WWE returns live tonight from “The Sunshine State.”
The annual WWE Backlash premium live event takes place this evening from Tampa, FL., with the ‘Countdown’ pre-show kicking off at 4/3c, leading into the main show starting at 6/5c.
‘WWE Then. Now. Forever. Together.’ airs to get the ‘Countdown to WWE Backlash: Tampa’ pre-show officially off-and-running. Michael Cole then welcomes us to the show as we see arrival shots of various WWE Superstars, including Danhausen, who rides in on his special Danhausen-mobile.
The cold open video airs on that note, and then we shoot to the special setup outside the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, FL., complete with a sea of WWE fans. Cole addresses the fans as the camera shot settles to the panel, which includes Big E., Corey Graves and Peter Rosenberg.
Cathy Kelley, Byron Saxton and Jackie Redmond check in from various spots inside and outside of tonight’s show venue. Cole then sends us to part one of his in-depth sit-down interview with Seth Rollins, who talks about his battle in his comeback match against Gunther, and his rivalry with Bron Breakker.
Things return to the desk, where the four pre-show panelists begin digging into tonight’s card, dissecting and giving their expert analysis for the matches scheduled for the show this evening. To the surprise of nobody, virtually every time Big E. opens his mouth, fans loudly chant “New Day rocks!”
Jacob Fatu with a mini-Ola Fala around his neck is shown in a backstage walk-and-talk promo, fired up, as he talks about his big opportunity to prove against “The OTC” Roman Reigns that he is, in fact, all gas and no brakes with it. The pre-show panelists talk us through the Tale of the Tape for this main event match.
We see a video package looking at the road to Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams II for the WWE United States Championship, including the Gingerbread Man shenanigans. Live backstage, we see Cathy Kelley standing by with a smiling Zayn, until she makes a pun about him getting “Tricked” on SmackDown. Zayn rants about respect.
The Usos are introduced. They come out to a big crowd reaction and join the panel for talk about Florida Championship Wrestling and the legacy that FCW has had on the business. A FCW video package airs during this segment as well.
We move on to a video package and talk for the Asuka vs. Iyo Sky match. The pre-show panelists agree that it will be the match of the night. We then go backstage to Cathy Kelley, who interviews The Miz and Kit Wilson. Basic stuff here. Byron Saxton talks to Danhausen, who says he’ll curse Saxton if he asks about his mystery partner again.
Now they promote the second hour of the pre-show being available on ESPN 2. We see Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, as he’ll be appearing later in the program. Superstar arrivals are shown again. We then shoot to part two of Michael Cole’s sit-down interview with Seth Rollins.
A package on Charlotte Flair and a special fan airs, as well as a Top 10 OTC moments countdown feature, with the pre-show panelists chiming in with some thoughts on many of them. The panelists, from their secondary position, send it to ringside. The national anthem is sung and the pre-show wraps up.
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
The cold open video package airs to kick off the premium live event portion of tonight’s highly-anticipated show. 15,215 fans are inside the Benchmark International Arena, according to Michael Cole, who welcomes us live as the show gets started.
We then hear the familiar sounds of Seth Rollins’ theme song. The crowd explodes and begins loudly singing along as “The Visionary” and “The Revolutionary” of WWE makes his way out to the ring in a Sub Zero from Mortal Kombat-style attire for our opening match.
Bron Breakker’s ring entrance gets a little upgrade. He’s dressed like Rick Steiner Jr. this evening. It doesn’t take long for this one to get officially off-and-running, with more of the first few minutes taking place outside of the ring as opposed to inside it.
Within the first sixty seconds, Rollins dodges an opening spear, sends Breakker outside and hits a suicide dive; follows it up by beating Breakker up the ramp and back to the ring; then sends him back outside to hit another suicide dive. Rollins maintains control for the first two minutes.
Breakker manages to snag control and slows the pace drastically. The ref gives a lot of lateral, allowing the action to maintain outside for lengthy periods. Breakker spends about a minute slowly beating Rollins around the ring before taking it back inside.
Breakker maintains a slow pace, using slow strikes, trash talking, and suplexes to maintain control. Rollins begins to throw rights in an effort to gain separation, but Breakker shuts it down with a snap suplex. Breakker with a German suplex; he then takes several long moments jawing off-mic at the crowd and stalking Rollins.
Breakker with a read naked choke but Rollins escapes. Breakker maintains control as we approach the five-minute mark in our opening match. Things finally start to slow down a bit now. Rollins looks for the Stomp but Breakker rose up, and Rollins pivoted into a kick.
Rollins covers but no joy. Rollins grabs Breakker’s wrists and begins to stomp his chest, then sets up for another Stomp. Rollins blows a kiss goodbye to Heyman before attempting the Stomp; this allows Breakker enough time to recover and block the move.
