(Source: WWE.com)
Intercontinental Championship
Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin brought his best to Backlash. He showed off unmatched athleticism, executed moves out of nowhere and had the counter for nearly every move Chris Jericho mustered.
Ultimately, Benjamin snatched away victory during a series of furious reversals for near-falls. The sequence began when Jericho attempted a Lionsault. Benjamin got his knees up, but Y2J made a mid-air adjustment, instead landing on his feet and immediately attempting the Walls of Jericho. In desperation, Shelton twisted himself into a rollup that first shifted in Jericho’s favor before a back-bridge rollup ended the match. Afterward, Jericho first displayed shock before storming up the ramp in disgust and refusing a ringside interview.
Prior, Benjamin did what few – if any – other RAW Superstars could. He leapt directly to the top rope from the ring apron to deliver a superplex. In addition, his Stinger splash and a soaring springboard bulldog were on display.
Jericho did everything he could, including putting his body on the line. Early in the match, he hit a hurricanrana off the edge of the ring to the outside. The maneuver damaged Benjamin, but Y2J also landed directly on his own neck and lay motionless for some time. He also looked for every opportunity to cinch in his signature submission hold, properly scouting a Benjamin dragon whip and converting it into the Walls of Jericho. Benjamin barely fought his way to the ropes to force a break. Shelton held on for the eventual win, and we’ll have to wait and see what that means for seven-time former Intercontinental Champion Jericho.
Tag Team Turmoil
Tag-Team Turmoil delivered a frenetic pace and surprising results. In fact, new champions were guaranteed before the final team even made its way to the ring area.
World Tag Team Champions William Regal & Tajiri first battled through charismatic newcomers The Heart Throbs. Then, they overcame the chemistry of Simon Dean and Maven when Regal delivered a vicious running knee strike. The second the referee counted three, La Resistance stormed to the ring to regain the championship they’ve held multiple times. More chaos ensued, and during a melee, Robert Conway rolled up Regal while gaining crucial leverage with a handful of tights. It went undetected by the referee, meaning there would be new champions when Tag-Team Turmoil concluded.
Last into the match was the fresh team of The Hurricane & Rosey. Still, La Resistance took the early advantage when The Hurricane was launched into the ring post, plummeting to the floor below. There, he was promptly met with a flying elbow from Conway. La Resistance then isolated Rosey and went for the Au Revoir, but the big man fought his way out. Next, The Hurricane and Rosey shocked the three-time World Tag Team Champions with a move made for Superheros. Rosey took to the second turnbuckle, then lifted The Hurricane atop his shoulders. The Hurricane launched himself skyward, landing on Conway with a splash. That winded Robert long enough for The Hurricane to pick up the three count. It marked Rosey’s first tag team championship and The Hurricane’s second.
Last Man Standing Match
It wasn’t the most honorable victory, but “Mr. Money in the Bank” took home a huge Backlash win along with his prized briefcase. In fact, that briefcase proved to be the decisive factor in a back-and-forth, brutal Last Man Standing Match against Chris Benoit. After suffering through countless German suplexes – including one off of a 15-foot ladder – Edge landed an Impaler DDT onto the hard shell of the briefcase containing his championship contract.
Benoit staggered up before the 10–count but ran right into a vicious spear. Benoit barely made it to his feet but was promptly met with yet another spear. At nine, Benoit again willed his way up. This time, Edge went to extreme measures, retrieving a brick from his briefcase and blasting Benoit in the back of the head. As The Rabid Wolverine lay motionless, the referee began the count. Benoit couldn’t answer the bell, and a smug Edge enjoyed his win.
Things didn’t look good early in the match, when Edge found himself screaming – and tapping – from the Crippler Crossface. But in a Last Man Standing Match there’s only one way to win, and it isn’t by submission. Whenever Edge found his feet, he was launched backward into a series of German suplexes that seemed to never end. Benoit saw the match nearly slip away when attempting a running suicide dive to the outside. His head was met in mid-air by a trash-can lid held by Edge. “Mr. Money in the Bank” followed that up with a superplex onto a trash can.
Things might have turned out different if Benoit had connected with one death-defying attack: The Crippler went for everything with diving headbutt off the top of a ladder, but Edge successfully moved out of way. Benoit twitched in pain from the impact with ring apron – shades of the way the match would end.
Kane vs. Viscera
Two of RAW’s most powerful Superstars matched brut force at Backlash, but it was unexpectedly Trish Stratus who suffered the most punishment Sunday.
