Cena continues to promise that he is leaving WWE with the title. WWE is live from St. Louis, MO, with a five-card match that also features Gunther looking to exact his revenge on Pat McAfee in a wildly lopsided match that pits the commentator against the Ring General.
Other matches on the card include Dominik Mysterio defending his Intercontinental Championship against Penta, and Becky Lynch challenging Lyra Valkyria for the Women's Intercontinental Championship. Kicking off the show is the fatal four-way for the United States Championship that saw Jacob Fatu against Drew McIntyre, LA Knight, and Damian Priest.
Your Results For WWE Backlash
- Jacob Fatu def. LA Knight, Damian Priest, and Drew McIntyre to retain the United States Championship
- Lyra Valkyria def. Becky Lynch to retain the Women's Intercontinental Championship
- Dominik Mysterio def. Penta to retain the Intercontinental Championship
- Gunther def. Pat McAfee
- John Cena def. Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship
John Cena and Randy Orton's Feud Is Officially Over
Another Classic Match To Capstone Their Feud
After almost 25 years and 21 matches against one another, the rivalry between John Cena and Randy Orton is officially over, and Cena has made good on his promise of beating Orton to retain his WWE Championship. The match was not nearly as technically good as their previous outings, but it was just as entertaining as any other match they've ever put on.
The most interesting part of the match, outside the interference of R-Truth eating an RKO by Orton and the run-ins by Nick Aldis and other of the backstage crew, was during the post-show beginning, showing John Cena seemingly working to shake off his humanity as the crowd chanted "Thank You, John" as he left the ring. Cena's redemption is absolutely possible, and there is a path forward for him to do so, but this could be building to the eventual (hopefully soon) return of The Rock and the long-awaited explanation regarding Cena's soul selling to The Final Boss.
Gunther vs. Pat McAfee Was... Interesting
Unclear What The Point Of The Feud Was
In a match that seemed unusual and lopsided from the outset, Gunther took on Pat McAfee after The Ring General took umbrage at the comments of both McAfee and Michael Cole after losing to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41. Gunther choked out McAfee and, after McAfee gave a ionate speech about not backing down to anyone, the match was set. McAfee held his own through portions of the match, but after Michael Cole begged Gunther to stop, he pulled him into the mix and tried to give him a powerbomb until McAfee intervened, until ultimately Gunther choked out McAfee and was victorious.
While the post-match handshakes showed a sign of respect for both Cole and McAfee from Gunther, it still doesn't feel very clear as to why this match even occurred in the first place, and we're not entirely sure where the path goes for either of them after this match, other than this being a pit stop for Gunther on his way back to Jey Uso. Internet speculation was high that Goldberg would find his way into the mix, but he did not appear tonight at the event, and there's no sign of the rumored retirement match coming to fruition as of now.
Jacob Fatu Retains And Jeff Cobb Debuts
A New Potential Member Of The Bloodline?
As expected, the fatal four-way match for the United States Championship was a barn burner, an absolute high-energy, fast-paced match. All the participants looked incredibly strong, with LA Knight as over as he ever was and a major South of Heaven from Damian Priest to Drew McIntyre onto some tables in the stands, but it was Jacob Fatu who prevailed, but with the help of a potentially new member of the post-Bloodline faction.
Jeff Cobb, formerly of New Japan Pro Wrestling and who had previously been reported as g with the company in the past few weeks, appeared from the crowd and attacked Knight to assist Fatu and Solo Sikoa. Cobb looked strong and dominant in his debut, and his injection into this new stable will likely breathe new life into the faction while Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa are still sidelined, even if Fatu looks confused about his presence and what his plans are.
