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Three new champions in AJ Styles, Becky Lynch and Rhyno & Heath Slater, a great performance from Bray Wyatt despite his loss and a new repackaged pair finally becoming interesting in The Uso's. A great show, a great night, and now great expectations for the future of the blue brand.
With their backs firmly against the wall following Orton's injury, the first brand exclusive pay-per-view threatened to lay a troubled foundation for the following events, yet instead by some miracle, Backlash raised the bar and expectations of the WWE Universe.
6. AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose push each other to the limit but after the official collides with Dean Ambrose, The Phenomenal One seizes his opportunity and goes for the low blow, then followed by a styles clash and one pinfall later, AJ Styles is the new WWE World Champion.
5. Heath Slater and his family can sleep well tonight as the (former) Hottest Free Agent and his partner Rhyno defeated The Uso's in the final of the tag-team tournament to become the first ever WWE SmackDown Live Tag-Team Champions.
4. Dolph Ziggler once again comes up short and is unable to get the job done as The Miz successfully retains his Intercontinental Championship, Maryse blinded The Showoff allowing the champion to hit the skull-crushing finale to pick up the pinfall win.
3. Bray Wyatt's scheduled match with Randy Orton does not go to plan; The Viper is injured by The Eater of Worlds backstage but taking his place in a no holds barred match was Kane, but interference via an RKO Outtanowhere allows The Big Red Machine to hit the chokeslam to pick up the victory.
2. The Uso's defeat The Hype Bros to advance into the final of the tag-team tournament where they will square off against Heath Slater and Rhyno for the newly created titles.
1. Becky Lynch defeats Alexa Bliss, Nikki Bella, Carmella, Natalya and Naomi to be crowned the first ever WWE SmackDown Live Women's Champion.
Backlash recap:
Two iconic moments captured as Becky Lynch sees off five other women to become the first ever WWE SmackDown Live Champion and AJ Styles shocks the world to defeat Dean Ambrose and become the new WWE World Champion.
SmackDown Live may not have the strongest roster but if they continue to put on shows like tonight they will make Raw feel very very nervous!
AJ STYLES is your new WWE World Champion. This is 2016. This is Wrestling. This is Backlash!
A pelee kick from Styles before a clothesline from Ambrose but a low-blow gives The Phenomenal One the edge as he hits the Styles Clash to pick up the pinfall victory!
The champion continues his demolition as he throws Styles into the crowd before jumping after him! Both men are in the crowd and are giving their all! The WWE Universe agree as they serenade the two performers with chants of "This is Awesome."
The Lunatic Fringe has seen red and has got that crazy look in his eyes as he dropkicks Styles onto the outside of the ring after he was twisted inside the bottom rope, a suicide dive follows and sends the challenger flying over the announce table!
A very close near fall sees Ambrose kick out at two following a springboard 450 splash from Styles, the man truly is phenomenal.
A spin-out powerbomb to the champion as Styles is laying it all out on the line as he edges closer to the WWE World Championship.
The Phenomenal One with a number of forerarms and kicks sends Ambrose down to the mat before hitting the fireman's carry and bouncing the back of the champion onto his knee.
Styles with the enziguri to sending Ambrose down on the outer edge of the ring, the champion sends the challenger crashing into the ring post before tackling The Phenomenal One into the barricade, then hitting a running bulldog inside the ring, followed by a cradle roll up but a kick out at two is all that amounts to.
The Lunatic Fringe wraps his arm around the head of Styles and smashed his skull repeatedly into the mat until he releases the hold.
Styles has the calf-crusher locked in and a wincing Dean Ambrose just manages to crawl to the bottom rope to break the hold, but that doesnt stop the challenger from going for the submission a second time.
Ambrose hits the elbow onto The Phenomenal One from outside of the ring, sending Styles crashing to the mat outside.
Styles landed awkardly but he seems to have thankfully not suffered any injury but following an attempted crossbody from the top rope, is caught by ambrose who slams the challenger into his knee.
The Lunatic Fringe quickly recovers and delivered a series of headbutts to Styles before The Phemonenal One hits a forearm but misses with the splash and a suplex sees both men crash to the mat from the top rope!
Following an enslaught of abuse, Ambrose recovers but the former Shield member is not quick enough and is sent crashing into the ring post.
AJ Styles has gained control in this match as seems to have the champion scouted.
