Backlash France

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Backlash France
Promotional poster featuring Cody Rhodes
PromotionWWE
Brand(s)Raw
SmackDown
DateMay 4, 2024
CityDécines-Charpieu, Metropolis of Lyon, France
VenueLDLC Arena
Attendance11,628[1]
Tagline(s)"Nightmares Do Come True"
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Backlash France was a 2024 professional wrestling event produced by the American company WWE. It was the 19th Backlash event and took place on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu in the Metropolis of Lyon, France. The event aired via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. This was WWE's first PPV and livestreaming event to be held in France, and the first Backlash held outside of North America. The concept of the event was based around the backlash from WrestleMania XL.

Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Cody Rhodes defeated AJ Styles to retain SmackDown's Undisputed WWE Championship. The referee for the match was Jessika Carr, who became the first woman to referee a WWE world title main event.[2] In other prominent matches, Damian Priest defeated Jey Uso to retain Raw's World Heavyweight Championship and Bayley defeated Naomi and Tiffany Stratton in a triple threat match to retain SmackDown's WWE Women's Championship. The event was also notable for the WWE in-ring debut of Tama Tonga, as well as the return of his adopted brother (biological cousin), Tanga Loa, who previously performed in WWE as Camacho from 2009 to 2014.

The event received highly positive reviews, highlighted by the strong crowd reactions similar to Backlash from the previous year. WWE reported that the event set the record for the largest arena gate in company history.

Production[edit]

Background[edit]

Backlash is a recurring professional wrestling event that was established by the American promotion WWE in 1999.[3] It was held annually from 1999 to 2009, but was then discontinued until it was reinstated in 2016 and has been held every year since, except in 2019. The original concept of the event was based around the backlash from WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania. The events between 2016 and 2020 did not carry this theme; however, the 2021 event returned Backlash to this original concept.[4]

In late October 2023, reports emerged that WWE were discussing plans to hold the 2024 Backlash in Paris, France.[5] The following month on November 16, the company announced that the 19th Backlash would be held in France, but in Décines-Charpieu, in the Lyon Metropolis, on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the newly constructed LDLC Arena, which opened that same month. This subsequently marked WWE's first pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event to be held in the country, with the event in turn titled Backlash France, as well as the first Backlash held outside of North America. The event was based around the backlash of WrestleMania XL and featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. It aired on PPV worldwide and was available to livestream on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network in most international markets. Additionally, the May 3 episode of Friday Night SmackDown was held at the same arena, marking the first time that the program was broadcast from France.[6] Tickets went on sale on January 12, 2024.[7]

Storylines[edit]

The event included five matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[8][9] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.[10]

On Night 2 of WrestleMania XL, LA Knight defeated AJ Styles, while later that night in the main event, Cody Rhodes won SmackDown's Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.[11] On April 12, it was announced that Rhodes's first challenger for the title would be determined by a tournament that would begin on that night's SmackDown. Knight and Styles subsequently won their respective triple threat matches.[12] The following week, Styles defeated Knight to earn the championship match against Rhodes at Backlash France.[13]

On Night 2 of WrestleMania XL, Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to win Raw's World Heavyweight Championship.[11] The next night on Raw, Jey Uso won a fatal four-way match to become the number one contender for the title,[14] which was scheduled for Backlash France.[15]

On Night 2 of WrestleMania XL, Bayley won SmackDown's WWE Women's Championship.[11] On the following episode of SmackDown, Bayley said she wanted to give new opportunities to the other women on the roster to challenge her for the title. Tiffany Stratton interrupted to accept the opportunity; however, Bayley said that she was talking about giving Naomi a chance. Stratton then insulted Naomi, prompting her to come to the ring. After a discussion between Naomi and Stratton, they faced each other in a match to determine who would challenge Bayley for the championship, which Naomi won. The title match took place on the next episode, but ended in a no-contest after Stratton attacked both Bayley and Naomi.[12] Another match between Naomi and Stratton was then scheduled for the next episode to determine who would challenge Bayley for the championship at Backlash France, but ended in another no-contest after interference from Nia Jax, who had been drafted to SmackDown earlier that night. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis then announced that Bayley would defend the WWE Women's Championship against both Naomi and Stratton in a triple threat match at Backlash France.[16]

