WWE Rumors: Latest Buzz, Potential Spoilers Ahead of 2020 Backlash

After shelving the name in 2019, WWE has brought back the Backlash pay-per-view as the third major main-roster event since WWE began filming at the Performance Center prior to WrestleMania 36 in April.

Backlash is one of the longest-running events outside of the big four PPVs: WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and Survivor Series.

The first PPV under this name took place in 1999 at the height of the Attitude Era. The main event saw "Stone Cold" Steve Austin retain the WWE Championship over The Rock after beating him for the title at WrestleMania XV the previous month.

This year's Backlash has seven matches scheduled. Let's take a quick look at the card before we examine the latest rumors and buzz heading into Sunday's PPV.

Final Match Card

Here is a look at the lineup as of the time this article was published, according to WWE.com:

• Edge vs. Randy Orton (The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever)
• Asuka vs. Nia Jax (Raw Women's Championship)
• Apollo Crews vs. Andrade (United States Championship)
• Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus 
• Braun Strowman vs. The Miz and John Morrison (Universal Championship)
• Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley (WWE Championship)
• Banks and Bayley vs. The IIconics vs. Bliss and Cross (Women's Tag Team Championship)

Rumor: Jinder Mahal Was Going to Challenge for the WWE Title

Jinder Mahal returned to WWE television April 27 after being on the shelf with a knee injury for almost a year, but his return was cut short after he revealed he had to have more surgery on his knee in an Instagram post.

The former WWE champion looked poised to come back in a major way, and it appears management had big plans for The Maharaja.

According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc), the plan was for Mahal to feud with former 3MB teammate Drew McIntyre over the WWE Championship.

Both men spent time away from WWE after their run alongside Heath Slater before returning in better shape with more experience.

Mahal did not reveal how long he is expected to be out this time, but hopefully he can return healthy and pick up where he left off.

Will Randy Orton and Edge Have the Greatest Match Ever?

Orton and Edge have already had their match at WWE Backlash, and according to Wrestling Observer Radio, it will be roughly 30-35 minutes in length unless WWE edits it down.

The pressure WWE has put on these two men by dubbing their contest "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" has not stopped both of them from joking about it on social media.

Edge recently talked about drinking the greatest coffee ever and delivering the best lullaby ever. While he is clearly keeping a good sense of humor about this, he is going to take this match seriously.

The odds of Orton and Edge having the greatest match ever are slim, especially since most people can't agree on a topic like that anyway. Everyone has their own opinion about what makes a performance good, so there will never be a consensus.

The best we can hope for is a great match from two Superstars who have a long history of delivering in high-pressure situations.

Potential Spoiler on a Title Changing Hands

McIntyre has only been the WWE champion for a couple of months, but that could change when he faces Lashley on Sunday.

According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t H. Jenkins of Ringside News), MVP was initially paired with Lashley to manage him during a title run. The report does not say it was the WWE title or that the plan is for Lashley to win it Sunday, but it does create an interesting possibility.

The All Mighty has yet to win a WWE world title, but his recent booking suggests management sees him as a potential champion.

Raw's ratings have been in decline since the company stopped filming with fans in attendance. McIntyre is not to blame, but he also hasn't helped draw anyone back to Raw since winning the title.

Lashley winning the WWE Championship at Backlash might be a good thing for McIntyre. He was more interesting when he was pursuing the title. As soon as he won it, that hunger went away. These two powerhouses should put on a good show Sunday.