is almost guaranteed to generate negative reactions from the fans in Chi-Town, the most effective outcome is a disqualification win for Styles that allows him to challenge for the title down the road and prevents both stars from losing any face at a time when they can least afford it.
SmackDown Tag Team Championships Match: Breezango vs. The Usos
4 of 8
Breezango may be even less likely challengers to a major championship than Jinder Mahal. After all, they were fresh off a humiliating defeat at the hands of John Cena and Nikki Bella on the Road to WrestleMania and were primarily treated like enhancement talent from the moment they arrived on SmackDown Live.
When they defeated The Ascension in a Beat the Clock Challenge match, most thought it said more about the sad state of Konnor and Viktor than the new No. 1 contenders.
In the wake of that win, though, Tyler Breeze and Fandango have gotten over through a series of pre-taped vignettes known as The Fashion Files and are one of the more buzzworthy acts ahead of the Sunday's event.
The Usos have undergone character reinventions of their own. They're edgier villains with a fast-talking promo style that sets them apart from their contemporaries. Not the flashiest or most dynamic performers on the roster, their changes have done a great deal to freshen them up and create intrigue in the twin brothers once again.
Best Finish
The most prominent question is whether The Usos or Breezango need the victory more.
Breeze and Fandango can remain over, despite a loss, with the continuation of their pre-taped vignettes. Those segments of television are the tools WWE Creative could stand to use more often to introduce characters to the masses in order to get them over before they set foot inside the squared circle.
The Usos, on the other hand, need the tag titles to maintain credibility as they continue to bounce back from the deep, dark abyss of mediocrity they found themselves in a year ago.
The best finish of Sunday's tag team title bout sees Jimmy and Jey end an action-packed match by pinning Breeze after an underhanded tactic like a double-team move or low blow and their trademark top-rope splash.
That outcome allows the heels to pick up the win in a less than admirable manner while the heroes in our story save face.
Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Naomi vs. Natalya, Carmella and Tamina
5 of 8
The arrival of Charlotte Flair provided the SmackDown Live women's division with a spark, though the second-generation star may not be too appreciative of the fire that spark lit.
Her arrival on the blue brand forced three villains to band together in order to rid the brand of her and prevent Ric Flair's daughter from receiving championship opportunities they believe should be their own.
Carmella, Natalya and Tamina formed The Welcoming Committee, and with the insufferable James Ellsworth by their side, they have made life a living hell for Charlotte, Becky Lynch and SmackDown women's champion Naomi in recent weeks.
The Princess of Staten Island even scored a pinfall victory over Naomi that is likely to earn her a championship opportunity at some point in the near future.
Lynch continues to find herself in a war of words with Ellsworth, who will likely be a constant presence at ringside during Sunday's match.
Regardless of who has the title or the ongoing individual feuds, though, the bulk of the match will be centered around Charlotte. She has been built up and positioned as the face of the division and will be at the heart of Sunday's bout.
Best Finish
As seen during Tuesday's contract signing for the contest, there is still no love lost between Naomi and Charlotte. The second-generation star has made her intentions to challenge for the women's title clear. With tension building between those two stars, and Charlotte still largely a heel caught up in a babyface team, it makes sense for the selfishness of the five-time champion to doom her team to defeat.
With Naomi rolling, Charlotte tags herself in, looking to achieve victory on her own and bask in the spotlight. An argument breaks out, and Carmella continues her streak by scoring a rollup victory over Charlotte for the win, strengthening her argument for a women's title match.
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
6 of 8
Sami Zayn's quest for anything even remotely resembling a push continued as he jumped ship to SmackDown during the Superstar Shake-up.
Unfortunately, The Underdog from the Underground remains a lost boy in the world of men, unable to score the victory that will catapult him to an elite position on the roster. He has been beaten down and made to look foolish on more than one occasion, something fans were sure would end with his arrival on the blue brand.
Instead, inconsistent booking has him trapped in the same sort of tedious midcard booking he endured on Raw.
Ditto Baron Corbin, who competes in main event matches with guys like Randy Orton and AJ Styles but never wins. When he had the opportunity to challenge for the Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania he lost there too.
Sunday, someone has to win.
Best Finish
Corbin is hotter and at least gets competitive matches against champions in which it looks like he has a chance to win. That is a luxury not afforded to Zayn, who is often undermined by booking. While a win for him would be huge, there is no reason to believe WWE Creative would be able to build on it.
The Lone Wolf, on the other hand, feels like a Superstar at least on his way up. Expect that to continue Sunday with a convincing win over an opponent whose path going forward is unclear.
Luke Harper vs. Erick Rowan
7 of 8
There are no two Superstars more lost than Erick Rowan and Luke Harper.
Former minions of The Wyatt Family, they were the last vestiges of a failed championship push for their enigmatic leader Bray Wyatt. Left to wallow in uncertainty, their characters underdeveloped and their stories incomplete, they limp into Sunday's show for a match guaranteed to generate the chirping of crickets as fans take off to the restrooms, merch stands and beer vendors.
It is a shame.
Harper is one of the most talented workers WWE has at its disposal but never garners the full support of management despite consistently solid performances, such as his brilliant match with Randy Orton at Elimination Chamber.
Rowan is a performer whose character work has always trumped his one-dimensional in-ring performances, which are often bogged down in boring power moves. That management has failed to find something more suitable for him despite its insistence on theatricality is an indictment of the creative process.
Sunday night, the former tag team partners will battle in an afterthought of a match that will have no effect on the direction either of them takes going forward.
That is a damn shame.
Best Finish
Luke Harper is a greater asset to SmackDown from a talent standpoint, even if Rowan's character and look could prove valuable as well.
The former intercontinental champion picks up the win with his trademark discus lariat, knocking off the villainous Rowan.
Kickoff Show: Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English
8 of 8
Simon Gotch's WWE release left Aiden English on an island, with his Vaudevillains tag team suddenly and unexpectedly a thing of the past.
He has seemingly adopted his old artiste persona, singing for the masses, but he has yet to find any sort of direction. In similar position is "The Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger, who has been absent from SmackDown for weeks.
Despite his popularity, WWE Creative has done nothing of note with the NXT export.
Sunday night, both Superstars will be jockeying for position as they square off in singles competition on the Backlash Kickoff Show.
Best Finish
English may be a talented performer, but there is more money and success to be had in Dillinger, who is a rare beloved babyface, the likes of whom fans invest in emotionally.
Give him the win here and let him build momentum off it in the coming weeks and months.
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