On Night 1 of WrestleMania XL, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill's team defeated Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane) in a six-woman tag team match by way of Cargill pinning Sane.[17] On the April 26 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Sane) would defend the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship against Belair and Cargill at Backlash France.[16]

Following his loss on Night 2 of WrestleMania XL, The Bloodline's leader Roman Reigns went on hiatus.[11] Solo Sikoa then began taking charge of the group by removing Jimmy Uso and then introducing the debuting Tama Tonga on the April 12 episode of SmackDown, much to the dismay of the faction's special counsel Paul Heyman.[12] The following week, the duo viciously assaulted Kevin Owens.[13] On the April 26 episode, when The Bloodline again attempted to attack Owens, one of Owens's WrestleMania opponents who also had previous issues with The Bloodline, Randy Orton, made the save. Later that night, it was announced that Orton and Owens would face The Bloodline (Sikoa and Tonga) in a tag team match at Backlash France, marking Tonga's WWE in-ring debut.[16]

Event[edit]

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English commentators Michael Cole
Corey Graves
Spanish commentators Marcelo Rodriguez
Jerry Soto
French commentators Christophe Agius
Phillipe Chéreau
Ring announcer Samantha Irvin
Referees Danilo Anfibio
Jessika Carr
Dan Engler
Charles Robinson
Interviewer Byron Saxton
Pre-show panel Jackie Redmond
CM Punk
Big E

Preliminary matches[edit]

In the first match of the event, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton faced The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga, accompanied by Paul Heyman). The match was originally scheduled as a regular tag team match, but the two teams brawled before the bell rang, prompting SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis to make the match a Street Fight. In the climax, after Owens performed an avalanche Fisherman's Buster on Tonga onto chairs and attempted to pin him, Tonga's brother Tanga Loa appeared and pulled the referee out of the ring. Loa then used the steel steps on Owens and Orton. In the ring, Sikoa hit Owens with the Samoan Spike and pinned him to win. This marked Loa's return to WWE, who previously performed in the company as Camacho from 2009 to 2014.[1]

In the second match, Bayley defended the WWE Women's Championship against Naomi and Tiffany Stratton in a triple threat match. After Stratton attempted a double Prettiest Moonsault Ever, she was caught by a 1D from Naomi and Bayley. Naomi attempted The La Magistral, but Bayley reversed into a pin to retain. After the match, Bayley and Naomi embraced in the ring as a show of sportsmanship.[1]

After that, Damian Priest defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Jey Uso. During the match, despite telling them not to get involved, Priest's Judgment Day stablemate JD McDonagh came out and attacked Uso behind the referee's back. Other stablemate Finn Bálor also attempted to interfere but Uso superkicked him off the apron. Uso then pinned Priest, but McDonagh put Priest's foot on the bottom rope, voiding the pin. Uso then attacked McDonagh with The Suicide Dive and speared Bálor on the floor. Uso then went to the top rope for an Uso Splash, but Priest intervened and performed an avalanche South of Heaven Chokeslam and pinned Uso to retain. After the match, McDonagh and Bálor attacked Uso, but an angry Priest pulled them off of him and scolded them for getting involved.[1]

In the penultimate match, The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) defended the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship against Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. Belair and Cargill dominated the early portion of the match before being picked apart by the Kabuki's tag team specialism. In the end, Cargill caught Sane in midair and performed Jaded followed by Belair hitting the KOD on Asuka and then pinned her to win the championship. This marked Cargill's first WWE championship and also made Belair the ninth WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion.[1]

