Breaking Down WWE’s Backlash Pay Per View So Far

In a few short weeks WWE’s Backlash pay-per-view will be upon us. It will be a night full of some unexpected match-ups. There will be high spots and plenty of action. But, as The Observer noted recently it really does show the true definition of a pay-per-view in the WWE Network era. We have to agree.

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Before the WWE Network was a thing Vince McMahon and company had to fight hard to get fans to lay down that sweet, sweet pay-per-view coin. A card had to be worth the fans’ money before they would order it. But since WWE already has fans’ $9.99 a month, they don’t have to try as hard.

WWE is reportedly having no trouble selling tickets to the event because fans are always ready to show up at a pay-per-view. Being at a pay-per-view has a special allure to it. Plus, Chicago is an outstanding market.

But, this booking strategy has its benefits and drawbacks. One benefit is WWE gets to take bigger chances with matches. It would be hard to push a team like Breezango to a title match situation before. But now WWE can push anyone out of nowhere to compete for a top championship. Jinder Mahal is another prime example of that too. Of course that decision has a lot more to do with India’s money.

One drawback to this model is fans are seeing matches they might not care about as much. But WWE Backlash will certainly contain plenty of matches fans should care about. Even if they aren’t the championship matches.

Shinsuke Nakamura is poised to make his WWE pay-per-view debut at Backlash against Dolph Ziggler. That one should be good. Dolph is a wonderful worker when WWE lets him go full tilt. He is the perfect first opponent for “The Artist” Shinsuke Nakamura on the main roster. We’re not sure why Nakamura is “The Artist” now instead of “The King Of Strong Style.” But the fact Nakamura’s on the main roster is great. If all they tweak is his nickname, that’s fine by us.

Reports are WWE might not have a SmackDown Women’s Title defense at Backlash. Instead, WWE might book a six-woman tag match of some kind with Charlotte, Naomi, and Becky vs Nattie, Carmella, and Tamina. This will be a good chance to build the heels up if WWE lets them win. After all, they’re having trouble figuring out who Charlotte can face on SmackDown.

There should be a few other interesting match-ups surface as the weeks progress. But they don’t have much time. After all, May 21st will be here before we know it. Here is list of some of the matches that have already been booked and we’re expecting for WWE’s upcoming Backlash pay-per-view.

Already Booked:

• Randy Orton vs Jinder Mahal (WWE World Championship)
• The Usos vs Breezango (SmackDown Tag Championship)
• Kevin Owens (or Chris Jericho) vs AJ Styles (United States Championship)

Expected To Be Booked:

• Charlotte, Naomi, Becky Lynch vs Natalya, Carmella, Tamina (6-Woman Tag Match)
• Shinsuke Nakamura vs Dolph Ziggler
• Baron Corbin vs Sami Zayn
• Luke Harper vs Erick Rowan

There can always be changes or more matches booked. But that looks like Backlash at this point. What do you think? Has WWE gotten lazy in their booking, or are they just building toward something new?