WWE Backlash 2024 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

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WWE Backlash 2024 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

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    Backlash.WWE

    Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE Backlash 2024 at the LDLC Arena in Lyon, France.

    Here's a look at the lineup for Saturday's show:

    • Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles (Undisputed WWE Championship)
    • Damian Priest vs. Jey Uso (World Heavyweight Championship)
    • Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton (WWE Women's Championship)
    • Asuka and Kairi Sane vs. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair (WWE Women's Tag Team Championships)
    • Randy Orton and Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga

    Let's take a look at everything that happened at this year's show.

Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga (Street Fight)

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    Owens was the first competitor to make his entrance for his tag team match with Orton against Sikoa and Tonga. He took his time getting to the ring while interacting with the French crowd.

    The crowd chanted "We want Roman" as The Bloodline came out. All four men started brawling before the ref could call for the bell. KO and Tonga paired up while Sikoa and Oron fought.

    Several producers and security tried to break up the fight before SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis showed up.

    He declared the match to be a Street Fight and ordered the bell to be rung. Orton and Sikoa went into the crowd, while Owens and Tonga fought at ringside.

    The crowd was going nuts during the whole contest. This was never going to be a match filled with technical exchanges due to the nature of the feud, but turning it into a Street Fight ensured it was going to be absolute mayhem.

    Several weapons such as kendo sticks, garbage cans, steel steps and tables were used to inflict punishment on both teams.

    If WWE wanted to start the show with lots of energy, this was the perfect way to do it. All four men were beating the life out of each other, and the crowd ate up every second of it.

    WWE @WWE

    THE BLOODLINE continues to EXPAND at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWEBacklash?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWEBacklash</a>! <a href="https://t.co/A3tvnzUWCk">pic.twitter.com/A3tvnzUWCk</a>

    They eventually slowed down a bit and started making every spot feel more important because everyone had taken so much damage already. As it looked like KO was about to win, Tanga Loa made his WWE debut by breaking up the pin. Sikoa hit Owens with a Samoan Spike for the win.

    This was a smart way to kick off Backlash. The fans were invested and the Superstars put in a great effort to ensure the only non-title bout on the card left an impression.

    Many assumed Jacob Fatu would be in this spot, so seeing Tonga's brother brought in was a nice surprise.

    The Bloodline continues to grow, so it will be interesting to see where Fatu ends up debuting and whether he will be with or against the group.

    Result: Sikoa and Tonga defeated Orton and Owens

    Grade: B+

    Notable Moments and Observations

    • Big E, CM Punk and Jackie Redmond were a good trio on the pre-show. 
    • Owens being distracted by an animal during his interview with Kayla Braxton was hilarious. 
    • The crowd singing along to Orton's music was cool. It's surprising it hasn't happened with his song more often. 
    • The Viper is always great at selling back injuries after going through a table. 
    • Owens took a stiff shot to the head from a garbage can. Sikoa used the bottom of the can, not the side. It didn't crumple at all. 
    • Tonga's back was heavily bruised from taking some kendo-stick shots. 

Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton (WWE Women's Championship)

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    The WWE Women's Championship match had a big-fight feel as Samantha Irvin made the official announcements because the crowd was going wild for all three competitors.

    They started with a quick exchange that gave each a moment to shine. The champion was the first to get a clear advantage, but it didn't last long. They traded near falls as the crowd chanted different things left and right.

    They had a tall task following the chaos of the previous bout that included a debuting Superstar, but all the women brought their A-game and kept the crowd's attention by putting on a very physical performance.

    We saw several big spots in and out of the ring. Sometimes in a Triple Threat match, one of the competitors feels like an afterthought. That wasn't the case here. Everyone made an impact and had a handful of standout moments.

    The match didn't end with a big finisher. It ended with Bayley outwrestling Naomi by countering a pinning combination to get a three-count. The Glow gave The Role Model a hug and celebrated with her to end the match.

    Result: Bayley defeated Naomi and Stratton

    Grade: A-

    Notable Moments and Observations

    • Naomi got a great response during her entrance. The crowd danced and used their phones to light up the arena. 
    • It's amazing how a lively crowd can make anything seem more exciting. 
    • Naomi was almost late breaking up a pin, so Bayley kicked out like a pro because she knew she needed to. 
    • The way the camera shot Bayley's suicide dive was great because it was a surprise to both Stratton and people watching at home. They did the same thing with the champion's flying elbow drop. 

Damian Priest vs. Jey Uso (World Heavyweight Championship)

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    The Lyon crowd gave Uso a fantastic ovation when he made his entrance for the World Heavyweight Championship match against Priest.

    Uso had the crowd working with him as the match began. Every time he hit a move or dodged a strike, the fans would chant "Yeet." Uso played into it and Priest looked frustrated, as one would expect.

    They clearly wanted to do something different from the first two matches, so they worked a slower pace at first and sold each move a bit more. The fans continued to chant for Uso whenever he was in control and kept the energy high even when the action was slow.

    Uso is great at short bursts of high-energy offense, which is something you see a lot in tag team wrestling. He and Priest did some good work, but there were times when it felt like they should have been doing just a bit more.

    Finn Bálor showed up and ate a superkick, but he distracted Uso long enough for Priest to hit South of Heaven for a two-count. Jey made a comeback and hit a series of superkicks and an Uso Splash. JD McDonagh showed up and put Priest's foot on the rope to break the pin.

