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WWE Backlash 2016: 5 Biggest Takeaways From SmackDown Live’s First Pay-Per-View Of New Era

By Jason Fletcher

From the archive: published Sep 12, 2016, 10 years ago. Details may have changed since.

WWE Backlash featured the first brand-exclusive pay-per-view of WWE’s New Era, and while expectations weren’t very high heading into the show, the results were impressive. As pointed out by Fox Sports, the six-match pay-per-view event allowed each match more time to showcase the wrestlers’ skills. The average length of each match was a whopping 14 minutes and 51 seconds, which compares to SummerSlam’s 13 minutes and 30 seconds and Battleground’s 11 minutes and 29 seconds.

Many were skeptical about such a small card for the show, and they were also concerned with the rumors circulating prior that Randy Orton wouldn’t be cleared by doctors in order to fight Bray Wyatt due to his concussion suffered at WWE SummerSlam thanks to Brock Lesnar. Instead, Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan, and the entire SmackDown crew did a wonderful job of putting together a great show on Sunday night at WWE Backlash.

Here are the five biggest takeaways from a great pay-per-view.

1. A.J. Styles Is The New WWE Heavyweight Champion

I’m not sure how much I like the fact that the creative team had Styles win via a low-blow, but it was a great decision to have Styles defeat Dean Ambrose to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Styles is the biggest star on SmackDown’s roster, and he deserves to sit at the top of the food chain for a while.

With the way the match ended, it’s likely that the feud between Ambrose and Styles will continue for a while longer. Outside of John Cena, who’s currently working a lighter schedule, and Randy Orton, who’s still battling his injuries from SummerSlam, there just isn’t anyone else on the SmackDown roster that currently makes sense for Styles to feud with.

2. Becky Lynch Wins Six-Pack Challenge For WWE SmackDown Women’s Title

Lynch entered Backlash as the heavy favorite to win the first WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship, and she did just that after forcing Carmella to submit to the Dis-Arm-Her. Many expected Nikki Bella or Natalya to be the last one standing against Becky, but Carmella rolled up Nikki for the surprising pin that left just Lynch and Carmella in the ring.

Becky has carried the WWE SmackDown Women’s division since the brand split, and she deserved to be the first title holder for her work.

3. Heath Slater And Rhyno Win WWE SmackDown Tag Team Titles

After The Usos attacked American Alpha member Chad Gable on SmackDown, Gable suffered an MCL injury that forced the tag team out of the championship match at Backlash. McMahon and Bryan decided to have the other semifinalists, The Hype Bros and The Usos, compete in a match at Backlash with the winner facing Heath Slater and Rhyno for the titles later in the evening.

The Usos defeated The Hype Bros via the same single-leg submission hold they used against American Alpha. It was pretty cool to see The Usos embracing their new roles as heels as they wore different ring attire, showed more aggressiveness, and displayed new moves.

Despite the new attitude, The Usos couldn’t take down Heath Slater and Rhyno as Rhyno hit a Gore behind the referee’s back, allowing Slater to get the pin for the win. The victory was especially sweet for Slater, who earned a contract with SmackDown in the process.

4. The Miz Defeats Dolph Ziggler To Retain Intercontinental Championship

Ziggler hit Miz with the Superkick, but Miz somehow was able to get his foot on the ropes. Shortly after, Maryse sprayed pepper spray in Ziggler’s face which allowed Miz to get the victory. While I like Miz holding the belt, I wonder what happens now with Dolph. Does he turn heel? Does he continue his feud with Miz? Does he become a contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?

5. Kane Is A Company Man

Many still believe that Brock Lesnar should be released from the WWE for what he did to Randy Orton at SummerSlam. Orton hasn’t been able to step back into a ring since the fight, and he was ruled out of his match with Bray Wyatt at Backlash due to the effects of his concussion.

In a last-second decision, SmackDown put Kane into a No-Holds-Barred match against Wyatt to take up the time slot. It was boring and not what fans wanted, but it was great to see Orton re-emerge and land an RKO out of nowhere on Wyatt near the end of the match. Kane would then follow with a chokeslam to record the victory. For those wondering when Wyatt will finally get a big push, we’re left still waiting.

Overall, WWE Backlash was a great show for SmackDown. Despite having less talent to work with, SmackDown continues to put on a better program compared to Monday Night Raw, and many fans and journalists wonder how good that looks for the company.

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