Backlash recap & reactions: Viva la France

With that out the way, let's get into the main event, shall we? I keep pondering the overarching story for Cody Rhodes' reign, if in fact that's the plan. Matching up against AJ Styles, who is not only one of the best in the world, but also a man who defeated his father many moons ago extends this idea of a story. Defeating Roman Reigns for a championship his father never held finishes the story to an extent because, well, capturing a title is only half the battle. Successfully defending it is the true test.

Going against someone who defeated your dad for a championship, led the same group of which you took charge, and hails from the same place you call home cements all of that. The problem with that, however, is not every contender has that pedigree. The next guy isn't AJ and comes with his own set of issues. I say all this to stand on the fact I'm not sure what Cody's big story arc is, at least not a compelling one. But maybe that's okay too. Perhaps simply stepping up to every challenger and pushing himself whenever asked is the story.

There's something potentially compelling about a guy getting the thing he wanted his whole life only to realize that whole thing about being careful for what you ask. I don't know if that's enough considering everything with Roman Reigns, but we'll see. Like I said, time might prove me wrong and they have something up their sleeve. As always, I remain in wait and see mode.

My next point dovetails off the first, but it seems like they're setting up Cody as the guy who truly inherited Hulk Hogan's mantle. Besides his whitemeat babyface tendencies, this guy actually Hulked up during this match. He took a Burning Hammer from AJ and handled it the same way human foots handle ants. And then he Hulked up without parading around the ring and finger waving.

My feelings on the Hulkster aside, if anyone fits that mold, it's Cody. While John Cena carried himself more like Hulk than Steve Austin, he added his own flair and was always his own man. Cody just feels like a modern day version of that 1980s character; the red, white and blue attire, the blonde hair, the nice suits, the beautiful wife, the adorable child, and of course there's Pharaoh. Maybe I'm gazing too deep into the looking glass, but I think it fits and may work well for him.

Onto the wrestling. I really liked this match. AJ made Cody work for the victory. He tested his resolve, his physical strength, and yeah, showed how hard it is staying on top. Cody showed early that his respect for AJ wouldn't get in the way of competing when he slapped the taste out of his mouth. He owed AJ after the Phenomenal One slapped him during the Backlash kickoff. The match needed that too because it brought fire out of AJ and put everything in high gear.

AJ controlled the match dissecting Cody's body. He went after his shoulder, with commentary noting that the champ probably injured himself during his match with Carmelo Hayes. He went after his back and neck repeatedly, even putting Cody in a Brainbuster on the apron at one point. He whittled Cody down with everything in his considerable arsenal while France serenaded every "phenomenal" move he made.

Cody responded with offensive bursts that, eventually, carried the day. My favorite one came later in the match but from an earlier set up. AJ prepared the French announcer table for anarchy but Cody impeded all that when he rammed AJ's hips into the steel steps. So when Cody got on a roll in the second act, he Powerbombed AJ through said table. Hoisted on one's own petard remains my favorite wrestling trope. No matter how often I see it, it never gets old. Especially when done with subtlety like here.

The third act began in earnest with both men yelling at each other from across the ring, then charging headfirst with fisticuffs. By that point, they both seemingly ran out of ideas and just wanted to fight. I say seemingly because they never hit their finishers. We got a Disaster Kick, a normal Cody Cutter, a Springboard 450, and even a Kimura Lock from Cody. None of it finished off either man. Which created a fantastic build to the finish. With both men emptying their tanks, they become desperate. "What more can I do?," they ask themselves. Well, Cody figured it out.

After slipping out of yet another Styles Clash attempt, Cody hit a Cody Cutter from the top rope, then slapped AJ into the Cross Rhodes.

1-2-3.

Cody celebrated the W. No post match drama with AJ. No next challenger on the horizon. Just a man with his belt in front of a raucous crowd who begged him to stay a bit longer.

Fantastic main event that ended a solid afternoon of wrestling.

B-Sides

Boys At War

Well, this escalated quickly. I'm not even sure that sentence does the opening match, one that put Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline, any justice. The big news? Tanga Loa made is the third man! Tama Tonga's former tag partner interrupted a three-count that wasn't, effectively costing Randy & KO the first in what promises to be many wars.

But how did we get here? Glad you asked. When all four men hit the ring and the ref tried reciting the rules, all hell broke lose. The bell never rang, bodies flew, security guards intervened, and the suits came out all to restore some order. I loved this opening so much. I hate when blood feuds start with collar and elbow tie ups; these teams to hate each other so there's no way on earth that a simple wrestling match would suffice. Nick Aldis got on the microphone and made me, along with the rest of France, very happy, and declared the match a street fight. No rules sounds just right, and they kept the violence flowing.