    The Archer of Infamy hit South of Heaven from the middle rope to get the pin and retain his title.

    This was good, but it lacked the excitement of the first two bouts.

    Result: Priest defeated Uso

    Grade: B

    Notable Moments and Observations

    • The new Bloodline was shown walking past Jey backstage before the match, but nothing happened. It was just a quick look between brothers. 
    • The crowd made a huge difference in this match. In front of any other audience, this bout wouldn't have felt special. 
    • Uso taking so long to get up made Priest waiting to hit a chokeslam kind of awkward. 

Kabuki Warriors vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill (Women's Tag Titles)

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    The WWE Women's Tag Team Championships were on the line when Kairi Sane and Asuka defended the belts against Belair and Cargill.

    Belair and Asuka started for their teams, and Cargill and Sane then tagged in at the same time. The Storm put her strength on display by throwing Sane around as if she weighed nothing.

    Belair and Cargill controlled the pace quite a bit, but the champs used the numbers game and some double-team tactics to get the upper hand at times.

    The crowd remained lively and chanted for the babyfaces throughout the contest. You could tell the fans were excited to see Cargill every time she got the tag.

    The only real complaint that could be had about this one was where it was placed on the card. It almost feels like if WWE had reversed the order of the first four matches, everything would have flowed a bit better. That isn't the fault of the Superstars, though.

    This was still a solid performance that showcased two teams with different wrestling styles. The final few minutes were the best part of the whole match.

    Belair and Cargill hit their finishers and scored the pin to become the new women's tag team champions. The crowd gave them a great ovation.

    Result: Cargill and Belair defeated Sane and Asuka to win the women's tag titles

    Grade: B-

    Notable Moments and Observations

    • All four women had cool entrance gear. The snow during Cargill's entrance is a great touch. 
    • Asuka always dancing to Belair's music is hilarious. The Empress of Tomorrow's paint was really cool this time. It went down her neck instead of stopping at her chin. 
    • Sane hit a huge crossbody from the top rope to the floor. 
    • The Pirate Princess trying to get the pin when she wasn't legal was a weird moment. 
    • The way Cargill was throwing Sane around before hitting Jaded was awesome. 

Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles (WWE Universal Championship)

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    The main event of the night saw Styles challenge Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

    The crowd sang along with the champion's entire entrance song.

    You could feel the energy come through the TV as the French crowd went wild for The Phenomenal One and The American Nightmare before the match even started.

    They locked up and started with a standard exchange of holds, takedowns and counters. Commentator Corey Graves pointed out that both men had great amateur wrestling backgrounds as they grappled on the mat.

    Rhodes gave Styles a receipt from SmackDown by slapping him across the face. He even pulled out his old Stardust taunt to show that his opponent didn't get under his skin by bringing up his old gimmick.

    This was a match that highlighted the strengths of both men as performers. They are both at that point in their careers where they are veterans but still physically capable of putting on great performances, so expectations were high heading into Backlash. Being a first-time encounter added an extra layer of intrigue, too.

    WWE @WWE

    The INTENSITY matches the ATMOSPHERE at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWEBacklash?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWEBacklash</a>! <a href="https://t.co/XoBYHE2Sik">pic.twitter.com/XoBYHE2Sik</a>

    Sometimes placing lofty expectations on performers can lead to disappointment, but Rhodes and Styles gave us a good match and left plenty of room to grow in future encounters. Both men took some big bumps they will likely be feeling during their flight back to the U.S.

    They did a great job sprinkling in big spots throughout the contest to build anticipation for the finish, and the crowd kept chanting and cheering to keep them going.

    After hitting a few signature moves, The American Nightmare hit Cross Rhodes for the win.

    Result: Rhodes defeated Styles

    Grade: A

    Notable Moments and Observations

    • WWE announced some of the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring matches before the main event. 
    • It has been talked about a lot on social media, but Styles' new music is a big step down. 
    • It was nice of Irvin to wait until the crowd was done singing to give the official introductions. The camera shaking with the crowd chants was a cool moment.
    • Hearing commentator Michael Cole acknowledge that both men were in Bullet Club was surreal. 
    • Rhodes showed some good power and balance during an attempted superplex. 

The Lively French Crowd Made Backlash a Must-See Event

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    For the second year in a row, WWE has hosted one of the best crowds of the year by taking Backlash somewhere outside the continental United States.

    The fans in Lyon helped make this an unforgettable PPV for the Superstars in the ring and everyone watching at home. The energy of a crowd can often impact a show in good and bad ways, but this show saw nothing but positivity and excitement.

    The men and women of WWE made sure to give the fans a show to remember. There wasn't a single weak performance on the card, but a couple of bouts stood out more than the rest.

    The open tag match was turned into a Street Fight and allowed Owens, Orton, Sikoa and Tonga to kick the show off with a wild fight that went all over the LDLC Arena.

    However, it was the men's and women's WWE Championship matches that gave us the best bell-to-bell action. Bayley, Naomi, Stratton, Styles and Rhodes all deserve praise for their performances on Saturday.

    The debut of Tanga Loa was a genuine surprise, which is something we don't often get in pro wrestling anymore, so it's going to be a talking point for weeks to come.

    As a whole, WWE Backlash was a big success.

    Grade: A