Backlash 2018
This is the current card for Backlash, which will be held in Newark, New Jersey on May 6, 2018. It will air on pay per view and on the WWE Network and pay per view at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST
WWE Title No Disqualification Match: AJ Styles (c) vs.Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Miz
WWE United States Title Match: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Randy Orton
WWE Smackdown Women’s Title Match: Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
WWE Raw Women’s Title Match: Nia Jax (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
Kickoff Show Match: Bayley vs. Ruby Riott
* 205 Live Championship Match: Cedric Alexander vs. TBA
* The match is being speculated and has yet to be confirmed.
Jake The Snake and Harry Smith make peace
It seems that the beef between Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Harry Smith Jr. is over thanks to a phone mediation between the two mediated by Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Harry Smith Jr., son of the legendary Davey Boy “The British Bulldog” Smith, and the WWE Hall of Famer were involved in an altercation at WrestleCon during this past WrestleMania Weekend. Harry made the following statement:
I’d like to announce publicly and officially that I spoke with Jake Roberts on the phone today and we squashed heat we have for what happened at the WrestleCon event,” wrote Smith Jr. about squashing his beef with Roberts. “I apologized and said I would apologize publicly as Jake agreed he would be dropping any charges pressed against me.”
Smith Jr. continued, “I’m a man of my word and I’d like to say sorry to any fans that I stressed with this situation also. I wish Jake all the best and glad that we squashed the heat. I actually had spoken to Roddy Piper before he passed away about the podcast Jake and he did. I’m certainly glad we worked things out, as Roddy died [not] long after.”
Greatest Royal Rumble followup planned for November and compensation for female roster details revealed (sorta)
The WWE is planning a return to Saudi Arabia after The Greatest Royal Rumble (TGRR) in November. The followup will be in the capital city of Riyadh. TGRR was the result of a partnership between WWE and Saudi Arabia. The two struck a ten year deal that began with the successful event. The Rumble raised eyebrows with its omission of the female roster due to cultural accommodations made for Saudi Arabia, which has a highly controversial human rights record. Members of the female roster had been instructed to not comment on the matter and according to Mike Johnston of PWInsider, the Women’s Division was compensated an as yet unknown amount and that the sum was/is contingent on nondisclosure.
Greatest Royal Rumble Fallout
The Greatest Royal Rumble was met some skepticism going in because of the cultural differences between the United States and Saudi Arabia and latter’s controversial human rights record that could’ve led to some backlash. According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Corey Graves is in hot water with WWE officials after making some pointed comments and social media posts during the Rumble. Per Dave Meltzer: “It was noted to us that his feelings were understandable but that his statement should have been made privately. There were also people noting that he’s more replaceable than he thinks he is.” Corey made the following post on Instagram with a can of beer: “A drink to remember that no matter how bad WE think we have it, at least our women have rights and we all have freedom of expression. #ifyougetityougetit” Some have theorized that the whole thing may be a work but that’s unlikely given the lucrative decade long deal between the WWE and Saudi Arabia, whose ink has barely dried. Ariya Daivari received death threats after his appearance at the Rumble. He released the following tweet: “During an appearance this past Friday, I portrayed a fictional character and played the role of antagonist, no different than from what other actors would do in a movie or TV show. That character does not reflect my personal views and I apologize to anyone that may have been offended by the skit. I have an incredible amount of respect for the great people of Iran and I am proud of my Iranian heritage. Thank You.”
WWE Untouchables
WWE published an article citing four records that will be unbroken. The records are: 1) The Undertaker’s 21 win WrestleMania streak 2) Vince McMahon’s becoming world champion at age 54 3) Nicholas becoming tag team champion at age 10 at WrestleMania 34 4) The late Bruno Sammartino’s 2,803 day reign as World Champion.
Hulk Hogan to finally return
TMZ Sports reported that Hulk Hogan’s long rumored return is almost a done deal. According to the report, Hogan was specifically requested to appear at last week’s Greatest Royal Rumble by one of the members of the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia. Hogan and the WWE have been engaged in on and off talks regarding his return but there’s a lot of apprehension about how his return would be received given his racist rants that went public and the sex tape scandal, the former of which got him released by WWE in 2015. He was rumored to return to WWE and for Raw 25 this past January but that was publicly denied by WWE. The Hulkster did appear at the premiere of and was featured in the documentary about Andre The Giant last month. The documentary was criticized by some as being more of platform for rehabbing the image of Hogan than being focused on Andre. Hulk Hogan was inducted into The Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame this past Wednesday and he referenced his faux pas in his induction speech. The speech, according to TMZ sources, was well received by the crowd and was on WWE’s radar as well. The WWE released the following statement early Friday:
“WWE applauds the work Hulk Hogan is doing with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to turn what was a negative into a positive by helping young people learn from his mistake. While he has taken many steps in the right direction since we parted ways, Hogan is not currently under contract to WWE.”