Main event[edit]

In the main event, Cody Rhodes defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against AJ Styles. Throughout the match, both managed to counter the other's signature moves. In the climax, after Rhodes slammed Styles through the French announce table, Rhodes hit the Cody Cutter followed by the Cross Rhodes and pinned Styles to retain.[1]

Results[edit]

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[1]
1The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga) (with Paul Heyman) defeated Kevin Owens and Randy Orton by pinfallTag team Street Fight[a][18]
19:25
2Bayley (c) defeated Naomi and Tiffany Stratton by pinfallTriple threat match for the WWE Women's Championship[19]13:10
3Damian Priest (c) defeated Jey Uso by pinfallSingles match for the World Heavyweight Championship[20]15:45
4Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defeated The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) (c) by pinfallTag team match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship[21]17:25
5Cody Rhodes (c) defeated AJ Styles by pinfallSingles match for the Undisputed WWE Championship[22]27:20
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Undisputed WWE Championship Eliminator Tournament (2024)[edit]

This section is transcluded from List of WWE tournaments. (edit | history)

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The match was originally scheduled as a regular tag team match. However, as both teams were fighting each other before the match actually began, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis came out and changed the match stipulation to a Street Fight.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Powell, Jason (May 4, 2024). "WWE Backlash France results: Powell's live review of Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, Damian Priest vs. Jey Uso for the World Hvt. Title, Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  2. ^ Lowson, Thomas (May 5, 2024). "Jessika Carr Makes History As WWE's First Female To Referee A World Title Main Event". SE Scoops. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "WWE Backlash". The History of WWE. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  4. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (April 11, 2021). "WWE Announces WrestleMania Backlash For May". Fightful. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  5. ^ Carey, Ian (October 25, 2023). "Report: WWE has 'heavily discussed' Paris for Backlash 2024". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  6. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (November 16, 2023). "WWE Backlash France To Take Place In France On May 4, 2024". Fightful. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  7. ^ Boone, Matt (December 14, 2023). "WWE Backlash 2024 Ticket On-Sale Date For Return To France Announced". PWMania. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  9. ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  10. ^ Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d Powell, Jason (April 7, 2024). "WrestleMania XL results: Powell's live review of night two with Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Universal Championship with Bloodline Rules, Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e Barnett, Jake (April 12, 2024). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (4/12): Barnett's review of the appearances of new champs Cody Rhodes and Bayley, Triple Threats for a shot at the WWE Universal Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Barnett, Jake (April 19, 2024). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (4/19): Barnett's review of Bayley vs. Naomi for the WWE Women's Championship, LA Knight vs. AJ Styles for a shot at the WWE Championship at WWE Backlash". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  14. ^ Powell, Jason (April 8, 2024). "WWE Raw results (4/8): Powell's live review of the night after WrestleMania XL edition". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  15. ^ Powell, Jason (April 15, 2024). "WWE Raw results (4/15): Powell's live review of Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable for the Intercontinental Title, Rhea Ripley appearance, Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio, Sheamus returns, Jey Uso vs. Finn Balor". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Barnett, Jake (April 26, 2024). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (4/26): Barnett's review of the WWE Draft night one, Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles contract signing for the WWE Championship match at Backlash France". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  17. ^ Powell, Jason (April 6, 2024). "WrestleMania XL results: Powell's live review of night one with The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch for the Women's World Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  18. ^ WWE.com Staff (April 26, 2024). "Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga". WWE. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  19. ^ WWE.com Staff (April 26, 2024). "WWE Women's Champion Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton (Triple Threat Match)". WWE. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  20. ^ WWE.com Staff (April 22, 2024). "World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest vs. Jey Uso". WWE. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  21. ^ WWE.com Staff (April 26, 2024). "WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill". WWE. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  22. ^ WWE.com Staff (April 19, 2024). "Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles". WWE. Retrieved April 19, 2024.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Backlash_France&oldid=1222577916"