Changing the match on the fly also treats the show like a living thing rather than something static. And it gets back an adage that once defined WWE: anything can happen.

Oh and this:

It was organized confusion at its best, that also moved this story forward compellingly. I want nothing more and ask for nothing else.

Self Made

Bayley, Tiffany Stratton, & Naomi put on an incredible triple threat match. The proper elixir following the Backlash's chaotic opening, it told two stories in one: Bayley & Naomi's mutual respect clashing with Tiffany's ego. Well, three stories, because there's the fact both Bayley & Naomi can't stand Tiffany.

Tiffany didn't try to play them off each other either, which goes back to her ego. Tiffany wrestled a straight up match, isolated her opponents at different times, and didn't take advantage of pin attempts at others all in the name of self. It's not enough for Tiff to win; she's gotta prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she's superior. Tiffany's most impressive moment came when she slammed her opponents on separate commentary tables. It showed her power, skill, and viciousness.

Naomi and Bayley took it to each other too, but it felt respectful. They never shied away from throwing shots at one another. We even got a moment where Bayley stood between both women and questioned where to go. Rather than attacking Tiffany, she went towards Naomi first with a Sunset Flip then whipped her into the turnbuckle. That was a fun moment that summarized the character beats. Especially since when she turned her attention towards Tiffany, Bayley ended up regretting it as the Center of the Universe blocked the champ and went for a pin attempt.

The next moment that illustrated the characters came during the end. Tiffy laid out both her opponents with the aforementioned slams on the commentary tables. She rolled them both in the ring and went for a Double Prettiest Moonsault Ever. They moved, Tiff ran headfirst towards both women, and they double teamed for what looked like their version of a 3D.

That put Tiff out of commission, giving Naomi and Bayley time for some one-on-one. Naomi went for a pin attempt, Bayley countered that with her own pin, and got the W. And when it all ended, Naomi hugged her friend, gave her props, and raised her hand.

Was Naomi took kind to her friend? Did she hold back because of their friendliness? And will it even matter going into SmackDown?

I Don't Wanna Rap

WWE came into the World Heavyweight championship match between Damian Priest and Jey Uso with a few objectives. First, establish a strong championship reign for the champ. That's usually paramount for anyone who wins the title through cashing in the MitB briefcase. But also establish his championship story or further said tale.

Then there's Jey Uso. If he's not winning the championship, make him look strong with his shoulders on the mat.

They accomplished that on both fronts with this one. While the match itself didn't set the world on fire, it was effective. And it added wrinkles to the Judgment Day saga.

For weeks, Damian told anyone with ears that he doesn't need or want his crew's help. In fact, he told them they need him more than he needs them. This match disproved that theory, at least to a degree. It started with Jey playing mind games, playing to the crowd and getting under the champ's skin. That played on Damian's insecurities while possibly making him question his words. Did he truly not need Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, and Dirty Dom? Once he got over those initial moments, the champ took control. He slowed it down, mocked the crowd, and showed why he's the champ.

When Jey took control, that's when the reinforcements came through. First JD, who played his usual crash test dummy role. That minor distraction took Jey off his game and slowed down his momentum. Minutes later, Finn emerged and we got the same results. Now, these two cats showed up despite Damian's wishes and without his knowledge. That assistance played an even bigger role when Jey responded to Damian's martial arts kicks with not one, not two, but three Superkicks. He followed that assault with a mean jump kick in the corner, which leveled Damian but not enough to keep him down. Jay followed that with a spear, then an Uso splash. That's it, right?

Possibly if not for JD lurking ringside. He put the champ's foot on the rope, unbeknownst to the ref, and saved Damian's title.

From there, they continued the back and forth until Jey took out JD, which gave Damian time to center himself. Once Jey took to the top rope again, going for one more Uso Splash, Damian ended it with a South of Heaven from the top.

That's when the drama started. Damian stopped JD & Finn from issuing a post match beatdown to his opponent, and loudly expressed his earlier wishes that they clearly ignored. But once again, without the help that he didn't want, he loses that championship. Damian says he doesn't need them but the results say otherwise.

There's more dissent within Raw's dominant faction while its unofficial leader is a little delusional.

All Night Long

The Women's Tag Team championship match went too long. Maybe because it was a foregone conclusion, but it just didn't need that much time. I'm glad Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill won because I predicted it, but this also frees up Damage CTRL for loftier goals on Raw. And keeps them solidly on Raw. As tag champs, Jade & Bianca can float, which will only help Jade as it means more matches and more time.

Solid event that the crowd elevated. It was chalk as far as predictions go, but we got some good plot developments from the show. The main event rocked, as did the opening match and the triple threat. The other two matches left me wanting for different reasons, but neither felt like a drag on the show.

Grade: B+

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Your turn!