WrestleMania Backlash: Rousey wins SmackDown Women’s title
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
Despite being a show filled with rematches, WrestleMania Backlash blew past expectations on Mother's Day.
Here’s a quick recap of the match results:
- Cody Rhodes defeated Seth Rollins via roll-up pinfall
- Omos defeated Bobby Lashley via pinfall after interference from MVP
- Edge defeated AJ Styles via ref stoppage following interference from a masked individual who ended up being Rhea Ripley
- Ronda Rousey defeated Charlotte Flair via submission to become the new SmackDown Women’s champion
- Madcap Moss defeated Happy Corbin via pinfall with a sunset flip
- The Bloodline’s Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso defeated Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton and Riddle via pinfall
Best match: Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair — "I Quit" Match
As much as I enjoyed Rhodes vs. Rollins II, the match of the night (in my opinion) was Rousey vs. Flair. It just felt like a real fight.
They were cussing at each other, brawling in the crowd, screaming in pain, bashing each other with kendo sticks, and going full throttle from the opening bell. The whole thing was fantastic.
Ronda winning the SmackDown Women’s title was also overdue.
Now that she’s champ, I expect this program with Flair to last through Hell in a Cell, but hopefully it ends there.
Moment of the night: Rhea Ripley joins Judgement Day
Rhea pairing up with Edge is exactly what she needed right now, not only from a creative standpoint, but from a career-standpoint as well.
Soaking up knowledge on a weekly basis from someone with that much expertise should help Ripley blossom into her best form yet.
It’s also commendable to see Edge using this new incarnation of his character to lift younger talent beside him.
When he was thought to be retired with an injury, the WWE Hall of Famer would talk about wishing he could work with up-and-coming talent in NXT, so it’s admirable to see him follow through with it now that he can.
Additional highlights:
As stated above, Rhodes vs. Rollins II was a banger. Here’s a bit of footage from the match if you didn’t see it.
Omos silenced some haters on Sunday with his best match yet.
It’s clear he's gaining more confidence with MVP by his side.
Lingering question: Could Drew McIntyre end Roman’s title reign?
With the way Drew McIntyre is being built back up lately, including how he was presented in the 3-on-3 main event at Backlash, this question has been running through my mind.
Especially with a premium live event on the horizon in Cardiff.
McIntyre is one of the few Superstars with the potential to dethrone "The Head of the Table" and it’s good to see him treated as such again.
Keeping the Undisputed Universal title around Roman’s waist until WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles is still the smart play, at least in my opinion, but lately I’ve been doubting whether that will actually happen.
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