If John Cena and Randy Orton never wrestle again, they can be proud of how they closed out their 20-year rivalry at WWE Backlash. Orton had a viper-like grip against Cena, but returns to his home in St. Louis empty-handed after bad luck and many distractions on Saturday.
Cena made the first title defense of his record-setting 17th world title run against a familiar foe. Orton was one step ahead of Cena in the weeks leading to their match, and for most of their match. Ultimately, however, Orton was foiled by endless shenanigans familiar to those present for their illustrious careers.
The rest of the card also featured a mixed bag of results. Jacob Fatu managed to retain the United States championship in a fatal four way thanks to some assistance from a debuting superstar. Gunther beat down Pat McAfee despite some aid from play-by-play man Michael Cole. Lyra Valkyria retained the women's intercontinental title against Becky Lynch, who lost it in the aftermath. And Dominik Mysterio retained the men's intercontinental title against Penta thanks to some help from another masked luchador.
CBS Sports was with you the whole way through the event, providing updates and highlights as the action unfolded in the live blog below.
Jacob Fatu defends U.S. title in barnburner fatal four-way, gets an unwanted assist from debuting Jeff Cobb
Backlash got off to a hot start with this fatal four-way match. The St. Louis crowd validated Fatu's reputation as a future main eventer, repeatedly chanting his name. Typically, more conniving superstars form temporary alliances in these matches. But heroes LA Knight and Damian Priest, recognizing Fatu's danger, briefly aligned to take out the champ. Everyone had a moment to shine, but it's hard competing with Fatu's ridiculous athleticism. The defending United States champion pieced together an incredible sequence after being hurled off the top rope by Drew McIntyre, landing on Knight with a swanton bomb. Aftewards, he quickly took out McIntyre with a corner attack, launched into Priest with a suicide dive, and flattened McIntyre with a second swanton.
Each superstar also scored near falls. Priest fell directly onto Knight after eating a Claymore Kick, nearly winning the match by accident. McIntyre had the match won before Priest yanked the referee from the ring, continuing the plot of Priest screwing McIntyre over. Knight put down Fatu with an elbow drop, but the champ kicked out. The bad blood between McIntyre and Priest spilled into the crowd. The brawl ended after Priest hit a South of Heaven chokeslam off an equipment box through two tables, ostensibly removing them from the match.
Closer to the ring, Fatu was in peril. Knight splayed Fatu across the announcers' table and lined him up for a top rope elbow drop. That's when Solo Sikoa arrived. Fatu's Bloodline ally yanked Fatu off the table and confronted Knight. Suddenly, Knight was laid out by a mystery assailant -- the debuting Jeff Cobb. Fatu was upset with Sikoa and Cobb's intrusion, but capitalized by putting away Knight with a jumping top rope moonsault. Each superstar delivered memorable spots. The finish hit all the right marks: giving the champ a win, protecting the challengers, debuting a new act, and furthering The Bloodline storyline. Fatu def. Knight, McIntyre and Priest via pinfall to retain the U.S. title. Grade: A
Underdog champion Lyra Valkryia springs the upset on Becky Lynch
Saturday's women's intercontinental had a dash of Lynch's bravado, a sprinkle of Valkyria's technique, and heaping scoops of bravado and intensity from both athletes. The former tag team champions kicked off the match with a fist fight, demonstrating their bitterness. Lynch found the most success by intercepting Valkyria and bludgeoning her with strikes. At one point, Lynch dragged Valkyria over to the latter's fiancé, mocking the lovebirds. Several open-hand slaps meant to demean Valkyria instead lit a fire under her. The defending champ slapped Lynch back before hitting a running fisherman's buster, enzuiguri and sit-out powerbomb. A stalling superplex was perhaps Valkyria's best display of power.
Valkyria's increasing momentum spurred Lynch's desperation. "The Man" rolled up Valkyria and grabbed the ropes for leverage, but the referee caught her red-handed. The closing sequence featured a series of impressive counters as both superstars chained armbar attempts. Lynch appeared to have the match secured after landing a Manhandle slam, but Valkyria kicked out. The champ's resilience sent Lynch into a panic. The challenger attempted to use a steel chair and exposed turnbuckle, but the referee continued to foil her.
Ultimately, Valkyria stunned her former hero with a quick roll-up for the win. Lynch, outraged, didn't give her opponent a moment to celebrate. Lynch pounced on Valkyria and slapped on a Disarm Her until WWE producers pulled her off. This was Valkyria's best main roster match to date. Her power moves had impact, her technique was crisp and she shined as the underdog. Lynch was a step behind her in the ring, but excelled as a cunning villain. My only complaint is that the match ran a little long. Valkyria def. Lynch via pinfall to retain the women's intercontinental title. Grade: B+
Dominik Mysterio gets a dirty win over Penta with help from El Grande Americano
Mysterio vs. Penta was a clash between Penta's athleticism and Dom's "dirty" tactics, but it wasn't exclusively that. The match's most impressive physical feat was arguably Mysterio's flawless suicide dive DDT. Penta's luchador style was also displayed with a top rope crossbody to the ring, a springboard crucifix bomb and a ring apron destroyer. Mysterio's weaponization of other superstars' moves was one of the more entertaining tropes. Mysterio whiffed on Eddie Guerrero's three amigos and father Rey Mysterio's 619, but surprised Penta with Liv's Oblivion.
