Location:
Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, Florida
Available on:
ESPN Unlimited, Netflix (Internationally)
Card
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
United States Championship Match
Trick Williams (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Danhausen & a mystery partner vs. The Miz & Kit Wilson
IYO SKY vs. Asuka
:wwe5:
— The pre-show panel features Michael Cole, Big E, Corey Graves, and Peter Rosenberg.
— Cathy Kelley, Byron Saxton, and Jackie Redmond are serving as roving reporters. Kelley talked about Jacob Fatu introducing the Tongan Death Grip. Saxton pointed out that Fatu is desperate to win his first championship opportunity and his first-ever PLE match. Redmond said Seth Rollins is looking to prove that even at 39 and coming off an injury, he’s still at the top of his game. Big E said Bron Breakker is also coming back from injury and is looking to prove himself.
— They air a pre-recorded interview with Seth Rollins. He admitted returning to the ring was a challenge and said he can’t recover the way he used to. Rollins said he was happy to get through the match, but felt like he had regressed.
Rollins was also asked about forming The Vision last year. He admitted there may have been some insecurity involved, adding that there were a lot of different ideas about what WWE should be and where the company was headed. Rollins said he wanted to establish himself as the leader of the company while also helping bring the next generation up with him. He revealed he went to Shawn Michaels for advice and was told Bron Breakker was the best prospect. Rollins said he believed that if he could mentor Bron for a year or two, he could help turn him into a major money draw for WWE.
After suffering his injury and being betrayed by Bron, Rollins admitted he felt guilt and sadness, saying he believed he had let the company down. While he understood why Bron did what he did, Rollins said he still couldn’t get past the intense anger over everything that was taken away from him.
— They also went through Jacob Fatu’s career timeline, including footage and highlights from his independent wrestling days. Even though the panel said Fatu hadn’t arrived to the arena yet, WWE immediately aired a backstage video of Fatu walking through the building while promising he was going to win the title. Big E said Fatu wants the kind of money and career Roman Reigns has built for himself in WWE. Corey Graves pushed back on the idea that Fatu is desperate, saying he’s making calculated moves. Graves added that Fatu understands a win tonight could completely change both his career and his family’s future.
— WWE aired footage from last night’s Gingerbread Man funeral segment.
— Later, Cathy Kelley interviewed Sami Zayn backstage. Despite being attacked the night before, Zayn was smiling during the interview. He said Trick Williams has created an environment where people believe they can disrespect him. The panel shifted focus to the United States Championship match later in the night.
— Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso joined the pre-show panel during the discussion. Corey Graves talked about Tampa’s deep history in professional wrestling before tossing things to a video package focused on FCW and its legacy.
Corey Graves explained the difference between FCW and modern-day NXT, saying FCW often felt disorganized, with talent randomly disappearing to the main roster without much explanation. He added that NXT now has far stronger synergy and structure between developmental and WWE’s main roster.
Jey and Jimmy also revealed they are on standby for Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu later tonight.
— WWE aired a video package hyping up the IYO SKY vs. Asuka match before the panel broke down the bout and what was at stake.
— Later, The Miz and Kit Wilson were interviewed backstage. Miz showed up wearing a t-shirt that read, “I’m Not Cursed.”
— Byron Saxton interviewed Danhausen backstage and tried to get him to reveal his mystery partner for the match. Danhausen refused to give away the name and warned Saxton that if he asked again, he would be cursed.
— Hour 2 kicked off with the ESPN simulcast, showing Triple H arriving to the arena… again.
— WWE went back to Michael Cole’s interview with Seth Rollins. Rollins said beating Bron Breakker tonight would help restore his confidence. He admitted that when he starts resting on his past accomplishments, that becomes the worst version of himself. Rollins also said a loss tonight would completely crush him mentally.
— WWE aired a video feature on Charlotte Flair’s relationship with Scarlet, a young girl who was diagnosed with a brain mass at just five years old.
— The panel looked back at several of the biggest matches and defining moments from Roman Reigns’ career ahead of his main event appearance tonight.
