Christian def. Jack Swagger (New ECW Champion)The self-proclaimed new face of ECW has had a shadow following him named Christian since Captain Charisma returned to WWE. At Backlash, Jack Swagger’s worst fear was realized when the returning Superstar pinned him to become new ECW Champion in front of a sold-out Dunkin Donuts Center packed with "Peeps."
Christian’s first World Title comes after a journey that expands well beyond his two months in the Land of the Extreme. His accomplishments include reigns as Intercontinental Champion, World Tag Team Champion, Light Heavyweight Champion, Hardcore Champion and European Champion. Still, he remained unsatisfied.
After missing opportunities on Feb. 24 in a championship contest on ECW and at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Christian made the third time a charm. He survived a Fatal Four Way Match and a Triple Threat Match in an Elimination Chase to Backlash. Mark Henry and Tommy Dreamer didn’t have such luck. In the finals of the competition to become No. 1 contender, Christian pinned Finlay to advance to the pay-per-view.
This victory sets Christian atop the ECW roster and leaves “The All-American American” with a bad taste in his mouth and a giant chip on his shoulder. Will he make strides in regaining the gold? Find out on ECW on Sci Fi Tuesday at 9/8 CT, and remember its new starting time of 10/9 CT, beginning May 5.
Chris Jericho def. WWE Hall of Famer Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
After Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat thanked Chris Jericho six days earlier on Raw, the first-ever Undisputed Champion returned the appreciation in his own way at Backlash by making the WWE Hall of Famer tap out in the middle of the ring with the Walls of Jericho.
As Jericho was bidding adieu to Raw and all the WWE Universe members in attendance a week after being drafted to SmackDown, Steamboat interrupted the tongue of the nefarious Superstar to thank him for letting him know he still has what it takes to step in the ring. However, Jericho did not see this as a sincere gesture and thought Steamboat was there to steal his spotlight once again, which prompted the new SmackDown Superstar to challenge the WWE Hall of Famer to the Backlash match.
In recent months, Jericho has made himself an adversary of WWE’s Legends and thought that he had ended his crusade at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania. But Steamboat also proved that night that he still had the legendary ring warrior prowess that made him a Hall of Famer. “The Dragon” further displayed those skills the following night in a 10-Man WrestleMania All-Star Tag Team Match in which Steamboat’s team was victorious and Jericho was the victim of the pin.
Once again at Backlash, and perhaps infuriating Jericho even further, Steamboat proved that he has the chops to stand toe-to-toe with any of WWE’s best Superstars in one-on-one action as he did against the nefarious Superstar. Unfortunately, in the end, “The Dragon” may have showcased his in-ring abilities that are still as crisp as they were in his prime, but just like at WrestleMania, proved not to be crisp enough to outshine the first-ever Undisputed Champion. Though he wasn’t victorious in his efforts, the WWE Universe still showed him the respect that he deserves as he left the ring in Providence to a standing ovation following the match.
Kane def. CM Punk
After losing the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania and a singles match on Raw to CM Punk, Kane was craving retribution. And retribution is exactly what The Big Red Monster got when he decimated Punk in the center of the ring at Backlash.
His previous victories over Kane had clearly lit a fire under The Straightedge Superstar and from the opening bell he attacked The Big Red Monster with the intensity of an uncaged animal, unleashing a barrage of thunderous shots that could be heard throughout the Dunkin Donuts Center. But while Punk used his fortitude and heart to battle The Big Red Monster, he simply couldn’t overcome Kane’s size and strength advantage. In the end, a massive chokeslam sealed Mr. Money in the Bank’s fate — and the win for The Big Red Machine.
To his credit, CM Punk came to Providence with a strategy. The Straightedge Superstar targeted his opponent’s right arm, throwing dangerous kicks at Kane in an attempt to take away the 7-footer’s most effective move — the chokeslam. Yet, Punk used his educated feet one too many times. After suffering through a barrage of kicks, The Big Red Monster finally grabbed Mr. Money in the Bank with both hands and chokeslammed him to the canvas on his way to victory.
Clearly, Kane had gotten the vengeance he was seeking at Backlash. And as the referee counted three, The Big Red Monster smiled, satisfied with the carnage he had left in his wake.
Jeff Hardy def. Matt Hardy ("I Quit" Match)
With every member of the WWE Universe on the edge of their seats at Backlash, Jeff Hardy emerged victorious from the smoke of unspeakable sibling rivalry, making his rage-filled brother, Matt, say the shocking words “I quit.”