The Judgment Day, who walked Dominik Mysterio to the ring, were involved as expected. Carlito, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh tried to intervene but were initially thwarted by Penta and the referee. Balor's second distraction was more successful as El Grande Americano -- the masked superstar presumed to be Chad Gable, who defeated Penta's brother Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41 -- dropped Penta with a steel plate-assisted headbutt. Mysterio followed up with a frog splash for the win.
Mysterio vs. Penta had flashes of a great match, but never quite kicked into that gear. In hindsight, a few minutes could have been shaved from the women's intercontinental match to give the men's title more time. Mysterio def. Penta via pinfall to retain the intercontinental title. Grade: B
Gunther puts Pat McAfee to sleep in a snoozer
Gunther stared down McAfee with a wide smile, identifying his foe as easy prey. "The Ring General" exercised his vast technical advantage early, though McAfee's athleticism drew acknowledgment from the former world heavyweight champion. Gunther gave McAfee a brotherly pat on the head, setting the tone for how the match would go. Gunther encouraged his smaller foe to chop him, absorbing multiple blows to the chest before dropping McAfee with a massive chop of his own. The bullying extended to McAfee's broadcast partner Michael Cole, whom Gunther would stare down in between beating McAfee. Cole's pleading for Gunther to show mercy fell on deaf ears as Gunther prolonged McAfee's torment. Cole at one point described it as "a public flogging."
McAfee briefly sprang to life, landing on his feet after a missed moonsault and again finding his footing after Gunther attempted a German suplex. McAfee, previously a punter for the Indianapolis Colts, stunned Gunther with kicks to the chin and spine. Cole became increasingly present after leaving the announcers' booth to cheer on his friend. Gunther dragged Cole into the ring, but his split focus created multiple opportunities for McAfee. The former NFL star saved Cole from a powerbomb by big booting Gunther. Cole returned the favor by snatching Gunther's leg on a suplex attempt, resulting in McAfee landing on and nearly pinning Gunther. Shortly after, Gunther latched on a rear-naked choke, putting McAfee to sleep. Gunther showed McAfee a small gesture of respect afterwards.
This didn't click for me. The pacing was slow, and McAfee's comebacks were half-baked. There was potential to build sympathy around Cole, but the storyline didn't develop enough to make for a meaningful payoff. Gunther def. McAfee via submission. Grade: C+
John Cena sneaks away with the win in a possible conclusion to his legendary rivalry with Randy Orton
The match was slow and methodical, as expected from two superstars in their mid-to-late 40s who've traditionally employed that style. The audience got loud for everything that hometown hero Orton did. Cena indulged as the antagonist, mocking the audience and fleeing when things got tough. The legends have wrestled nearly two dozen times on WWE broadcasts, but rarely, if ever, in their current roles. Cena and Orton wrestled as the villain and hero, respectively. Yet old habits die hard, and Orton wasn't beyond stooping to his opponent's level. Cena lured Orton with a disingenuous handshake and poked him in the eye. Moments later, Orton retorted with his own blinding thumb.
The action picked up after Cena hoisted Orton onto his shoulders. The undisputed WWE champion landed the Attitude Adjustment, but simultaneously ate an RKO. Neither wrestler, each enduring the other's finishing move, could capitalize. Cena surprised Orton with a second Attitude Adjustment, but Orton kicked out. Orton, no stranger to surprise strikes, countered Cena's shoulder block series with an RKO but only mustered a two-count. "The Legend Killer" dusted off the punt kick from his repertoire; however, Cena moved out of the way and hit a third Attitude Adjustment. That would have sealed the deal in most cases, but not against Orton in St. Louis. Cena couldn't capitalize on a fourth Attitude Adjust because the referee had been knocked down. When Cena retrieved his title to strike Orton with, "The Viper" struck first with an RKO. Referee Chad Patton slowly spurred to life, though the extra time allowed Cena to kick out.
Outside the ring, an accidental collision took the referee out again. Orton gave Cena a taste of his medicine, landing an Attitude Adjustment onto the announcers' table. The table only slightly budged, so Orton grabbed a wooden table from underneath the ring. The second break was far cleaner as Orton landed another Attitude Adjustment. Amusingly, the challenger took a small beverage break before resuming action. Orton continued to dominate Cena, but he couldn't catch a break. Orton landed two RKOs -- the replacement referee arrived too late on the first instance, and got clocked with the title belt for the second RKO. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis and various WWE staff ran into the ring to check on the officials, and they all ate RKOs.
The match ended after Orton lined Cena up for the punt. R-Truth -- who describes Cena as his childhood hero despite Truth being five years older -- intervened and begged for mercy. Orton delivered an RKO to Truth, but the distraction allowed Cena to land a low blow and Attitude Adjustment for the win. The right atmosphere can do a lot for a match. Was Cena vs. Orton a technical thriller? Certainly not. But there's a charm to seeing an iconic rivalry's final chapter after 20 years. It was an overbooked throwback to WWE's heavily used playbook in the 2010s. The match was physical, the stakes were high, and the crowd was hot. Cena def. Orton via pinfall to retain the undisputed WWE title. Grade: A-
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