WWE Backlash 2023 - Preview/Predictions

Well folks, here we go!

If last month was WrestleMania (and it was), then that makes this month's Premium Live Event Backlash! And thank the lord that they've dropped the whole WrestleMania Backlash nonsense! It's like for a couple of years there somebody thought it was a good idea to double-brand everything they could get their hands on...

Something about synergy, probably.

I shudder to think how close we might have been to a show called WWE presents WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT!

I digress.

Well, today's the day, and Backlash is going to be hitting YouTube, WWE.com, and various other social media outlets at 7pm ET with the pre-show commercials and panel of Booker T and Booker T-esque talking heads. That'll get us primed and ready to head over to the Peacock for the opening bell of the first non-Big 4 PLE that WWE has put on in a long time that I find myself genuinely interested in!

And so, in an effort to push wrestling discussion here on the hive as well as interact with my new friends at Wrestling Organization Online (That's #WOO to you!) I'm coming to you this afternoon with my own personal thoughts and predictions for tonight's Premium Live Event!

Side note, I guess the term Pay-Per-View is outdated now. Does this mean their touring live events aren't premium? This seems somehow contradictory. Again, I digress.

So, without further blathering on my part, here are my thoughts on the card as it stands:

Street Fight: Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest

• Not gonna lie, there's gonna be thousands of people tuning into this PLE just to check out Bad Bunny! Now, I know there are a lot of people out there that will hate on this but I ain't got time for that because Bunny is not only the most popular musician on the planet right now, but he's surprisingly good at professional wrestling! Be that as it may, Damian Priest in my opinion is nothing but upside and is a future World Champion! Considering that Bunny probably isn't going to be around next week, and a win for him does nothing for future business, my pick for this one is Damian Priest through violence and shenanigans!

Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. IYO SKY

• So, here's the thing. I love me some Bianca. Since she debuted in NXT I've gotten plenty of enjoyment out of her watching hairwhip fools into oblivion and I can't help it, her attitude is some kind of infectious! Hell, I can dig Iyo, too! The problem is, I don't really care about this match. I'm mildly interested in the will they/won't they drama between the Damage CTRL members that may or may not impact this title match, but mostly I don't care about Damage CTRL and I'm ready for Bianca to get another storyline with somebody that has some momentum and I dare say a modicum of heat. Bianca Belair for the win here!

Seth Rollins vs. Omos

• And speaking of matches that I could care less about... Okay here's the deal: MVP could manage a broomstick and it would be entertaining, but outside of his ridiculous size I can't find anything about Omos to be entertained by. Sure, Seth and MVP will carry the entertainment value in this match, but as a certain Louisville Lambaster would say eventually you got to get it in the ring! And once that happens, I'm not convinced that Seth Freakin' Rollins has big enough shoulders to carry Omos to anything more than a passable 5-minute brawl. Omos probably doesn't need another PLE loss here, but Rollins needs to continue picking up momentum heading into that World Title tournament that we know is coming up here shortly! Seth Rollins to win via architactural chicanery!

United States Championship: Austin Theory (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed

• How good are all three of these guys? Theory is on another level as a smarmy heel champion, Lashley is just a beast of a man, and Bronson Reed is literally a walking natural disaster. The story of this match is exactly how Austin Theory is going to attempt to weasel out of getting smashed by either or both of these two behemoths and it should be a damned entertaining affair! As much as I'd like to see Bronson get some shine here and win his first main roster championship, I'm taking Austin Theory to retain via every trick in the book!

SmackDown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Zelina Vega

• Who would have thought that in 2023 we'd have an LWO revival? Not Chavo Guerrero, that's who! As for the match at hand, I'd love to say that Zelina Vega has a chance, but Rhea is one of the hottest things going in wrestling today and her little Ex-Con Dom probably has enough heat to kickstart a dying star in every building that he sets foot in, and I can't see anything derailing the talented Ms. Ripley, not even Dom's deadbeat dad and the rest of the LWO. You know, they'd better be careful in Puerto Rico, if Damian and Rhea win they might just riot! Rhea Ripley to retain via sheer brute force dominance!

The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso) vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn & Matt Riddle

• Man. This one could go a whole lot of ways. Like, a lot of ways. Honestly, I hope this shit goes all the way to Survivor Series and we get another WarGames out of this angle! That said, I don't think that every current member of The Bloodline is going to make it that far. Now how we get into and out of that is where the creative on this angle should shine tonight as it has over the last 18 or so months. Somebody's gonna drop the ball tonight and Solo is gonna do what Solo does, all the drama will ensue and Owens, Zayne, and Riddle will pick this one up!

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

• And now this is what we came for! As a side note, I'd like to say to all of the grown men (and women) crying because Cody lost at Mania to please, consider that the people running WWE probably have a bit more of an idea of how and when to finish a story than the average IWC dork with a Twitter handle and a hot take. And that goes for people like Busted Open's Dave LaGreca, too. Seriously, if I have to listen to that guy throw one more tantrum about this I'm gonna cancel my subscription to SiriusXM and start my own damned radio show! That said, I think that they're doing a phenomenal job setting Cody up for his own "Hard Times" run, just like his daddy, and in the end when he does win it'll all be worthwhile! Of course, if they just give him the new World Title and call it a day, I will gladly apologize to every single IWC dork that needs that kind of validation if it will make them feel better. That said, who better to put Cody through hard times than BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROCK LESNAAAAR? I mean, come on, this is great stuff and I hope they keep it up! Now, Brock doesn't need the win, and unless they're going all-in on him vs Cody for a few more months I'm taking Cody Rhodes to win after no less than four CrossRhodes!

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Well, there ya have it, folks!

Like my picks? Let me know! Hate 'em? Let me know! Let's get some discussion going!

I'm looking to start doing this on a regular basis and I can't wait to hear from you guys!

@joos10
-life-long wrestling enthusiast
-WOO newb