Just a huge main event remaining as AJ Styles takes on Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship, The Phenomenal One defeated John Cena at SummerSlam but can he overcome The Lunatic Fringe with gold on the line tonight?
Slater says this is the happiest moment of his life, besides the birth of his countless children! The man has sky-rocketed to success in just a matter of months!
The former Hottest Free Agent says he must "thank, Daniel Bryan, Shane McMahon and my man Rhyno!"
Heath Slater had to win the entire tournament in order to cement a SmackDown Live contract! He did it, and his stock has never been so high!
A spear from Rhyno while the official is distracted allows Slater to pin Jimmy Uso and Heath Slater and Rhyno are the first ever WWE SmackDown Live Tag-Team Champions!
The ECW legend goes for the spear but misses his target and is sent flying into the corner of the ring.
Both men had the same idea with the crossbody and both men are left motionless in the middle of the ring. A tag is made to both partners on the outside, but it does not look as if Rhyno can be stopped!
Slater is just inches away from making a much needed tag to his partner, but Jimmy Uso stops him dead in his tracks, the Samoans may be the reason Slater's kids go hungry tonight.
Great early teamwork from Slater and Rhyno but The Hottest Free Agent is met with a double-team as well as The Uso's hit a suplex onto the ring post before driving a kick to the face of Slater.
Rhyno makes his way into the match and is showing his raw power against Jey Uso, who is struggling to cope with the veteran.
Quickly behind are the unlikely duo of Heath Slater and Rhyno who draw chants of "Let's go Slater" from the WWE Universe aka Heath Slaters kids.
The Uso's make their way to the ring for a second time this evening as they will battle Heath Slater and Rhyno in the final of the tag-team tournament with the victors being crowned the first ever WWE SmackDown Live Tag-Team champions.
So far so good for SmackDown Live's first ever Brand Exclusive Pay-Per-View, and with at least one new champion guarenteed to be crowned, the show will surely only get better!
AJ Styles offers some advice to a couple of rookies saying their careers are destined to "end in failure" but that is not a "bad thing" as at least they can say they met "The Face that Runs the Place... AJ Styles."
Bray Wyatt lost once again, but only thanks to interference from The Viper, their feud is by no means finished and neither is Wyatt.
Randy Orton has made his presence known as he hobbles to the ring, Kane sits up and Wyatt is stuck between a hard-place but a RKO Outtanowhere is waiting for him before a second chokeslam is enough for Kane to pick up the victory!
The Big Red Machine was going for the Tombstone Piledriver but it is reversed and Kane is sent crashing onto a steel chair!
Orton may have got off lightly as Kane is lying flat-out on his back and Wyatt goes for the Sister Abigail but it is reversed into a hellacious choke-slam! Somehow The Eater of Worlds kicks out!
Bray Wyatt sends The Big Red Machine flying through the announce table! "HOLY S**T" echo around the Richmond Coliseum!
The official counts to 10, but the ring announcer says that The Eater of Worlds will instead face Kane in a 'no holds barred' match, what a substitution!
A piece of paper is handed to the ring announcer who confirms that Randy Orton is unable to compete tonight; Wyatt insists on a 10-count to coment his victory!
The fireflies are out in force for Bray Wyatt but questionmarks still linger regarding whether Randy Orton will be able to compete tonight! Wihat shape will The Viper be in physically?
Maryse sprays Ziggler with something and allows her husband The Miz to hit the Skull Crushing Finale to pick up the victory, it may not have been clean but he is still your Intercontinental Champion!
Great ring-awareness from the champion who gets his foot on the ropes!
A rope-break, halts the hold followed by a superkick! Surely now Miz has been defeated!?
Ziggler goes for the Superkick but it is reversed and The Miz has the challenger locked in the figure-four-leg-lock, after working the legs of The Showoff earlier, how much can he handle?
The Miz sends Ziggler straight into the ring post head first and as soon as he recovers runs straight at the challenger but is met with a DDT! Another kick out at two! What does The Showoff have to do?
Ziggler goes for the zig-zag but is shoved away by Miz but manages to lock in a sleeper-hold, will it be night-night for the champion?
Miz now looking to work the legs of Ziggler but is kicked away before he could apply the figure-four-leg-lock and the Showoff hits the Famouser but the champion kicks out at two.
A roll up forces Miz to kick out at two before sending the A-list crashing into the ring-post but The Champion catches the challenger and hits a powerbomb.
