WWE is back with its follow-up to WrestleMania, with Backlash. The entire landscape has shifted just a tad since Las Vegas, with John Cena now in his record-breaking 17th championship as he moseys on down for retirement later this year.
With Triple H now firmly in the creative seat, Backlash isn’t often the place for major upheavals. Over the last few years, most championship matches have been won by the belt holder, with a slight air of predictability. This is effectively a stopgap or a way to fully cement that individual coming out of WrestleMania.
WWE Backlash betting odds
As of right now, the betting odds are via BetOnline:
Singles match:
Gunther (-1000) vs Pat McAfeee (+550)
Jacob Fatu (-5000) vs LA Knight (+900) vs Damian Priest (+1200) vs Drew McIntyre (+600)
Becky Lynch (-400) vs Lyra Valkyria (+250)
Dominik Mysterio (-900) vs Penta (+500)
John Cena (-5000) vs Randy Orton (+1000)
Backlash analysis
This analysis of the upcoming show is not advice on who to bet on. Wrestling is subject to changes up to and during the show, including mid-match. ReadWrite is not affiliated with BetOnline.
For instance, it’s unlikely that John Cena, who is now a heel – or bad guy – will drop the Undisputed WWE belt to Randy Orton. Inane buffoon and commentator, Pat McAfee will go up against Gunther in what I predict will be more of a spectacle than actual match.
Intercontinental championship match quandary
The two matches where things could go either way are Dominik Mysterio vs Penta and Lyra Valkyria vs Becky Lynch. These are for the Men’s and Women’s Intercontinental Championship, respectively.
WWE has just made a massive move over Wrestlemania weekend, purchasing legendary lucha federation, AAA. Should WWE want to promote AAA in a bigger capacity, both Mysterio and Penta would be a good fit to make an appearance with the belt in the future.
Penta comes from the Mexican company, starting in 2010 as Pentagón Jr. Mysterio is the son of legendary luchador, Rey Mysterio Jr., and has been white hot with the crowd since turning heel. Milking Dom for everything he has right now would be the smart move by Triple H, before catapulting him further in the future.
It would also provide an actual reason for it to be called the “Intercontinental” championship, rather than being stuck in the US as a mid-card belt.
Women’s match head scratcher
On the flip side, for the women’s match, it ultimately depends on whether the Lyra Valkyria experiment is to continue. Becky Lynch is a far bigger star, and capitalising on that by giving her the belt could be the way forward. Valkyria has had the belt since its inception in January 2025, winning a tournament for it, and it could be the belt that slips between wrestlers, similar to the US belt.
US title bout
The US title’s fatal four-way match should be good fun, but it’s easy to see that they’re not done with Jacob Fatu just yet. Building up someone like Fatu as a ruthless killer in and out of the ring would be completely shot in the foot if he were to lose weeks after acquiring the belt.
After a muddy build to WrestleMania, WWE appears to be getting back on track. Backlash airs on Peacock at 7 ET/4 PT in the US and on Netflix in the UK.
