Last night, SmackDown Live hosted Backlash for the second time since becoming its own brand. Depending on who you ask, the event could have been great or terrible, but it definitely was something that got the world talking. What worked and what didn’t? Let’s dive into what happened last night.
The Best:
The Debut of Shinsuke Nakamura
Of course, this is going to be a good thing. Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the best wrestlers in the world, and after a great career in NXT, The King of Strong Style finally got called up to the main roster. His first feud was a pretty safe one, with his opponent being The Showoff, Dolph Ziggler.
Nakamura isn’t much of a talker, so this was his time to shine. He showed why he deserves to be called The King of Strong Style and why he was on the poster for the Pay-Per-View. With a win in his debut match, things are looking up for the former two-time NXT Champion.
Tyler Breeze Puts On a Hilarious Performance
Over the past few weeks, Tyler Breeze and Fandango showed off their comedy chops in The Fashion Files. When they took on The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, however, Breeze took this to a whole other level.
Breeze entered the match wearing a janitor’s uniform, like in the latest Fashion Files episode. With some assistance from a mop, Breeze did a great job comedically wrestling The Usos while also having it all make sense. Later on in the match, the Master of Disguise did the same thing, but this time, he was dressed as an old lady. After such an entertaining performance, it was unfortunate that they couldn’t capture the gold.
Jinder Mahal Wins the WWE Championship
This is perhaps the most debated part of the night. A little over a month ago, Jinder Mahal was known for losing every match he was a part of. Then, he switched to SmackDown Live and got an upset victory by pinning Sami Zayn to become the #1 Contender to Randy Orton’s WWE Championship. Since then, Mahal went from never winning a match to nearly unstoppable.
Orton seemed like he was going to retain his title with ease. He even attacked Mahal before the match started, but The Maharaja kept fighting back. Orton made the big mistake of taking his attention away from his opponent to attack the Singh Brothers. Mahal took advantage of this and laid Orton out to become the first Indian WWE Champion.
This is a huge opportunity to create a big star, and whether or not that is the end result, it helps freshen up the title scene.
The Worst:
The Women’s Tag Match Falls Flat
Most of Backlash was pretty good, so this is pretty nitpicky, but it was still the least good thing to happen that night. The Welcoming Committee took on Charlotte, Naomi, and Becky Lynch, and while there were several talented women involved in that match, it just didn’t seem to click. It doesn’t help that the rest of the show featured the likes of Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura.
Erick Rowan & Luke Harper Deserved More Time
After Luke Harper left the Wyatt Family, Erick Rowan believed that he needed to punish his former brother. Rowan demanded this match on Talking Smack last week, and he got it. Unfortunately, this was put in the “cool down” spot that prevents the fans in attendance from getting burned out before the main event.
While this is fine on paper, Harper and Rowan immediately proved that they deserved better. In the little time they had, they beat the hell out of each other and put on a match that exceeded all expectations. Harper managed to come out victorious, so there is room for Rowan to continue his “punishment.” If this story develops further, hopefully, they can get a good 15-plus minute match.