A surprise dropkick stuns Miz and gives Ziggler time to recover before hitting an elbow to the face of the champion.
Three dropkicks to Ziggler in the corner before a "YES" chant from The Miz, a clear message to Daniel Bryan before hitting a clothesline in the corner.
Ziggler's back is being put under immense pressure as The A-Lister is being unrelentless towards his opponent, can The Showoff find his fire?
The Miz has gained the upper hand and looks to add insult to injury on a weakened Showoff, with the tempo slowed right down.
Remember that time Dolph Ziggler dressed up as Col. Sanders and defeated The Miz dressed as The Puppers Clucker Chicken? Well both men are fighting now.
Both men with something to prove and it is Ziggler taking the early advantage with a spinebuster to the champion.
Firmly hated and firmly a great heel, The Miz, the A-Lister, the Intercontinental Champion!
The Miz says that he wants his "contract reviewed" and paid "what he deserves" and says that Daniel Bryan should go back to his little cubby hole and "watch" what "he cannot do anymore."
Dolph Ziggler lost out at SummerSlam in his search for the WWE World Championship but he makes his way out with the Intercontinental Championship his sole focus.
Heath Slater says his stomach is "flip-flopping" not realising he was still live! He panics and says "you've just been swerved." Slater is gold.
The Uso's will now face Heath Slater and Rhyno later tonight to determine the first ever WWE SmackDown Live Tag-Team Champions!
De Ja Vu time at Backlash as The Uso's attack the lower leg of Zack Ryder and force him to tap out as Jimmy Uso locks in the single leg crab!
Zack Ryder with a frakensteiner! All four men are pulling out all of the tops in search for a place in the final in this tag-team tournament.
A tag is made and now Mojo is clearing house, The Uso's are now in trouble! As they look to hit the Hype Ryder but Jey Uso stops them in their tracks!
As The Long Island Iced Z crawls to his corner he is left heartbroken as The Uso's make the tag earlier and send Rawley crashing off the ring apron.
A viscious running hip attack from Jey Uso in tribute to the Late Umaga, as Zack Ryder is being worn down.
The Uso's are now firmly in control, as chants of "Let's go Uso's" are met with opposing vocals of "Uso's suck!"
Zack Ryder is looking to get the Hype Train off the platform with a double kick to the face of both Uso's outside of the ring, followed by an explosive double-tackle from Mojo!
Mojo Rawley looking to get this match underway quickly but The Uso's are in no hurry.
Heath Slater and Rhyno await the winners of this match, with Slater needing to win to be awarded a SmackDown Live contract.
The Uso's are looking fresh, the duo stroll to the ring in search of becoming the first recipients of the WWE SmackDown Live Tag-Team titles; but first they may overcome The Hype Bros.
Breaking: The rumors regarding Randy Orton may be true after all as Bray Wyatt 'takes him out' backstage injuring his leg as it is wedged between a door. Injury out of nowhere.
The Miz is backstage and is looking for one man and one man only! No not Dolph Ziggler, Jagger Eaton, Nickelodeon's next big star who says "We would love to have you on the show, unless we can get John Cena instead."
The WWE Universe are in love with Becky Lynch who thanks them for their support, "it is everything..Becky Balboa baby, we did it!"
The former PCB member hits three suplexes and then locks in the Disarmer!! Carmella taps and Becky Lynch is the first ever WWE SmackDown Live Women's Champion!!!
Becky Lynch and Carmella are the final two competitors, and the Irish Lasskicker is in deep trouble!
Natalya is hit with a fireman's slam by Nikki Bella and is eliminated before being a victim herself at the hands of Carmella who gets the three count in a roll up.
Carmella, Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella and Natalya are the final four competitors left in this battle; one of these women will make history and become the first WWE SmackDown Live Women's Champion.
A springboard from Naomi is met by a clothesline from Nikki Bella before Natalya forces her to tap out! Naomi is the second female to be eliminated!
Bliss, having recovered from being left half-broken on the outside, is left fully broken after being superplexed in a double team by Naomi and Natalya and is the first to be eliminated!
Alexa Bliss almost pins Lynch but the Irish Lasskicker kicks out at two: Nikki Bella attempts a suicide dive but is met by a clothesline from Carmella who is then introduced to Naomi who then springboards on-top of al women to the outside of the ring! Unreal athleticism!
