Dylan jackson
WWE will take Backlash to Lyon, France this Saturday. The card currently only features five matches, but four of those matches are championship matches, with the other featuring some of WWE’s biggest stars.
In the main event, Cody Rhodes will make the first televised defense of the undisputed WWE Championship he won from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Opposite Rhodes will be former champion AJ Styles. Rhodes and Styles have traveled many of the same paths throughout their careers, but have never faced each other in singles or tag competition.
Additionally, Damian Priest looks to begin his run as world heavyweight champion against Jey Uso after the challenger won the number 1 contender’s fight. Then there are two women’s titles on the line. Newly crowned WWE Women’s Champion Bayley will face Tiffany Stratton and Naomi in a triple threat, while the Kabuki Warriors put the women’s tag team titles on the line against Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.
It should be an exciting night of action. Let’s take a look at who the CBS Sports experts think will emerge victorious. The event streams live on Peacock at 1pm ET on Saturday, with a kickoff show beginning an hour earlier.
WWE Backlash Predictions for 2024
WWE Undisputed Championship – Cody Rhodes (c) vs.
There are times when you just have to accept that you’re having a main event with a completely predictable outcome. This is one of those cases. Rhodes just ended Reigns’ near-historic title run to “finish the story” of winning the championship that Dusty Rhodes never won. He will not lose the title a month later, in the first defense of that title on television. Fortunately, Rhodes and Styles are great wrestlers who should be able to produce a fantastic match. And it’s rare to have two stars of this level who have never faced each other, which adds a little more fun to everything. Cody Rhodes retains title – Brent Brookhouse (also Shakiel Mahjouri)
Rhodes has just won one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time, the culmination of a two-year journey to become world champion. To have him turn around and lose the title on his first defense would be crazy. Cody Rhodes retains title -Connor Casey
World Heavyweight Championship – Damian Priest (c) vs.
Priest is in the same position as Rhodes, having just won the title at WrestleMania 40 and with even more need to build his legitimacy as a top tier player. Uso is simply not a credible world champion, but he is a great opponent to help Priest boost his resume. While I don’t expect Priest to have a long run for the title, when he loses it, there will be a story to the match that goes beyond an opponent winning a four-way to get a title shot. Damian Priest retains title – Brookhouse (also Casey)
I could see a short reign for Preist if Uso still had the momentum from September. Don’t get me wrong, Uso is popular with fans and could reignite at any time; however, he is not an undeniable world champion at the moment. Priest, 41, won’t get many runs at the top. Priest should expect a solid few months as champion, operating under a more patient creative team and with Raw’s most popular main eventers sidelined. Damian Priest retains title -Majouri
WWE Women’s Championship – Bayley (c) x Naomi x Tiffany Stratton
This match seems tailor-made to give Stratton her first chance to shine on pay-per-view without her getting pinned or dethroning Bayley just as her new championship reign begins. I hope Bayley continues, but her program with Stratton will continue. Bayley retains the title – Casey (also Brookhouse)
The recurring theme is that the newly crowned champions will keep their belts. Nothing wrong with that. It’s simply the cost of producing so many “WrestleMania moments.” The triple threat itself should produce good action and the match is logically scheduled. Naomi never saw a clear conclusion to her title match against Bayley. Stratton is a growing thorn in her opponents’ side and a credible candidate, having defeated Naomi previously. Bayley likely retains her title with the match being a transition point from Naomi to Stratton as the top contender. Nia Jax’s newly minted presence is also important. Bayley retains the title Mahjouri
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship – The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
WWE has high expectations for Cargill. The AEW newcomer has racked up a 61-match undefeated streak in the young promotion, but is touted as an even bigger star in WWE. Cargill’s presence is unparalleled in the women’s division, but its union with Belair benefits both parties. Cargill is understandably blunt. The partnership protects and validates Cargill, while providing Belair with compelling work. The 2024 WWE Draft further solidified the outcome. Belair was selected No. 1 overall to remind everyone where she stands in the pecking order. Damage CTRL was moved to Raw to distance them from Bayley. This will only be possible if the Kabuki Warriors lose their cross-brand titles. A dominant reign should follow for Belair and Cargill, leading to a split, high-profile showdown. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill win the titles – Mahjouri (also Brookhouse and Casey)
Randy Orton and Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga)
The Bloodline is heading in a new direction. But for Sikoa to be taken seriously as the new leader of the group during Roman Reigns’ hiatus, he’ll need to start racking up some wins. Meanwhile, poor Orton has been running around in place since returning from injury and could easily be included in a world championship program with Rhodes that runs on SmackDown for months. Expect a Bloodline win that leads to a split between the makeshift duo of Owens and Orton. The lineage wins – Casey (also Mahjouri)
Bloodline’s story feels like it will never end and that means the group needs to gain some momentum after things didn’t go their way at WrestleMania. Sikoa positions himself as the boss of the group while Reigns is out and Tonga is a new player in the group. These two men need this win to further establish those roles. Orton and Owens are bulletproof at this point. No loss will hurt their position, but it could cause their temporary alliance to break up and move them in more interesting directions. The lineage wins -Brookhouse
