Not a review, just some thoughts about Backlash. I’m saving my juices for Raw (creative ones that is). I’ll keep it short and take the matches in order.
BENJAMIN v JERICHO
Not a good sign when the audience is so quiet at the start of a PPV that you can hear one of Jerry Lawler’s fake chins drop. Luckily, a quiet period is expected in the opening minutes of a face/face match and it was a wise move to kick off with what turned out to be a good contest. For the second PPV in a row, Shelton Benjamin produced the athletic move of the night with a standing leap and balance in the corner into a top-rope super-plex. If Vince could be bothered to run a feud around this guy or give him some interesting angles to work with then we could have a major superstar in the making. For now, Benjamin is a little colourless (definitely no pun intended) and has probably reached the peak of his current potential. Though I hope not. Jericho, beardless again and vaguely sensible, entered a solid performance and displayed a surety of footing that sometimes lets him down in big match situations. It seemed as though the WWE were ‘subtly’ sewing the seeds of an ‘I’ve had enough/over the edge/who needs the fans?’ turn for Jericho which I feel is a good idea. But if he is to become a heel then he needs a strong push and a close association with an established heel to get as much of a rub as possible. The match built nicely and finished with some close falls and exciting counters, especially the ending. I think it was the right result because, even though his IC run hasn’t been littered with positive memories and highlights, there has to be more to come from Benjamin, if the creative team want it.
TAG TEAM TURMOIL MATCH
As indicated by the talent on show and the restrictive structure of the match, this was never going to be a tag classic but it was decent, enjoyable PPV mid-card fare and delivered on all that it promised. The Heart Throbs (who appear to be a cross between Billy/Chuck and PG-13) are too early into their WWE careers to win the titles and need to become a lot more annoying through skits and interviews before they really get under our skin. To be honest, any of the other teams could have won and the tag team scene wouldn’t have changed seeing as none of the unions have that much impact on Raw and, apart from Maven/Dean, have no value other than their wrestling. With any luck; Dean will be moved to Smackdown, Grenier will be moved to Heat and the Heart Throbs will be moved as far away from me as possible. Hurricane/Rosey winning the titles is well deserved and I hope some life is injected into the tag division to make their run with the gold mean more than Regal/Tajiri’s. I like tag team wrestling and it shouldn’t die out just because Vince has taken his eye off the ball.
EDGE v BENOIT (LAST MAN STANDING)
I’ve always been a fan of last man standing matches and whilst this didn’t contain the ‘out of control’ nature they sometimes have, it was a cracking match with big spots and a well played out storyline. Many of the ‘holy sh*t’ moments were quite rightly well received by the partisan crowd and for my money the German suplex off the ladder is one of the best ladder spots ever seen in the WWE. The bout was put together like a rollercoaster mixing wrestling moves, submission holds and brutality to make a very appealing contest. I’m not entirely sure that the Edge victory was necessary as Benoit’s already put him over on at least two occasions recently and it wouldn’t have damaged his ‘Mr money in the bank’ gimmick to lose with nothing but pride at stake but I guess he’s getting the heat right now. One thing; if we’re chanting for moral decency and targeting the adulterous, why wasn’t Benoit getting a “YOU SCREWED KEVIN SULLIVAN” chant? Just asking.
KANE v VISCERA
Nothing of interest to note here. Predictable contest with a predictable outcome. Kane needs better opponents than this. Big Vis lost so Trish was spared the night of unbridled squishing, but still got Viscera’s closest thing to foreplay with a ‘rag-doll’ shaking and big splash for her admonishing. First time she’s been flat-chested in ten years, even if her head and her feet are now full of silicone. We can only assume her time off for back problems will continue and she’ll have a new ‘man’ on Raw soon. I’m disappointed at the chants Lita has been getting though. Use the “SLUT” chant, it’s much funnier.
HOGAN/HBK v HASSAN/DAIVARI
I know that you guys think I’m a heartless cynic (or a “f**k-faced c**k s**ker” in some cases) but I’m not and I enjoyed this match. Hogan contributed all that he could, even if it was 80’s wrestling by numbers, and Michaels did enough selling for the pair of them. The reaction that Hogan got was awesome and there’s no shame in the WWE making money from selling memories as dreams. Hassan did well not to be out-shone by his smaller but more competent counterpart and the two make an excellent tag team (are you thinking what I’m thinking?). Hogan pinning Daivari is an acceptable outcome to the match and means that Hassan holds on to his heat to offer to a fellow full-timer at some point in the future.
BATISTA v HHH
I thought this match was better than their Wrestlemania 21 encounter. HHH taking the offence first worked better than last time when Batista dominated the early going and Dave’s willingness and enthusiasm in selling is commendable for a man pushed as a monster. The turn around was nicely paced and Batista’s power-based offensive moves seemed all the better for being set and framed rather than strung together in a series. The interference and the ref spots worked okay and helped prolong the interest in the match through the ending, which included good near falls and finisher-teases. The post-match, coupled with a premature promotional drive, suggests Batista/HHH three, in a ‘Hell in a cell’ match if reports are to be believed. I don’t mind the WWE finishing off the triangle between these two, but Batista’s recent better matches with lighter, faster men like Christian and Orton must make creative aware that HHH is not his only opponent, and not necessarily his best.
Other than that, it was nice to see the ECW PPV get some advertising and I hope that continues. Seeing as Vince will benefit financially from the show, he should put some time and effort into selling the product on his regular programming. Also, I think I know who’ll be the participant in the ‘Masterlock challenge’ this week on Raw – MAE YOUNG? WWE hasn’t beaten her up for ages. Oh, and it’s all very well sticking Christian out there and letting him whip up cheap heat around his non-wrestling appearance on the show, but his combat absence from the card is very real and a serious detriment to the PPV. Maybe the coalition could start a ‘peep-tition’ to get CC back on the card where he belongs.
I liked Backlash, but then we in the UK didn’t have to pay for it. If it had been PPV for us, I probably would have given it a miss. All the same, none of the ‘good on paper’ matches failed to deliver and the two possible turkeys offered something of interest, if only in the second a slightly soiled Canadian pancake. Match of the night for me was Shelton/Jericho but Edge/Benoit was a very close second.
Lee