The explosive match proved to be an absolutely epic battle from start to finish, fueled by a deeply personal animosity that could only be found inside the extreme dysfunction of blood brothers gone awry. After both Superstars attempted everything they could to make the other utter the dreaded words, Jeff pulled out the heavy artillery, securing Matt to a table before threatening to descend upon him from the top of the ladder. After pleading in fear, Matt finally had no choice but to say “I quit” for all of the capacity crowd to hear. Despite his brother’s surrender, Jeff chose to plunge down upon him anyway, finally earning his retribution.
The intense hatred that Matt Hardy had for his brother first came to light when he stunned the WWE Universe at the Royal Rumble, hitting Jeff with a steel chair to cost his own younger brother the WWE Championship. In the weeks to come, the elder Hardy began using an unspeakable combination of unending jealousy and ruthless wrath to attempt to erase Jeff from both his memory and that of the WWE Universe. Although Jeff resisted battling Matt at first, once it became clear that his brother may have been responsible for the recent tragedies that have consumed his life, he came back at Matt with absolute fury.
The two brothers faced off in two brutal confrontations, first a larger-than-life Extreme Rules battle at WrestleMania and then a crippling Stretcher Match of complete carnage on SmackDown. Both matches saw Matt emerge triumphant. The Hardys also traded guerrilla-like attacks across all brands and even brought their intensity into tag team action, all leading to their fateful Backlash showdown.
Jeff Hardy has found victory over Matt by utilizing one of the most personal tests of intestinal fortitude that the squared-circle can offer. But after three monumental clashes, the question remains whether it will be enough to quell the raging fires of animosity living inside both Hardys.
Santina on Khali Kiss Cam
If Beth Phoenix has an enemies list, “Santina” Marella is surely bubbling to the top.
Santino’s “twin sister” socked The Glamazon with a shot of humiliation in front of a capacity crowd in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. To her credit, the fairer Marella had actually shown up to explain to an enamored Great Khali why she couldn’t kiss him: She wasn’t who she claimed to be, in fact, she was in love with another man, announcer Jim Ross. Before she could prove her love for Ross with a kiss, however, Beth barged in.
Beth, who had earlier informed her boyfriend Santino that as long as he continued to pretend to be Santina she would not kiss him, proclaimed that the charade had gone too far and demanded a rematch with Santina for the “Miss WrestleMania” title.
Prior to the start of the match, Beth questioned Khali’s intelligence over his feelings for Santina. As one might imagine, The Punjabi Giant didn’t take kindly to the criticism and knocked out The Glamazon. With Beth momentarily out of commission, Santina called for the starting bell and quickly secured the pin. Her time in the ring, however, was not without incident. An enamored Khali, perhaps turned on by Santina's victory, attempted to restrain her, but her top broke in a wardrobe malfunction and sent the Italian scurrying up the entrance ramp topless
While Santino’s sister may have avoided the kiss of Khali, as long as she remains on Beth’s hit list, it’s unlikely she’ll avoid the kiss of death.
Randy Orton & The Legacy def. Triple H, Batista & Shane McMahon (Randy Orton new WWE Champion)
Randy Orton went into Backlash with the odds stacked in his favor, with numerous ways to take away the only part of Triple H’s life he had been thus far unable to touch: The Game’s WWE Title. Ultimately, however, all “The Viper” needed to seal the deal and walk away from Backlash as the new WWE Champion was the same devastating punt he has used in the past to put Mr. McMahon, Batista and others out for the count.
Before the match could even begin, Triple H chased Randy Orton from ringside, rendering the contest a 3-on-2 match-up, with The Game, Batista & Shane McMahon taking on Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase. However, even in The Legend Killer’s absence, he still had a chance to walk away with championship gold on account of the match’s unique stipulations. If any member of Orton’s Legacy were to pin any member of Triple H’s team, it would result in “The Viper” becoming the new WWE Champion. As Rhodes & DiBiase struggled to hold their own against their opponents, Orton rushed back to the ring, ready to compete.
