WWE Backlash 2017 Winners: Jinder Mahal and Biggest Stars of the Night
And then, it was SmackDown's turn.
This was the blue brand's first exclusive pay-per-view since the Superstar Shakeup, and on Sunday night we got to see how they would recover from being depleted by Monday Night Raw.
SmackDown has had the better creative team than Raw since going live last year. But was that enough? Did they have a talent bench deep enough to make up the difference? Or did the flagship show (let's be real—Raw will always be WWE's flagship show) come out on top?
Here are the biggest stars of the night.
Shinsuke Nakamura
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Shinsuke Nakamura won—as expected. And he scored his first main roster victory against the right opponent.
Dolph Ziggler sold the holy hell out of the Kinshasa and put up a competitive fight to kick off the show, but the undisputed star of the match was Nakamura.
No matter how much commentator John "Bradshaw" Layfield wanted to pretend during that match that Nakamura was unproven, make no mistake; he is a bona fide star. And judging from the response to his entrance, he is white hot. He has what it takes to reach the main event—sooner rather than later.
The only thing that might hold him back is the language barrier. WWE may be evolving into a global company, but Nakamura can't cut the types of promos that characterize some of the biggest Superstars who have preceded him.
Still, his intensity and commitment go a long way. And so long as he has a good talker (like Ziggler) on the other side of the feud, everything should work out fine.
Sami Zayn
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This was a huge, surprise victory for The Underdog from the Underground. Despite multiple attempts by WWE Creative to turn Sami Zayn into a nerdy, nebbish irritant, the fans love him more than ever.
A good seller will make the most mundane offense seem consequential, and during Sunday night's match, Zayn made a bear hug look painful. He wriggled and fought his way out of it, and he never stopped holding his lower back afterward.
Baron Corbin is a top heel in the making, but he's not quite at the point where he can carry a match on his own. It was Zayn who controlled the match's pace; no monster can look fearsome unless his opponents are willing to moan and holler for him.
Natalya
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In many ways, Natalya is the women's champion that never was.
Ever since she arrived on the main roster in 2008, the third-generation Dungeon graduate has been one of the best workers there. But she's only won the title once, in 2010, when it was still called the Divas title.
Natalya was the de facto leader of her Welcoming Committee stable Sunday night, and she got the submission win over Becky Lynch with the Sharpshooter.
Hopefully, this can be the start of a push to the title. Nattie would make a great heel champ after years of putting over everybody else—both above and beneath her.
Kevin Owens
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Kevin Owens, looking more svelte than he has in two years, gave AJ Styles everything he could handle and more. Aside from the finish (which was sort of cheap, even if it did keep both competitors looking strong), this was the best-wrestled match of the evening.
Owens rises to the occasion of the match he's in. He pulled out moves Sunday night that fans haven't seen since his feud against John Cena two years ago. And after his lackluster run with the universal title, this is the sort of intensity, fire and variance fans have been missing.
The match's weird finish guarantees that these two will clash again, and the blue brand will be better for it.
The only problem is the card placement. In a just world, these two would be fighting for the WWE Championship, and Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal would be fighting for the United States title instead.
Luke Harper
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Long after everyone else has moved on to his or her next feud, Luke Harper is still rehashing this tired angle against his former Wyatt brother.
Bray Wyatt isn't even on the blue roster anymore, but his two lackeys are still carrying his water. For what reason? Can't they give it a rest at some point?
Harper has always been the most talented member of the Wyatt family, and he showed his abilities again Sunday night; that dive through the middle rope is plain unnatural for a man his size.
However, this is getting ridiculous. He shouldn't be the best worker in a lower-card feud. He should be in a marquee feud—in line for a shot at a title—at this point in his career
Surely, he's done more to earn his spot than Jinder Mahal. But who's on the undercard and who's in the main event? It must hurt to not feel appreciated.
Jinder Mahal
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Jinder Mahal won the WWE Championship on Sunday night. That makes him the biggest star of the evening, by default.
But where does this storyline go from here? From a narrative point, this is nonsensical.
Prior to his current push (which began on April 18, when he became the No. 1 contender), he won against Curtis Axel on April 14. His previous win to that was at a Main Event taping on March 20 against Axel. Before that on March 6, he won again against Axel. Prior to that, he won on February 13 against Sin Cara.
Mahal then had a long three-month dry spell—prior to February 13, he won on November 14, 2016, against Darren Young. One would have to go back to September to find a win before then.
In that same, rough time frame, he lost singles matches to Mojo Rawley, Darren Young, Big Show, Big Cass, Neville, Axel and R-Truth. In short, his win/loss record has not built him up believably for what is currently happening.
He's gone from enhancement talent to WWE Champion in too short a time frame. This is a mistake—a mistake that's only mitigated because Randy Orton has been such a boring, tedious champion.
But it's too late for that sort of speculation. Mahal is the champ, which means that even if he did not earn his way to the spot, he now has to prove that he deserves there.
Admittedly, he's done a good job of rising to the occasion so far. But he'll have to do much more—and remain consistent—to keep the spot he's been handed. Best of luck to him.
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