— Joe Tessitore interviewed Trick Williams ahead of his United States Championship match later in the night.
— WWE aired a final video package previewing Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu ahead of the main event.
— Retired military servicewoman Sonya Bryson-Kirksey performed the national anthem. WWE noted that she has previously sung for the Tampa Bay Lightning as well.
— We are live! The show kicks off with a video recapping some of the events that have led up to Backlash.
— Michael Cole and Wade Barrett then greet audiences at home as Seth Rollins makes his way to the ring. Bron Breakker follows.
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
The bell rings and Breakker charges at Rollins. Rollins jumps out of the way and sends Breakker crashing out of hte ring, then delivers a suicide dive to level him on the outside and sends him crashing into the two barricades on the entrance ramp.
Rollins dumps Breakker back in the ring and clotheslines him back out the other side, then rains down right hands on Breakker. Breakker responds with a few right hands of his own on Rollins and dumps him into the crowd, but Rollins flies back into the ringside area over the barricade.
The pair return to the ring, and Rollins ascends to the top rope. Breakker catches him and sends Rollins crashing out of the ring with a belly-to-belly suplex. He dumps Rollins back inside the ring and lands a German suplex on him, then wears him down with a sleeper hold.
Rollins powers up to his feet and lands a jawbreaker on Breakker, then fires off a chop on his chest. Breakker intercepts Rollins with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and goes for a pin, but Rollins kicks out and Breakker continues to wear him down.
Breakker connects with another German suplex on Rollins, then jams his shoulder into Rollins' midsection and ascends to the top rope with Rollins in hand. Rollins fights off Breakker, but Breakker joins Rollins back on the ropes and delivers a hurricanrana to him. He goes for a pin, but Rollins kicks out.
Breakker looks to spear Rollins on the outside, but Rollins intercepts him with a superkick. The referee begins a ten count, but both men beat it before Rollins catches Breakker with a running knee to his head and pins him. Breakker kicks out, then delivers a standing moonsault to Rollins and rains down right hands on Rollins in the corner.
Rollins lands a Buckle Bomb on Breakker, but Breakker levels him with a clothesline and delivers a second one to Rollins off the ring apron to send him crashing over the announce desk. Rollins intercepts Breakker with a superplex back in the ring, but Breakker sends Rollins crashing into the mat and sits him on the top rope.
Rollins rocks Breakker with a pair of superkicks and connects with a Pedigree on him, then follows it up with a Curb Stomp. Heyman hops up onto the apron as Rollins stares him down. Rollins rolls out of the ring to grab a chair from under it.
Austin Theory and Logan Paul try blindsiding Rollins, but Rollins sees them coming and hits them with the chair. He delivers a Curb Stomp to Theory and chases Paul up the entrance ramp with the chair in hand, but Breakker is waiting with a spear to Rollins when Rollins gets back inside the ring.
Breakker pins Rollins, but Rollins kicks out and Breakker looks to land a second spear on him. Rollins sees Breakker coming and catches him with a Pedigree, then ascends to the middle rope and flies. Breakker catches Rollins with a spear mid-air, then runs the ropes and connects with another spear on Rollins for the win.
Winner: Bron Breakker
— Corey Graves and Big E discussed the opening match and questioned whether anyone would step up to help Seth Rollins after all the interference that helped Bron Breakker win.
— Backstage, Cathy Kelley asked Trick Williams about Sami Zayn’s comments from earlier in the night. Trick told Sami to stop lying and said he’s the puppet master who is running everything right now.
— Sami Zayn makes his way to the ring. Trick Williams and Lil Yachty follow.
:ustitle2:
WWE United States Championship Match: Trick Williams (c) vs. Sami Zayn
The bell rings and the two lock up. Williams fires off chops on Zayn and delivers stomps to him in the corner, but Zayn rolls out of the ring and grabs one of the ring steps. Yachty stops Zayn, but Zayn stares him down on the outside and rains down right hands on Williams back inside the ring.