Hulk Hogan celebrated the 33rd anniversary of his making the cover of the April 29, 1985 cover of Sports Illustrated. The Hulkster remains the only pro wrestler to have accomplished the feat.
Martin Stone and Keith Lee coming to NXT
Danny Burch (Martin Stone) has signed a full time contract with the WWE and will be a member of NXT. He was previously appearing on NXT episodes and at NXT Live events on and off over the last years. According to a report from PW Torch, WWE has signed top indy star Keith Lee and will be joining NXT after he has finished his independent commitments. The move had been rumored for quite some time but it was confirmed when Pro Wrestling Guerrilla announced a farewell show for the former champion this past Tuesday.
John Cena & The Rock team up
The Rock announced on Instagram John Cena will be the lead on his upcoming movie, The Janson Directive. The People’s Champ is producing the movie, which based on Robert Ludlum’s action thriller novel. The Rock was also recently nominated for an MTV Movie & TV Award for his role in Jumanji. The MTV Movie Awards Show will air June 18.
Tampa enters WrestleMania race
Triple H on his and The Undertaker’s in ring future
Triple H recently opened up on the Undertaker’s future on this week’s Lock Up podcast. After Wrestlemania 33, it was thought that The Phenom was finally retiring after years of rumors and a much needed hip replacement surgery. He and The Cerebral Assassin’s recent matches at WrestleMania 34 and The Greatest Royal Rumble have had people wondering about their respective futures. Here’s what The Game had to say: “I think there’s one person who has the rights to call the shots and that’s the Undertaker. I think it will all depend on him and I think it should all depend on him. At this point, it should be what he wants to and feels comfortable doing. I know that he, as a performer, always wants to be able to give his best and, if he can’t then he doesn’t want to do it. When he’s in a position where he is right now, I think he feels great and wants to be able to be out there and show the Undertaker to the world, but it really comes down to himself, as it should.”
He also addressed having to take a step back from the ring given his other obligations and how much work goes into preparing for matches:
“That’s really where my focus is so the competing part of it gets to be more and more difficult every single year because of the drain on my time in all these other aspects becomes more and more. After WrestleMania, there was no day off. We were straight back out.”
John & Nikki’s breakup a sham
According to a report from PWInsider, the much publicized breakup between John Cena and Nikki Bella may be a work. They were set to be married May 5, 2018 (Cinco De Mayo) but broke off the engagement. If it’s indeed a work, then it may be a tie in for the upcoming season premiere of Total Bellas.
Kane wins mayoral primary
Kane (Glen Jacobs) has won the primary election in his bid to become mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. He won an incredibly close contest 14,663 votes while Linda Haney had a massive 69% of the Democratic vote with only 7,662 votes. The Big Red Machine has previously stated on an episode of Talk Is Jericho that he will walk away from the ring should he become mayor because of the commitment that his position would require. He’s considered to be the overwhelming favorite to win.
Summer Rae returning to wrestling
Summer Rae is making a comeback to the ring. She will return in an Australian promotion, Battle Championship Wrestling on May 25. She will be facing former Lucha Underground star and fellow WWE alum, Ivelisse, in the BCW Women’s Championship tournament.
Jason Jordan in Tino Sabbatelli out
According to a report from Mike Johnston of PWInsider, Jason Jordan is set to return to action after undergoing neck surgery this past February. He could return to action as early as next week for house shows and is on track to return for TV action later this month. According to a report from F4WOnline, NXT’s Tino Sabbatelli will out of action due to a torn pectoral muscle. Tino suffered the injury last weekend in a main event match against The Velveteen Dream. He since had surgery and is expected to be out six to nine months.
Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey in the near future
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio episode, Dave Meltzer suggested that there may be a match between Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey on the horizon. Mike Johnson echoed the possibility and took it further by saying that it could be a possible SummerSlam match.
Great American Bash comeback
According to a report from PWInsider, The WWE filed a trademark last month for the “Great AMerican Bash”. The event is the brainchild of the iconic Dusty Rhodes and was a major NWA/WCW staple. After WCW was acquired by WWE, it ran from 2004-2009. This continues the trend of revivals of WCW events by the WWE.
Daniel Bryan to return full time
Neville finally leaving WWE
