WWE Backlash 2025 Report Card: Grading Every Match And Moment, Including John Cena and Randy Orton’s Final Clash

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WWE took the quick turnaround from Wrestlemania and put out a really solid show with WWE Backlash. Five entertaining bouts with two in particular standing out as major highlights. The hot St. Louis crowd definitely ramped up the excitement giving the entire night a big-event feel. Keep reading below for results and grades on a great night of action at WWE Backlash.

United States Championship Fatal-4-Way Match: LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest vs. Jacob Fatu

Man, watching the entrances it really is a matter of time before Jacob Fatu becomes a World Champion. He radiates star power. But for now, he’s here mixing it up with three other popular and equally hard-hitting stars. Priest was shining early on getting some offense in on everyone. The momentum eventually shifted and we got a nice face-to-face showdown between McIntyre and Fatu. Fatu gained the upper hand and really began rolling, even busting out a Swanton Bomb. A chain of finishers from all the other competitors soon followed with no one able to secure a pin.

McIntyre landed a Claymore on Knight and nearly finished things only for Priest to pull the referee out of the ring. The two brawled to the outside where Priest put McIntyre through a table with a South of Heaven effectively taking them out of the match. This left Knight and Fatu squaring off until Solo Sikoa showed up with surprise backup in the form of a debuting Jeff Cobb. They laid out Knight making it easy for Fatu to get the pin. Fatu didn’t seem too pleased with this development but he retains the title nonetheless in a terrific table-setter of a bout. WWE Backlash is off to a strong start.

Result: Jacob Fatu def. Drew McIntyre, LA Knight and Damian Priest via pinfall

Grade: A-

Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria

Extra intensity from Valkyria during her entrance, staring down Lynch almost the whole way down. That carried over into the early going where she put Lynch through the ringer with a string of submission holds. The advantage didn’t last though, as Lynch turned the tide and ramped up the physicality. Battering the champ in and out of the ring, Lynch was in fine form. Valkyria went on a run of counters and looked absolutely terrific. The chemistry between these two continues to be phenomenal.

Another fantastic sequence where they traded armbars to no avail and Lynch got a close near-fall that started a “this is awesome” chant from the WWE Backlash crowd. I concur. The finish saw Valkyria reverse a roll-up into one of her own for the pin. Lynch immediately attacked her after the bell and put her in a ‘Dis-Arm-Her’ for added measure. Valkyria may have also suffered a broken nose thanks to a palm strike to the face. This was tremendous stuff. Lynch was on a mission to shine up Valkyria and the champion was up to the task. It was exactly what I hoped for from this match.

Result: Lyra Valkyria def. Becky Lynch via pinfall

Grade: A

Intercontinental Championship Match: Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio

Fast-paced action right off the bat in this one. It quickly poured to the outside where the two superstars traded chops. Penta gained the upper hand but began favoring his lower back. It continued to be a thread throughout the bout but not enough to keep him from hitting a Mexican Destroyer on the apron.

At this point, the rest of Judgment Day tried to get involved but a hesitation from Finn Balor resulted in all three of them getting tossed from ringside. As Balor continued to be stopped by the ref, there was even more interference in the form of El Grande Americano. He was successful in his attempt, nailing Penta with a loaded headbutt that took him out and allowed Mysterios to hit a frog splash for the win. Short, fun bout with lots of shenanigans that will undoubtedly further the feud between Penta and Gabl-err, I mean Americano. Mysterio, meanwhile, is on to the next one.

Result: Dominik Mysterio def. Penta via pinfall

Grade: B

Gunther vs. Pat McAfee

McAfee looked awfully spry for a man walking into his own funeral. Michael Cole’s commentary added a ton to the proceedings here, rooting for his buddy while also showing remorse for getting him into this predicament. The majority of this went exactly as you’d expect, with McAfee showing a bit of fire only to have his chest chopped raw by ‘The Ring General.’ There were a couple of times when McAfee sparked a bit of a serious run but it would quickly get snuffed out.

Gunther continued to toy with McAfee, much to the dismay of Cole who kept begging him to just end the match. It got to the point where Cole had seen enough and tried to get involved. This did not go well but McAfee stepped in before Gunther could lay a hurting on Cole. Things didn’t go on much longer as Gunther eventually put McAfee to sleep for the win. McAfee held his own all things considered, even if the show of respect at the end felt a little forced and hokey. But, the company feels the need to ensure he is ingratiated with the crowd. It seemed to work on this night.

Result: Gunther def. Pat McAfee via submission

Grade: B-

Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Massive hometown reception for Orton, as expected. Cena relishing the boos and dueling chants. Leaning into the history between these two really does add a ton to this bout. You can’t manufacture that type of intrigue overnight. The two set a pretty deliberate pace which fits their style. Loved Orton busting out the old Garvin stomp. These two could put on a solid match with each other in their sleep and it showed here. They weren’t missing a beat and the reversed face/heel dynamic lent some freshness to this one.

Pretty cool spot towards the middle where Orton reversed an AA into an RKO. Things eventually spilled to the outside where the ref got taken out and the chaos really opened up. Orton set up a table and used Cena’s own finisher to put him through it. Another RKO in the ring led to a near fall once another ref made it down. Yet another RKO and another ref bump led to Nick Aldis and a bunch of officials coming out. This led to a parade of RKO’s as they each ate one for their trouble.

The finish saw R-Truth come down to plead for Orton to show mercy. Orton disposed of him but the distraction was enough to open the window for Cena to nail a low blow and a headshot with the title to escape WWE Backlash with the win. Really solid bout with Orton especially looking fantastic. I wasn’t wild about the overbooked finish, particularly Truth’s involvement. But if they pay it off in a strong way, such as Cena wrecking him to ramp up his heel run, I suppose it’ll be worth it.

Result: John Cena def. Randy Orton via pinfall

Grade: B

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By Jose Maldonado
An unabashed wrestling fan and self professed movie fanatic, Jose has a lifetime's worth of knowledge and passion that ... More about Jose Maldonado
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