Williams and Zayn ascend up the ropes, but Zayn lands a Sunset Flip on Williams. Williams looks to land a leg lariat on Zayn, but Zayn catches him with a Blue Thunder Bomb and goes for a pin. Williams kicks out, but Zayn fires off stomps on the side of Williams' head and calls for the Helluva Kick. Yachty cracks the candy cane kendo stick across Zayn's head, opening the door for Williams to land Trick Shot on Zayn. He goes for a pin, but Zayn kicks out.
Zayn catches Yachty with a right hand on the outside and repeatedly hits him with the candy cane kendo stick. Williams sends Zayn crashing on top of the ring steps, but Zayn catches Williams with a DDT on the ring steps and dumps him back in the ring.
Zayn runs over Yachty with a Helluva Kick on the outside and looks to land a Helluva Kick on Williams. Williams ducks out of the way and takes out Zayn with a Trick Shot for the win.
Winner and STILL WWE United States Champion: Trick Williams
— Lil Yachty celebrates with Trick Williams after the match, throwing stacks of dollar bills into the air while Trick posed with the WWE United States Championship. Meanwhile, Sami Zayn sits frustrated at ringside after coming up short once again.
— The broadcast signed off from ESPN2, with the rest of the show continuing exclusively on the ESPN App. ESPN App Ad Break.
— Kit Wilson and The Miz make their way to the ring. Danhausen and his mystery tag team partner Minihausen follow.
Danhausen and Minihausen vs. Kit Wilson and The Miz
Minihausen and Kit Wilson begin the action. The bell rings and Wilson runs over Minihausen with a big boot. Minihausen levels Wilson with a springboard shoulder tackle and a hurricanrana and sends him crashing out of the ring, then gets on Danhausen's shoulders and flies off them to level Wilson and The Miz on the outside.
The Miz sends Danhausen crashing into the ring post and levels Minihausen with a forearm, then tags in. Wilson tosses Minihausen over to The Miz for The Miz to deliver an Over The Shoulder powerslam on him before Wilson tags back in and lands a delayed vertical suplex on Minihausen.
Wilson drapes Minihausen off the top rope by his knees and fires off knees on his midsection, then charges at him. Minihausen sits up, then tags in Danhausen. Danhausen delivers a German suplex to Wilson, then sends The Miz crashing into the mat with a Tornado DDT and sets up for a running knee on The Miz, but The Miz pushes Wilson out of the way and Danhausen accidentally hits Wilson.
Minihausen chases Wilson up the entrance ramp and looks to curse him. Wilson takes out Minihausen and traps him back in the cloning machine that he came out of during Danhausen's entrance, but the door of the cloning machine breaks down and several more Minihausens come out of it and attack Wilson.
The first Minihausen looks to curse Wilson, but Wilson grabs his signature mirror and points it at Minihausen so that Minihausen curses himself. The Miz sneaks up behind Minihausen and lands a Skull Crushing Finale on him, then goes for a pin but Danhausen breaks the fall.
Danhausen tags himself in and sends The Miz crashing out of the ring. The Miz grabs a fire extinguisher, but it sprays into The Miz's face. This opens the door for Danhausen to run over The Miz with a pump kick inside the ring for the win.
Winners: Danhausen and Minihausen
— IYO SKY makes her way to the ring. Asuka follows.
IYO SKY vs. Asuka
The bell rings and the two lock up. Asuka shoves SKY, but SKY takes out Asuka with a shotgun dropkick and fires off stomps on her in the corner. She jams her boots into Asuka's face and pins her, but Asuka kicks out and trips SKY as she looks to fly off the ropes on the outside. She sends SKY's head bouncing off the ring post, then sends SKY crashing into one of the barricades face first and drapes her across the ring apron. She fires off rapid fire kicks on SKY and jams her boot into SKY's neck, then wears her down with a submission hold and whips her into the mat.
Asuka fires off kicks on SKY, but SKY lands a double stomp on Asuka's midsection and ascends to the top rope. She lands a missile dropkick on Asuka, but Asuka catches SKY with a spinning back fist and a running knee on her.