Viscera matched power maneuvers with Kane, including a giant Samoan drop and a swinging sidewalk slam. But Viscera seemed distracted by his lust for Stratus, who was at ringside to support the man coming between her and the Big Red Monster. When Viscera took his eye off Kane, he walked into a clothesline off the top rope. When Kane went for the chokeslam, his behemoth opponent fought his way out.
It wouldn’t take long for Kane to regain control. Sensing the end near, Trish tried to intervene with a chair. But Lita instead smashed her rival with one of her crutches. Inside the ring, Viscera managed a very close two-count with his sit-down powerbomb finisher. Big Vis then dragged Kane’s wife into the ring and attempted to kiss her. A furious Kane responded with a big boot to Viscera’s face, then finished him with an unthinkable chokeslam to the 485-pounder.
After the match, Trish berated Viscera for the loss in front of the sold-out crowd in Manchester, N.H. Big Viscera responded with a crushing bear hug to the Women’s Champion and then a big splash. Afterward, Trish wasn’t moving and needed to be immobilized by EMTs and carted to the backstage area.
Hassan & Davari vs. Michaels & Hogan
Talk about a crowd-pleaser.
Hulk Hogan pinned Daivari in “one more match” demanded by WWE’s fans, sending the sold-out crowd into a wild uproar. The brash newcomers tried everything they could think of – including use of a steel pipe as an equalizer – but “The Immortal One” would not be denied in his raucous return to the ring.
The capacity crowd erupted the second Hogan’s entrance music hit. Then, he thrilled the fans by beginning the match himself against Muhammad Hassan. The audience chanted Hogan’s name as he muscled Hassan around the ring.
Hassan and Daivari trapped Hogan in their corner, showing their tag-team chemistry and furthering the momentum they gained with big wins on RAW. But the duo seemed daunted when at all times a WWE legend was across the ring, as HBK and Hogan tagged in and out as if they had done so for years.
HBK was poised for “Sweet Chin Music” when Hassan hit him in kidneys with lead pipe. Hogan smartly made the save, but the tide had turned as Michaels was whipped from pillar to post as the proud Arab-Americans worked on his lower back. What followed was a Camel Clutch that tested an injured Michaels’ threshold of pain. The referee stayed between The Hulkster and the action, giving Michaels no recourse but to fight out or submit. Somehow, HBK rose out of the hold and delivered an Electric Chair Drop to Hassan.
Daivari was tagged in, but Michaels reached Hogan, as well. The Hulkster dominated Daivari and set up the leg drop, but he ran into the lead pipe as well. Daivari attempted a pin, but Hogan “Hulked up,” hit the big boot and went for the leg drop again. Hassan grabbed his leg in desperation, but HBK had the answer in the form of Sweet Chin Music to Daivari. Hogan capitalized with the cover, and the celebration began in Manchester.
World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H thought his finisher would determine the World Heavyweight Championship match at Backlash. Instead, it was a high-octane Batista Bomb that proved the difference.
Despite receiving a low-blow, Batista caught The Game perched atop the ropes and sent him crashing to the ring mat with his signature powerbomb. The match’s original referee counted three, and Batista earned a remarkable victory before the sold-out crowd in Manchester, N.H.
The Cerebral Assassin would attempt a total of five Pedigrees throughout the course of the match, but he’d connect only once and at an inopportune time. Just prior, Batista attempted a whipping clothesline that Triple H evaded. As a result, the move took referee Mike Chioda clean off his feet and KO’d him in the process. The Game would take advantage and hit his finisher, but there was no ref to make the count. Evolution would do everything it could to revive the official, but it was to no avail; the move’s effects were far more than Chioda could handle.
Realizing the situation, referee Jack Doan would run to ringside, but by that time, Batista had recovered enough to hit a big spinebuster of his own. Triple H would barely kick out.
Earlier, Batista had a close call of his own while attempting the Batista Bomb while Ric Flair was distracting the referee. Triple H was hoisted up while holding World Heavyweight Championship belt, and he smashed Batista over the head at the finisher’s apex. Somehow, Batista kicked out, sending The Game into a rage.
It foreshadowed Triple H’s eventual reaction at the conclusion of the match, as his anger and frustration boiled over. He pushed “The Nature Boy” and Pedigreed the referee, stalking the ring in total disbelief at what had just transpired. The Game will have to wait for another day to earn world championship No. 11.
Thanks again for reading,
Joe