Breakker hits a military press into a gut-bomb knee drop. Rollins recovers and goes for a Stomp. Breakker avoids it and strikes, hitting a standing Moonsault. Breakker covers but no joy. Breakker takes Rollins into a corner, firing off five punches. Rollins powers out of the corner, hitting a Buckle Bomb on Bron Breakker on the opposite corner.
Breakker Cena’s up and comes out of the corner with a big clothesline, dropping Rollins. Both men are down for a few. Rollins exits the ring, recovering as he limps around it. Breakker recovers and takes down Rollins before setting him up on a commentary table.
Breakker gets on the apron and hits a leaping clothesline to Rollins, across the table. Breakker takes Rollins back into the ring as the re counts a warning. Both Superstars battle near the corner and onto the ropes. Rollins executes his signature Superplex.
Before he can chain it into a Falcon Arrow, Breakker interrupts the move and hits a Falcon Arrow on Rollins! The crowd is on fire for this. Breakker covers but no pin, no joy, no finish. Breakker takes Rollins into a nearby corner and batters him as he positions him the top turnbuckle.
Breakker with a Frankensteiner off the top! Bron again positions Seth on the top turnbuckle and hits another Frankensteiner. Rollins lands on his feet and begins to fire up. Rollins ducks under a clothesline and connects with a Superkick! And another! He goes for a third but Breakker blocks it.
Rollins counters with a Pedigree to a big pop! The crowd is on their feet as Rollins hits the Stomp on Breakker! Heyman distracts the ref so Rollins can’t pin. Rollins rolls out of the ring and gets a steel chair. His spider-sense must be tingling, because he turns just in time to take out Logan Paul and Austin Theory as they try to attack from behind outside the ring.
Seth uses the chair to chase them off then charges the ring. As soon as Seth enters, Breakker connects with a big spear. Breakker pulls down his straps and looks for a spear. Rollins counters by hopping up and converting Breakker’s momentum into a Pedigree.
Rollins heads up top, looking for an Avalanche Stomp. Breakker cosplays as a Patriot missile and intercepts Seth, dropping him out of the sky with a spear. Breakker follows it up with a second spear and covers to pick up the victory in an excellent opener.
Winner: Bron Breakker
WWE United States Championship
Trick Williams (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Now it’s time for our second match of the evening, as the free and live first hour on ESPN 2 continues. It will be Trick Williams, with Lil Yachty, defending his WWE United States Championship against former title-holder Sami Zayn. The video package airs to tell the story leading up to this one.
Sami Zayn makes his way out first, and you can tell immediately it’s gonna be a pro-Trick and anti-Sami crowd. Not one. Both. He settles in the ring and the lights go out. A dramatic pause leads to the horns, which leads to the Lemon Pepper Steppers, which leads to the U.S. champ accompanied by Lil Yachty.
The crowd loudly chants “Whoop that Trick!” and the crowd noise-level meter flashes on the screen and hits the red at the top. He settles in the ring, soaks up the love, and then things get officially off-and-running. Anytime Zayn does anything, the crowd boos the living crap out of him, Dominik Mysterio, Don Callis-style.
After a few minutes of back-and-forth action, Zayn settles into the offensive lead. Things spill out to the floor, where Lil Yachty ends up getting taken out with a Helluva Kick from Zayn. Back in the ring, Zayn looks to do the same to Trick, but Trick avoids it and hits a Trick Shot for the win. Lil Yachty throws cash around after.
Winner and STILL WWE United States Champion: Trick Williams
Danhausen & Mini-Hausen vs. The Miz & Kit Wilson
Who is the Mystery partnerhausen? It’s almost time to find out. The ESPN 2 portion of the show wraps up, and it’s all pay to play from here on out, as we finish up the remainder of the premium live event in premium-fashion, on the ESPN Unlimited app. The video package airs to set the stage for our next bout.
Back live, Michael Cole plugs a WWE Shop sale and shows the General Auto Insurance seat upgrade winners for the show. He literally says “Holla Holla!” during this plug. Anyways, the viral entrance for Kit Wilson hits and out he comes first for his team. His “Awesome” partner The Miz joins him and they head to the ring.
They settle in the ring and then a cinematic experience-style movie trailer in the style of Pulp Fiction airs to begin the final hype for Danhausen and his mystery partner. Out comes Danhausen on his tankhausen, and we get a big dramatic buildup. Smoke pours out of the entrance and when it clears, we see, Mini-hausen.
That’s right. Danhausen and a mini-me lookalike is the one-two combo that will be taking on The Miz and Kit Wilson. At least that’s what we’re supposed to believe at this point. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. The crowd couldn’t be more dead for this, clearly waiting for the real reveal.
Danhausen and Mini-hausen start off well. They control the early offense and even hit an off-the-shoulders mini-splash from the ring apron to the floor on both Miz and Wilson. Back in the ring, Miz and Wilson take over and double-team Mini-hausen. Danhausen eventually gets the hot tag, and the offensive momentum shifts.