SKY levels Asuka with a kick and cinches in a sleeper on her, but Asuka gets her foot on the bottom rope to break the hold. Asuka and SKY then teeter on the ropes, but SKY pulls Asuka off with a hurricanrana. Asuka transitions into a pinfall, but SKY kicks out.
Asuka drags SKY on top of the announce desk and looks to spray her blue mist into SKY's face. SKY grabs Wade Barrett's notepad to shield herself from the mist, then ascends to the top rope and delivers a springboard moonsault to Asuka. She dumps Asuka back in the ring and sets up for Over The Moonsault, but Asuka traps SKY in an armbar. SKY transitions into a pinfall, but Asuka kicks out and cinches in the Asuka Lock on SKY. SKY manages to escape and delivers a meteora to Asuka in the corner, then follows it up with Over The Moonsault for the win.
Winner: IYO SKY
— After the match, Asuka hugs SKY and raises her hand. The two women share a heartfelt moment.
— John Cena then makes his way to the ring.
Fans chant that they want Cena to have one more match, but Cena reflects on making sure that his final ever professional opponent had to earn their way into a match and that edition of "WWE Saturday Night's Main Event" featured "NXT" talent including Sol Ruca, Je'Von Evans, and Oba Femi. He says Femi debuted in December and already has a WrestleMania win against Brock Lesnar, then says he's honored to announce the John Cena Classic. He says it'll be an entire evening of the best of today competing against the best of tomorrow, featuring main roster and "NXT" talent who have hopes to crown a champion. He says there will be a brand new event and a brand new championship he's personally putting his name on, then says he's striving for a certain level of excellence and planning to do what he can to make it special.
Cena says the biggest Superstar in WWE is the fans, then says on top of a new event and new championship, the voices of the fans will be heard as they will be the ones to pick the champion of of the John Cena Classic even if they aren't the person who emerges as the winner. He says it will be a single event that embodies what he stands for, then promises to give the fans all that he has and thanks WWE for giving him the chance to do something. He also thanks the audience at home and the live crowd in Tampa.
— Jacob Fatu makes his way to the ring. Roman Reigns follows.
:worldchamp:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
The bell rings and the two lock up. Fatu runs over Reigns with a shoulder tackle, but Reigns looks to level Fatu with a clothesline. Fatu stays standing and levels Reigns with a clothesline of his own, then clotheslines Reigns out of the ring and looks to fly over the top rope to cinch in the Tongan Death Grip on Reigns. He sends Reigns crashing into the ring post spine first while he still has the Tongan Death Grip cinched in on Reigns.
Reigns rains down right hands on Fatu in the corner, then fires off clotheslines on him. Fatu responds with a running senton to Reigns and follows it up with a clothesline to him in the corner, then fires off headbutts on Reigns. Reigns clears the announce desk on the outside, but Fatu sends Reigns crashing through the announce desk and dumps him back in the ring.
Reigns catches Fatu with a spear and pins him, but Fatu kicks out and lands a pop-up Samoan Drop on Reigns. He delivers a moonsault to him off the top rope and pins him, but Reigns kicks out.
Fatu and Reigns exchange right hands with one another, but Fatu delivers a Hip Attack to Reigns in the corner and cinches in the Tongan Death Grip on him. Reigns rakes Fatu's eyes and sends him crashing into the corner, accidentally hitting the referee in the process. He rocks Fatu with a pair of Superman Punches, but Fatu rocks Reigns with a superkick. Reigns lands another Superman Punch and a spear on Fatu, then goes for a pin but Fatu kicks out.
Fatu cinches in the Tongan Death Grip on Reigns once again, but Reigns pulls off one of the top turnbuckle pads. He sends Reigns crashing into the exposed turnbuckle and spears him for the win.
Winner and STILL WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns
— After the match, an enraged Fatu cinches in the Tongan Death Grip on Reigns. Officials pry Fatu off Reigns, and Fatu heads up the entrance ramp as Reigns is checked on. Fatu decides to re-enter the ring and cinch the Tongan Death Grip back in on Reigns, but officials pry him back off Reigns. Fatu then stands tall over Reigns holding up the World Heavyweight Championship belt as the show goes off the air.
