Top 8 Favorite Backlash Matches

We're inching closer to Payback and I'm all abuzz with excitement about it. Normally, I wouldn't care, but my wife and I are attending the event live, our first WWE live event together, and the first WWE event I've attended since 2008. Payback has recently switched the calendar order with Extreme Rules for being the post-WrestleMania PPV. Before the days of Extreme Rules and Payback, the original post-Mania show was Backlash. Through Backlash, we were given a majority of storylines and rematches that upped the ante of famed matches we previously saw at WrestleMania a month earlier. This is the revenge PPV for a lot of stories, which makes for some epic encounters. And we're gonna look at my 8 favorite Backlash matches today. As a reminder, I do my best to enforce a stipulation of only one entry per PPV, so there will be a number of Sophie's Choices for a few of these slots, but I'll be prepared to pay for that when I get to it. On with the countdown, these are my Top 8 Favorite Backlash Matches.


Number 8: Montel Vontavious Porter vs. Matt Hardy (Backlash 2008)

By the time the guys got to this match, two things had been established. The first was a very personal feud that had begun all the way back in the summer of 2007, and the other was MVP's legitimacy as one of SmackDown's top heels with a lengthy run as US Champion. This feud really makes this match stand out as an important Backlash match because of how well these two worked off each other. Two very different styles, trading signature moves in a solid opening match that gave Matt Hardy one of the biggest moments in his career. Having Hardy win over MVP is the right booking decision to bring this feud to a close, which is what Backlash should do for a lot of feuds.

Number 7: Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam (Backlash 2006)

With this match, I really dug the stipulation that put Van Dam's Money in the Bank briefcase against Shelton's Intercontinental Championship. Someone was going to lose something in this match and I really liked seeing that. On top of that, you have the high-flying offense of Van Dam against Shelton's pure athleticism. The result is a very well-wrestled match between tow of RAW's best athletes at the time and one of the best Intercontinental Championship matches to take place during the era. The stakes and the expectations were both high on this night and the two competitors went out and put on a match that stole the show.

Number 6: Shane McMahon vs. Big Show (Backlash 2001)

Well this story seems a bit recent. I can see that Shane's feud with Undertaker borrowed heavily from this story with Big Show. The factors that are the same definitely include Mr. McMahon using an imposing superstar as an instrument to beat up Shane, as well as Shane throwing himself off a huge structure to try and win the match. Thankfully for Shane in THIS match, he hits his target. That spot pretty much makes this match, but he and Show are able to have a pretty fun brawl together, with the Last Man Standing stipulation helping them out loads in terms of offense.

Number 5: Edge vs. Chris Benoit (Backlash 2005)

Another Last Man Standing match on display here, I really liked the amount of aggression and violence Benoit and Edge brought to the table. Edge was fresh off of winning the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania 21, and was in need of a match to show he could hang in the main event scene. Enter Benoit, a former World Heavyweight Champion and the man Edge stole the victory from at Mania. The result was a very stiff Last Man Standing match that had me riveted. What really stood out to me was the ending, showcasing just how tough Benoit was and how smart Edge had to be in order to survive the match. Nothing too complex with this choice, just a physical match between two of my all-time favorites that delivered the goods.

Number 4: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton (Backlash 2007)

There were a lot of multi-man main events in Backlash history as a way to build off the Mania feuds and try for something even more epic. For my money, my favorite of these main events was the one from 2007. Simply put, it's because of the components and stories told. I was a brand new fan in 2007, so I was hooked on the stories that saw two great teams split up. With Michaels and Cena, it was over competition for the WWE Championship. For Orton and Edge, it was the implosion of their massive egos. The result was RAW's top 4 main event talents tearing the house down. All 4 men wanted the title and all 4 men had something to prove against each other. Yet, you'd get moments where the former teammates would team up together for brief moments in the match. It told a very compelling story and had a conclusion that I thought was absolutely genius.

Number 3: John Cena vs. Edge (Backlash 2009)

With his third appearance on this list, I think I'm about to label Edge "Mr. Backlash." Also making its third appearance on this list is the Last Man Standing match, a clearly popular gimmick for this type of PPV. The story here was the culmination of a 3 year rivalry that defined the era. Cena and Edge are two of the most important figures of that time period and a lot of that is thanks to the matches they had with each other. This match showed how much these two knew each other and how much pride was on the line. Beating the other felt more important than winning the World Heavyweight Championship. That's the definition of personal. Plus, the spots are all enjoyable and the finish has one of the biggest HOLY S#!% reactions from yours truly.

Number 2: Triple H vs. The Rock (Backlash 2000)

What was really enjoyable about this match was that it gave us the WrestleMania main event we deserved a month prior. The story was how the deck was stacked against The Rock. Seeing him try to overcome the odds is one of the best babyface performances you could ask for. Add the teased return of Stone Cold Steve Austin to be in Rock's corner and you have a lot of eyes glued to the screens to see what is going to happen. It's a formula you've seen loads of times during the Attitude Era, but the components here make it appear fresh. The Rock was THE guy fans wanted to get behind in Austin's absence to get rid of the McMahon-Helmsley Era and this match gave us the story we wanted to see.

Number 1: Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack (Backlash 2004)

As much as I liked the rematch between Chris Benoit, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels, I knew THIS was the match from Backlash 2004 to take the top spot on this list. This match gave us everything we wanted to see. It allowed Foley to do his thing and give Orton the hardcore beating we'd wanted to see for a long time. But it was also smart in giving Orton the victory, showing he can hang tough with one of the all-time greats and was destined to be a huge superstar. The spots are all great, but the image of Randy Orton falling into a bed of thumbtacks is etched in the minds of all fans who have seen it. There's blood, barbed wire, diving off stages, teases of fire, and the aforementioned thumbtacks. It's an amazing match that does wonders for the careers of both men involved, and the best match to take place at Backlash.

Are there any that I'm forgetting? Is there one on this list that you think isn't deserving of a top spot? Well, let me know in the comments and also suggest what type of wrestling countdown you'd like to see me do next.


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