Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins kicked off the show. I was not as big a fan of their Mania match as others, noting in my review that I believed they told the wrong story with Rollins showing absolutely no "unpreparedness" despite Cody Rhodes being a mystery opponent. Yet this is exactly what the build-up to this rematch was. Rhodes and Rollins have undeniable chemistry and both are too technically competent to ever be considered truly bad workers, but this was basically just more of the same thing that we got at WrestleMania with no fresh wrinkles or interesting twists aside from Rhodes pulling the tights to get the W (which is just kinda heelish in modern wrestling). (3/5)
Omos vs. Bobby Lashley followed and pleasantly surprised me. Lashley was a fantastic babyface here and Omos, despite being a one-dimensional worker at this point, is undeniably an imposing physical specimen. I was less than impressed with their Mania match but they kept things simple here and Omos' presentation benefited from having MVP on the outside calling the shots for him. The workrate fanatics probably hated this match, but I liked that it told a simple story well and felt different than the match that came before it, something you don't always get when your roster is loaded with guys that can "do it all" except really have a definitive in-ring character, something that Lashley and Omos have naturally. (3/5)
Edge vs. AJ Styles was up next, a third rematch from WrestleMania. This was maybe slightly better than their WrestleMania marathon (which went 25+ compared to this going "just" 15), but again, most of that credit should go to AJ Style's selling. I liked some of Edge's heel work early, specifically Edge working to take off one of the corner buckle pads, but it didn't seem to really lead anywhere (unless I missed it). Instead, this was about Edge going after AJ's shoulder once again, targeting that area with a bunch of offense that AJ sold beautifully. Unfortunately, there were also glaring moments when AJ opted to deliver a crowd-pleasing high spot rather than consistently selling the damage, including delivering a Styles Clash for a nearfall. Its these sorts of moments that really keep me from considering this match - or their Mania match - even close to a "classic." The finish came when Edge's protege, Damian Priest, showed up and caused a bit of a distraction that ultimately led to another mysterious protege arriving and helping Edge win. That protege turned out to be Rhea Ripley, which is a fun addition but not necessarily a huge shocker since - if I'm not mistaken - Ripley was leaning towards the heel side of things anyway? Regardless, it'll be interesting to see where the Judgment Day stable goes and if this will propel Ripley into a feud with Bianca Belair. (3/5)
Charlotte Flair defended her SmackDown Women's Championship against Ronda Rousey in an "I Quit" match next. Flair and Rousey beat the hell out of each other from beginning to end, but whether its lack of preparedness, Rousey being overly confident in her skills, or Charlotte's disinterest in really building a match from beginning to end, it really does feel to me like Rousey has taken a step backwards from her first run. There was intensity, sure - but there wasn't the story that I would've liked to have seen. Like their Mania match, there's an inherent heel/heel quality to a match like this that means the only thing they can do is try to wow the audience with brutality and that is what they essentially did...but because this is WWE in 2022, you're not going to get the blood that would've really pushed this one over the edge. Instead, it was a garbage brawl with kendo sticks and brawling in the crowd and chair-assisted submissions and eventually Rousey locked in an MMA submission and "broke" Charlotte's arm. There was too much missing here for me to call it "must see." (3/5)
Baron Corbin took on Madcap Moss in a match that went 10 full minutes but almost felt longer than Flair/Rousey because of the way it was worked - which was systematic and a bit more "old school," but not in a fun enough way for me. Moss has some skill, no doubt, but his gimmick and wrestling attire are putrid. Corbin also has some skill and has had a handful of fleeting moments when it seems like he could break out as something more than he is - but he lacks the intangibles to get there even when he does have a good gimmick going. This was my least favorite match of the night and felt like something that wouldn't even main event a TV show. something you can't really say about any other match on this show (even Lashley/Omos could potentially close out Raw with the right stipulation in place). If every other match on this show up till this point under-delivered but was still better than average, this under-delivered and didn't even meet the threshold of average. (2/5)
Main event time - Drew McIntyre and RKBro vs. The Bloodline (Roman Reigns and the Usos). While there were no stakes, the crowd was super into this, McIntyre came off like a big star, and the action was strong from beginning to end. This felt like the type of match these six guys have probably done at countless house shows over the past 3 months and I was shocked to learn that wasn't the case as this was so smooth and paced so well that, by the end, the fact there was nothing tangible on the line meant nothing. I loved the way Reigns was presented here - the Big Dog really coming across as the one guy who the babyfaces weren't going to get their hands on easily until they could neutralize the Usos. Matt Riddle's problematic past will always rub me the wrong way and prevent me from ever being fully on his bandwagon but I can't deny his talents and how much he's grown as a worker under Orton's tutelage, especially his selling. Speaking of Orton, while the Viper had his ups-and-downs over the years in terms of consistently delivering great performances, his nasty habit of relying on headlocks has been jettisoned almost entirely now that he's working tags and he's a much funner wrestler to watch now because of it. He's also incredibly over so his moments with Reigns felt just as big as Drew's. I wouldn't call this "must see," but it was the clear match of the night. (3.5/5)
With a Kwang Score of 2.92-out-of-5, WrestleMania Backlash 2022 was yet another WWE pay-per-view that featured solid wrestling throughout but nothing quite spectacular, nothing that could be considered a Match of the Year contender, nothing I would consider "must see." If you're a fan of the current WWE roster, you wouldn't be disappointed by the star power on display here, but if you watched WrestleMania a month prior, this show would also be completely inessential viewing. That's why, despite a better-than-average Kwang Score, I'd still call this...
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
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