Backlash 2017: The Unhindering

Backlash 2017 was a very interesting show. I'm sure you will get plenty of opinions on whether or not it was a good show, but I was entertained overall, and that's enough for me.

The first match of the night was on the preshow. Aiden English did good enough of a job getting cheap heat from the Chicago crowd before being interrupted yet again by Tye Dillinger. Tyr appears to have won his outfit in some sort of intergalactic tournament, successfully finding a way to make Chris Jericho's entrance gear look subdued and modest. As expected, Dillinger gets the win in a pretty standard preshow match.

In retrospect, I shouldn't be surprised that Nakamura vs Ziggler was the first match of the main show. These are two guys that can go, and while Ziggler has never been someone I've enjoyed, he has done a pretty good job in the past of helping guys get over. Opening matches have become somewhat known for high octane offense and hard hitting moves. That's why when this match became a weird showcase of Dolph Ziggler and rest holds, I got taken out of it a bit. This isn't to say it was a bad match, it was just significantly different from what I expected and what I wanted. The commentary team did the match no favors, but I think the bigger issue was just two styles that didn't mesh well. I've always thought Ziggler's style felt cartoonish in the worst way possible. Just an over-glossed shiny package of overselling and flailing about. Contrasted with Nakamura's style, which looks very hard hitting and real, the match just felt off. Overall, it was just there. Not good, not bad.

Next we had the tag titles on the line in a match between Breezango and the Usos. Tyler Breeze was clearly the star of this match, possibly outshined by a mop, but certainly by no other humans. The spot where he was avoiding the top rope splash had me in stitches. This match was everything I love about pro wrestling. The competitors clearly didn't take themselves too seriously, and it resulted in one of the most memorable matches of the night. While the Usos retained,  I think the match did a lot for Breezango, and I'm hoping this leads to more opportunities for these two.

Sami Zayn took on Baron Corbin next. I enjoyed this match. It wasn't the best or most memorable match of the night but the two worked well together. In the end, the underdog from the underground, Sami Zayn picks up the victory in a match both men came out of looking good. I wouldn't be surprised to see this feud continue, but I could easily see it ending here as well. I think the best course of action would be for them to use their history to add another level of intrigue to the money in the bank match, which I expect both to be a part of. On a related note, Sami has new pants with an Operation Ivy quote on them. Nothing particularly remarkable here, but I like them.

James Ellsworth came to the ring to begin the introductions for the six women tag match. I really can't see why this match wasn't on a regular episode of Smackdown Live, so that all of these women could move on. Instead we have the "welcoming committee" taking on Naomi, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch. The name "the welcoming committee" is super clunky, though I don't hate the idea of pairing Carmella and Ellsworth with Tamina. Allowing Ellsworth and Carmella to be scared, sneaky heels while Tamina just hits power moves and superkicks seems like a winning situation for all involved. I've never been sold on Natalya. Becky and Charlotte are certainly the best in the ring out of all of the Smackdown Live women's roster, though I am glad they aren't thrown right into a feud with each other. Naomi has a fun entrance, but her offense is really weird. Her awkward kick combos are hard to watch, but she'll usually pull a few moves out of her belt that will surprise you. Hopefully this tag match was just being used as a reset on the division and everyone will be doing more meaningful things in the coming weeks. In the end, Natalya makes Becky tap to the sharpshooter. I have no idea why.

The new face of America defended the US title against the Phenomenal One next in what is absolutely the match of the night. Kevin Owens and AJ Styles are two of the best in the world right now, and the best in the WWE. In the end we see AJ's leg get tangled in one of the ringside announce tables while getting counted out so KO gets the win. While a lot of fans seemed to dislike the finish, it felt like the perfect way for Owens to score the win tonight. It was a creative finish, and even though he was very competitive throughout the match, he still looks like a bit of a coward for winning via countout. Clearly this isn't the last time we see these two compete against each other, and I can't wait for the rematch.

The cooldown match between the two singles title matches was between two former Wyatt Family members and former tag team champions, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper. This was a very physical match, and I'm curious to watch it without seeing Owens vs Styles right before it. Both men put on a good show in this athletic hoss fight, though I can't say that I agree with the finish. Luke Harper had a ton of momentum early in the year, but then he was given up on. Erick Rowan has been showing quite a bit more character than we have ever seen from him before (minus that really strange solo run he had surrounding Survivor Series a few years back), yet he takes the loss after a discus lariat from Harper. This feels like a match that deserves a rematch, and I'm looking forward to this feud getting fleshed out a bit more.

In the main event of the evening, Randy Orton looked to keep his 13th title run alive against Jinder Mahal. It has been quite some time since I've truly enjoyed a Randy Orton match, and Jinder Mahal was never my cup of tea. With that said, I've enjoyed his most recent run as a heel, and in some ways I'm interested to see where this goes. I don't expect to see him in a five star match, but some of the most popular wrestlers of all time have been terrible in the ring. Jinder isn't Hulk Hogan, but I like to see fresh blood in the main event scene. As of right now, I do agree with the idea that it is too much too soon for this relatively unproven challenger-now-champion, but I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised by a serviceable title run.