With such heated, personal rivalries in play, it should come as no surprise that the match dissolved into chaos, with fights spilling out of the ring. As Batista prepared to clobber DiBiase with a steel chair, Triple H intervened, taking the chair from his opponent. As decreed by Raw’s General Manager Vickie Guerrero, if The Game’s team were to become disqualified, it would result in Orton leaving Backlash as the new WWE Champion. This brief distraction was all The Legend Killer needed to strike, leveling his nemesis with a RKO. To the amazement of Orton and the WWE Universe alike, Triple H managed to kick out of the subsequent pin. Refusing to accept defeat, “The Viper” lashed out once again, striking The Game in the temple with a sadistic punt.
As The Legacy made their way up the ramp, with Orton clutching the WWE Title, the fans in attendance kept their eyes glued on the ring, where Triple H lay motionless after “The Viper’s” attack. Suffering from the same maneuver that has put so many Superstars out of commission – some permanently – The Game was loaded onto a stretcher, quickly removed from the ring and taken from the Dunkin Donuts Center in an ambulance as his partners and the WWE Universe looked on in grave concern.
After failing to defeat Triple H for the WWE Championship at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, Randy Orton was starving for a rematch. Meanwhile, the McMahon family was still unsatisfied, and demanded further retribution for the third-generation Superstar’s cowardly attacks on Mr. McMahon, Shane McMahon and even The Game’s wife, Stephanie McMahon. Hoping for his family to get their pound of flesh from Orton at Backlash, the WWE Chairman set a match with himself, Triple H & Shane McMahon taking on The Legacy.
More was put on the line that very night as Vickie Guerrero announced that The Game’s WWE Title would be defended in the match, with Orton winning the championship if he, Rhodes or DiBiase pinned any of their opponents. Later in the evening, the match underwent another drastic transformation as Mr. McMahon forewent his spot in the match, substituting in the returning Batista. The Animal was eager to get his hands on The Legend Killer as it was Orton who put him out of commission for months last year.
With his colossal win at Backlash, the devious Randy Orton has proven that he and The Legacy are indeed a force to be reckoned with. By incapacitating Triple H and taking his WWE Title, “The Viper” has succeeded in destroying everything The Game holds dear, and appears well on his way to establishing a true Age of Orton.
Edge def. John Cena in Last Man Standing Match (New World Heavyweight Champion)
For most athletes, using hatred as a motivating factor usually doesn’t equal success. But most men aren’t like The Rated-R Superstar and new World Heavyweight Champion Edge.
With help from Big Show, Edge defeated John Cena in a Last Man Standing Match in front of thousands of members of the WWE Universe to get what he came for – championship gold.
The last-chance win makes Edge a nine-time world champion.
During the brutal battle for gold, Cena brought a section of the steel ring steps into the ring. It was Edge who first used them to assault Cena. But Cena retaliated, tossing the steps over the top ropes right onto the head of The Rated-R Superstar, knocking him to the arena floor.
From there on out, the battle got even uglier with both Superstars dishing out hellacious and vicious attacks on one another. Each time, they both somehow summoned from deep within to avoid the match-ending 10-count.
At one point, Cena tossed Edge out into the WWE Universe, where the battle raged on throughout the arena. Just when it looked like The Ultimate Opportunist was down for the count, he rose again to deliver a vicious Con-Chair-To.
Ultimately, it was a stunning appearance from Big Show that helped finish off Cena. The World's Largest Athlete viciously chokeslamed The Champ into an arena spotlight. The attack was so brutal that after the 10-count, Cena – amidst shards of broken glass – had to be removed from the arena on a stretcher by medical personnel.
At the start of the night, Edge’s former tag team partner, Christian, called him a bitter, raving lunatic and recalled how Edge used to be a lot of fun. The Ultimate Opportunist didn’t refute Christian’s assessment of his personality and blamed it all on one man – John Cena.
In the weeks leading up to Backlash, Edge admitted to being driven by desperation and hatred. On the April 24 edition of SmackDown, he said that without championship gold, he has nothing in his life.
And, on the April 10 edition of SmackDown, he vehemently expressed his disdain for Cena, saying he hates everything about the Raw Superstar.
Now that The Rated-R Superstar got what he wanted and is back on top, what’s next? Which Superstar is going to come knocking on Friday night? And, now that John Cena and Big Show are both on Raw, what will unfold? Don’t miss the next edition of SmackDown at 8/7 CT on MyNetworkTV, and the next Raw at 9/8 CT on USA Network. With brand rosters now locked via the 2009 WWE Draft, things are sure to get even more interesting.
Source: WWE.com
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