Mini-Hausen ends up fighting with Kit Wilson back up the entrance ramp. Wilson ends up throwing him in the cloning machine box and sealing it shut. The fireworks and lights go off and the door opens. Out comes a bunch of Mini-Hausens like at WrestleMania. Danhausen ends up getting the win after comedy spots. Wow.
Winners: Danhausen & Mini-Hausen
Iyo Sky vs. Asuka
Now it’s time for the lone women’s match on the card, as former Damage CTRL members turned enemies Iyo Sky and Asuka go one-on-one in our next bout of the evening. It’s co-main event time at WWE Backlash: Tampa. The video package airs to set the stage for this one.
After the ring walks and the bell, this one gets underway. They flip each other around to start and then trade forearms, with Sky sending her into the corner. Sky sends her into the ropes and kicks her into the apron, followed by more kicks to the face.
Asuka grabs a Boston crab in the ropes before starting in on the arm. Sky strikes back and hits a missile dropkick, allowing her to flip up into the crazy pose. Back up and Asuka goes for the arm again before hitting a jawbreaker. Asuka’s armbar is countered into an Asuka Lock from Sky, sending Asuka over to the ropes.
They head outside with Asuka loading up the announcers’ table. Sky gets smart though and uses a laptop to block the mist, setting up a crossbody off the table to drop Asuka again. Back in and Sky knocks her down again but Over The Moonsault is blocked.
A cross armbreaker into the Asuka Lock has Sky in even more trouble but she rolls out for the break. The release German suplex sets up the Bullet Train Attack and now Over The Moonsault can connect for the pin and victory. Post match respect is shown between the two former partners and friends.
Winner: Iyo Sky
John Cena Announces The John Cena Classic
After a pause between the action, we head back down to ringside. The legendary sounds of John Cena’s theme hits the house speakers and out comes “The Greatest of All-Time” for his promised “history-making” and “career-defining” “epic” announcement. All descriptions used by Cena himself to build this up heading into tonight’s show.
Cena says it’s fun to be able to be in the ring without having to get in a fight. The fans chant ONE MORE MATCH and Cena says he was expecting that. He talks about the last night of his career and how he wanted it to be about an opportunity.
That night we saw people like Sol Ruca, Je’Von Evans and Oba Femi. Cena hopes Femi is listening because that’s what this is all about. It worked so well that we can do it again, with the John Cena Classic. The best of today vs. the best of tomorrow in a one night event for a brand new championship.
Cena has said before that the biggest stars are the WWE Universe and for the first time in history, the fans’ voices will be heard louder than ever before. The fans will vote to crown the first champion and every participant qualifies.
He says just because you don’t win your match, you could still win the fans’ vote and win the competition. Cena thanks everyone for giving this a shot and says it’s now main event time. With that said, the brief Cena announcement segment wraps up and the show moves on.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
It’s main event time!
After the elaborate pre-match video package, we return inside the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, FL., where the theme for Jacob Fatu hits the house speakers. Out comes “The Samoan Werewolf” for his big main event championship opportunity.
Fatu comes out wearing an Oola Fala of his own made by the daughter of Haku. The commentators point out that Haku perfected the Tongan Death Grip, a move they make clear is not something generally used against family, and is usually reserved for situations where all-else fails.
Once the challenger settles in the ring, his music dies down and the elaborate, dramatic, time-consuming ring entrance for the reigning champion begins. “The Original Tribal Chief,” the “OTC” himself, Roman Reigns, emerges. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion heads to the ring for his title defense.
Reigns shoulders him down to start so Fatu grabs a headlock. Fatu knocks him outside for the suicide dive and the Tongan Death Grip goes on, with Fatu sending him into the post. For some reason Fatu lets go and Reigns is in trouble as he gets tossed back inside.
A neck snap across the top gets Reigns out of trouble but Fatu shoves him out of the corner. Reigns’ arm gets trapped and Fatu drops him with a clothesline before sending him into the post. Fatu tries a big charge but hits the post, allowing Reigns to nail the Superman Punch for a one count.
Back up and Fatu knocks him into the corner for the running Umaga Attack, only for Reigns to come back with the Superman Punch for two. They head outside where the announcers’ table is loaded up, only for Fatu to powerbomb him through it instead. Back in and a spear gives Reigns two but he charges into a pop up Samoan drop.
The triple jump moonsault gives Fatu a VERY close near fall but his Swanton hits raised knees. The slugout goes to Fatu, who sends him into the corner for the running Umaga Attack. Fatu gets the Death Grip but Reigns stops at two arm drops. The referee gets bumped but Reigns hits a Superman Punch into another spear for two.
Fatu gets the Death Grip on again but Reigns rips off a turnbuckle pad and sends Fatu face first. Another spear retains the title. Post match Fatu lays Reigns out again and gets another Tongan Death Grip, even as agents come down. One of them is sent outside and Fatu Grips him again, with Reigns foaming at the mouth. Fatu poses with the title as the show ends. Thanks for joining us!
Winner and STILL WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns