The Importance of…4.24.09: Backlash

Backlash has played host to a number of big return matches. The very first Backlash saw two of the biggest names in the business, still in the process of shaping their legacies, go head-to-head in a Rock-Austin battle that helped punctuate that particular program between the two. A year later, Rock was playing face, chasing Triple H after The Game defied the odds and Wrestlemania tradition, taking his heel title reign into a fatal fourway and leaving with the belt in tow. While Rock-Triple H at Backlash was not, technically, a Wrestlemania rematch, it was the match that many fans though should have headlined Wrestlemania, and did provide the culminating moment many had been anticipating at the big show, as Rock finally recaptured the gold.

In the tradition of big return matches, both Chris Benoit and Batista enjoyed similar vindication at Backlash in back to back years, 2004 and 2005. After winning one of the greatest triple threats of all time at Wrestlemania XX, Benoit seemed to solidify his place at the top of the card at Backlash 2004, making Shawn Michaels tap to the sharpshooter in front of a rabid Canadian crowd. The following year, top face Batista had the opportunity confirm his newly acquired main event status in a rematch with Triple H. A second straight clean win went a long way toward making the animal a fixture at the top. Of course, two years later, Batista found himself in the role of challenger in his Backlash rematch, going against The Undertaker. As opposed to the aforementioned Backlash main events that provided some sense of closure, this match was all about perpetuating the feud as this epic Last Man Standing encounter went to a draw, providing fuel to continue the feud at the time, and again, much later, after Batista had won the title again.

In many cases, Wrestlemania marks a turning point for WWE booking, from Hulk Hogan passing the torch to The Ultimate Warrior, to Shawn Michaels realizing his boyhood dream, to the Austin-Hart double turn. Since its inception, Backlash has served as the first event in the aftermath of these shifts. One example of this was following Stone Cold’s remarkable heel turn at Wrestlemania XVII. While, just one month earlier, Austin was one of the two biggest faces in the company, he had aligned himself with Vince McMahon and Triple H to be come one of WWE’s top two heels. The Two Man Power Trip of Stone Cold and The Game went head to head with The Undertaker and Kane to headline that year’s Backlash. The following year, The Attitude Era had come to an end, and with his incredible response from the fans at Wrestlemania XVIII, Hulk Hogan had helped launch a powerful nostalgia movement in wrestling. Reinforcing the ‘what’s old is new’ mentality, Hogan unexpectedly took home the title from Backlash 2002, beating The Game.

Backlash was the scene for several more transitional moments. For example, in 2003, it marked the in ring WWE debut for Goldberg. After finally putting a fork in his career long feud with Stone Cold, The Rock claimed to be the best in the business—a perfect set up for the biggest contemporary star who hadn’t wrestled in WWE to show up and shut him up. And so, Backlash 2003 marked the start of Goldberg’s run with the company.

Goldberg’s arrival was not in the least bit subtle. Contrarily, in 2006, Backlash played host a far more subtle main event level shift. Shawn Michaels could not overcome the McMahons alone in a handicap match (he was booked to team with God—it was a handicap match). Meanwhile, Triple H came up short in his quest for the world title for the second month in a row, losing in a triple threat against John Cena and Edge. Frustration was clearly setting in for both characters, and in this show, the seeds were planted for DX’s triumphant return that summer.

There were many more memorable events to take place at Backlash shows—title changes, first time pairings, and real blow-off matches. Backlash is far from the biggest show of the year, but it has taken strides over time to emerge from Wrestlemania’s shadow, and stand as a significant show in its own right.