Saturday, April 26, 2008
The WWE's first offering of a PPV since the record-breaking WrestleMania XXIV will take place this Sunday in Baltimore, as the company presents Backlash, this year being the 10th anniversary of the post-WrestleMania offering. The card this year looks rather weak, as we have documented the companies issues in trying to keep the momentum going after Mania, but in just looking at the card, it looks like a solid buyrate is going to be tough to pull off here.
Some of the matches at glance...
World Heavyweight Championship: Undertaker vs. Edge - This match was thrown on last at Mania, in order to allow the fans to go home happy with the Taker again winning at Mania and winning the belt. Edge is the best heel in the sport right now, and his matches always seem to live up to the hype, which is why I can again see this going last. Look for the same result from Mania, with Taker winning in a hard fought match that should deliver on all fronts.
Big Show vs. The Great Khali - Now we get into the crud on the card. The Great Khali has shown us over the course of the last two years his inability to have a good match with anyone, and his battle here with The Big Show is going to be yet another example. Show just worked a main event angle at Mania with Floyd Mayweather, and now he gets the burden of trying to carry the lumbering Khali. Good luck. As for a winner, Show takes this in a match that hopefully will last no more than about 4-5 minutes.
United States Champion MVP vs. Matt Hardy - This could be a match to look forward to, but the issue right now seems to be Hardy, who has shown quite a bit of ring rust since his return right after Mania. The Hardy-MVP feud was one of the better ones over the last year, and after MVP turned on Hardy when they were partners, it looked as if we would have a Mania match between the two, but then Matt got hurt, and it was shelved. Now they are at it again, and while I think MVP wins here, I think that it will be up to the champ to carry Hardy to a good match.
WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. John Cena, JBL & Triple H in a Fatal Four Way Elimination Match - The issues with this match seem aplenty. At Mania, you had a three-way with Triple H, John Cena, and Randy Orton, and frankly the match was a bit of a letdown. Now you add an oversized and aging JBL to the mix, and they will try and same formula again, which at least on paper looks as if it will again be a letdown. Orton has survived the WrestleMania curse of a heel dropping the belt, so there is no reason here to belive on a bad "B" PPV that he'll lose. They need to find a new title program once this match is thankfully over.
ECW Champion Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero - Two totally contrasting styles on display here, as Kane is a bruiser, powerhouse, while Chavo is a technical, high flyer. Look for plenty of outside interference from Chavo's new bodyguard - Bam Neely, and I wouldn't doubt a title change because of that outside help. I said from day one that putting the strap on Kane is kind of like a lifetime achievement award. With that, look for Chavo to end the one-month reign and take the strap back.
Batista vs Shawn Michaels w/ Chris Jericho as Special Referee - I have to say that there is so much wrong with this match, I don't even know where to start. First you have face vs face with (for now) a face ref, meaning someone here is turning, plain and simple. I didn't like the looks or sound of this match from the get-go, as they tried to build the sympathy angle for Ric Flair losing to Michaels and Mania and retiring, even though everyone clearly knew that was coming. Then you throw Jericho into the mix, and with the rumors of his heel turn gaining steam, I can see him taking out both men and walking out on the match to the jeers of the crowd. A winner? I see a draw with a lot of the attention being on Jericho's antics by match end.
12 Diva Tag-Team Match - As if we were missing something, let's throw a hasty 12-diva tag match in the mix to really put the final nail in the coffin on this PPV. The storyline is that we're all supposed to be happy for the gritty Mickie James for her "never say die" attitude that eventually led her to upsetting Beth Phoenix for the women's belt. That's fine, but why then do we need 10 other diva's to muddle what should be a title rematch between James and Phoenix? As usual, WWE booking showing a classic case of missing the mark completely.
