Kick-Off Show
The Backlash Kick-Off Show begins with the panel of Renee Young, David Otunga, Peter Rosenberg, and Booker T. The panel run-down the entire card for tonight’s show, then throw it to Charly Caruso backstage. Charly talks about the bad blood between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles, claiming Nakamura requested a locker room on the opposite side of the arena from Styles. She says she also spoke to Daniel Bryan, who is thrilled to be facing Big Cass tonight and says he will win with heart over size. Later tonight, Paige and Kurt Angle will sit down for a Twitter Q&A.
The first match for discussion is Roman Reigns Vs. Samoa Joe – the video package shows Reigns downfall at the hands of Lesnar again and again. The panel maintain Reigns won the cage match against Lesnar, even though his foot was on the apron. They say there is a tonne of pressure on Roman tonight, and Rosenberg reckons Samoa Joe sees that and wants to take advantage. Booker says Reigns is tired and beaten and you can only get so many chances until you go to the back of the line. Renee says this match tonight suits Joe, to which Rosenberg says Joe has Reigns’ number. Booker, Renee and Peter say Samoa Joe will win the match, while David Otunga sticks with his man, Roman.
The next topic is the Daniel Bryan/Big Cass match. We get a video package that shows the return of Cass and his subsequent beatings of Daniel Bryan. We return to the panel and Peter Rosenberg ridiculously says there has never been a bigger size difference between two men in WWE – clearly he doesn’t remember Rey Mysterio Vs. The Great Khali, or Big Show Vs. Floyd Mayweather. They say Daniel Bryan may be back and better than ever, but he has an uphill battle against Big Cass.
We see Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas backstage, they’re looking at a piece of paper with potential new leaders for them. They can’t settle on one when The Miz walks-in and says “Daddy’s home”. Dallas and Axel are thrilled to see him – clearly he doesn’t remember that they dumped him the last night he was on Raw. Miz recalls the glory days of the Miztourage and says it’s great to have them back together. He tells them to follow him because his match with Seth Rollins is up first, to which they stop and Dallas tells Miz that they’re no longer his supporting cast. Miz is left alone and confused. Back with the panel, they talk about how amazing The Miz was as Intercontinental Champion but that Seth Rollins is a fighting Champion and the title looks good on him. Otunga points out that Miz has won the title 8 times but he has never done so without help. They’re split on who walks out with the strap.
We take a look at Carmella’s rise to glory, beginning with her Money In The Bank win – which excludes James Ellsworth. Mella is Money. The panel say Charlotte is on top of her game but before they can get very far, Peyton Royce and Bille Kay walk-in. Peyton says Charlotte is so “two-thousand and never”. They say Charlotte is no big deal because they beat Asuka on her first SmackDown Live match. Royce does an impression of Peter Rosenberg that is so wrong that it’s funny. They talk about how great Carmella is and that Backlash could be Iconic. The duo walk away, leaving the panel to continue the discussion. Rosenberg says Carmella reminds him of Floyd Mayweather because she always gets the job done and brings the money.
We see Bayley warming-up backstage and Sasha Banks walks-in. Bayley apologises to Sasha and tells her she should be in her corner tonight. Sasha asks why Bayley has ignored her for two weeks and points-out that last week Bayley wasn’t there when she got beaten down. Bayley says that’s fine, she’ll handle Ruby tonight, they way she has done to Sasha in the past. They continue to argue and Sasha says she’s on her own before walking off.
The panel stat talking about Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley – it sounds like they’re a real team now but I hope not. They say there is no real hope for Owens and Zayn to win this tag match tonight. Booker also talks about how impressive Lashley is.
Next up is the Raw Women’s Championship match, between Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss. The panel disregard Alexa’s PSA’s and say Nia is going to squash Alexa.
We go split-screen for the Q&A with Kurt Angle and Paige. The first question if for Kurt, and asks who his dream opponent today is, to which Angle says Daniel Bryan is his choice. Otunga asks them what the hardest part of being general manager is, to which Paige says not helping your friends is hard, Angle agrees and says giving equal opportunities when there only is limited time. Booker asks which match will steal the show, to which Paige says Nakamura Vs. Styles, as well as Carmella Vs. Charlotte. Angle says Nia Jax Vs. Alexa Bliss or Reigns Vs. Joe. That’s it for the Q&A.
It’s match time and out comes Bayley to a good reaction. Out next is Ruby Riott, followed by Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan. Ruby has some new hear, she looks so different than the other females that she stands out and that’s a great thing!
Bayley Vs. Ruby Riott W/ Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan
The match begins and Bayley wins a lock-up, before taking Ruby down with a headlock. Riott fights to her feet and knocks Bayley down. Ruby applies a headlock of her own before knocking Bayely to the mat with a shoulder tackle. Bayley hits a sunset flip roll-up on Ruby for a two-count.
Bayley hits a nice arm drag from the middle rope but Ruby quickly takes control again. She beats Bayley around the ring before Bayely whips her into the corner. Bayley runs at Ruby and gets tossed over the ropes. Ruby capitalises on a distraction to catch Bayley with an STO. Bayley rolls from the ring and we cut to a commercial for…Backlash.
We return to see Bayley grounded in a rear chin lock. She fights out but Ruby slams her head-first into the ringpost, then again. Ruby hangs Bayley on the second rope and chokes her with her knee – when the ref forces her off, Logan punches Bayley. We see a rather concerned looking Sasha Banks watching on the monitor backstage. Ruby looks to slam Bayley into the ringpost again but Bayley scoops her up and drops her on the turnbuckle. Bayley runs at Ruby, who jumps and grabs Bayley with her legs and slams her into the turnbuckle face-first.
Ruby applies another submission move but again Bayley fights up and tosses her off. Ruby knocks Bayley to the apron, where Bayley kicks her back and hits a springboard crossbody for a near-fall. Bayley hits a series of clotheslines, then tries to dive through the ropes and hurricanrana Sarah Logan but she botches it. Inside the ring again, Bayley hits a big diving elbow to Ruby for a near-fall.
Bayley sets-up for a Bayley-To-Belly but Liv Morgan jumps onto the apron and distracts her, allowing Ruby to kick Bayley, then hit the Riott Kick for the win!
Winner: Ruby Riott
That was a decent match but a little botchy in spots. I really like Ruby, so I’m glad she picked up the win here.
We return to the Kick-Off panel, who rundown the card once again. And that’s it for the Kick-Off Show.