Carmella and Nikki Bella head to the top rope, but Natalya powerbombs both women as chants of "This is awesome" ring out at the Richmond Coliseum.
A huge slam from Nikki Bella sends Carmella crashing to the mat but somehow the Statten Island Princess kicks out to stay in the hunt for the Women's Championship.
All six women are still on equal terms; and the numbers could dwindle at any time under Elimination Rules in this six-pack challenge.
Becky Lynch is fired up but her old foe Natalya looks to halt her momentum, before Naomi locks in a bridge submission.
A tense staredown between the two rivals Nikki Bella and Carmella ends abruptly as Alexa Bliss and Natalya take out the pair.
Becky Lynch sends Naomi flying over the top-rope, The Irish Lasskicker is sending message to her opponents.
All hell is breaking loose as the women proceed to attack each-other, Naomi clears house and it is her and Becky Lynch left in the middle of the ring.
Who could forget Nkki Bella, the longest reigning Diva's Champion has improved dramatically over the past couple of years but will her past injury trauma have an effect on her ability tonight?
The Princess of Statten Island; Carmella makes her way to the squared circle, a princess normally wears a crown but she will happily settle for a title.
Alexa Bliss, pint-sized, fierce and beautiful. She has shown she can kick it with the top females in WWE, can she become the first women's champion on SmackDown?
Naomi has been chomping at the bit to be given an opportunity at the women's gold; she finally has her chance, can she capitalize?
Becky Lynch makes her way to the ring, quickly followed by her old foe; Natalya.
The opening match of WWE Backlash will be for the newly established WWE SmackDown Women's Championship!
Shane McMahon: "Because of you [The WWE Universe] we are giving the red team, all that they can handle."
Prediction: AJ Styles.
Few men can claim to hold two pinfall victories over John Cena but The Phenomenal One can, despite his first win being marred by the distraction of The Club, his second was as clean as a whistle and has catapulted him to the top of WWE. Now as the 'new' Face that Runs the Place, the sky is the limit and it is only a matter of time before gold ends up around the waist of the 39-year-old.
Dean Ambrose; WWE Champion, has a certain ring to it, doesn't it? The Lunatic Fringe has been immense as champion, credibility has been restored in a title that few could have predicted. An impressive showing against Ziggler in his last defense, but now the stakes have been raised even more as he takes on possibly one of the best performers in the wrestling industry; AJ Styles.
WWE World Championship Match: Dean Ambrose (c) - AJ Styles
Prediction: The Miz.
Dolph Ziggler once seemed destined for great things and even came close to shocking the world once again when he took on Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship at SummerSlam, yet could not get the job done. Now with his eyes set on more gold can he finally crash the 'never ending' title reign of The A-Lister?
The Miz has been one of the most underrated or consistent (whichever way you look at it) performers of recent times and is the only true heel that knows how to attract hatred in the company. The Intercontinental Champion was impressive as he retained his gold against Apollo Crews at The Biggest Party of the Summer; but how will he fair against a more experienced opponent.
Intercontinental Championship Match: The Miz (c) - Dolph Ziggler
Prediction: Naomi.
Becky Lynch is without a doubt the best technical wrestler of the six featured but the star power of Nikki Bella cannot be overlooked. The unknown talents of Alexa Bliss and Carmella could prove troublesome for the experienced performers, and Naomi has been waiting for her chance to prove herself for years, and not forgetting Natalya who has come within fingertips of gold over the past year.
However in recent weeks in the absence of the suspended Eva Marie, the remaining six women have proven themselves to be interesting and any one of them could become the first ever Women's Champion on the blue brand.
The women's division from its first appearance on SmackDown seemed very weak, to say the least, with Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Bayley and Paige all featured on Monday Night Raw, while many of the new NXT recruits became permanent on the blue brand.
SmackDown Women's Championship Match: Nikki Bella - Carmella - Alexa Bliss - Naomi - Natalya - Becky Lynch
Prediction: Randy Orton.
This sudden feud could and possibly should have been extended, but it is still exciting nonetheless, but with The Viper facing The Beast in a rematch in the near future, coupled with WWE's poor treatment of Wyatt, the smart choice would be on Orton.
The Viper only returned to the company last month after a long injury hiatus and was mauled by Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam but he is now eyeing a victory over The Eater of Worlds to regain some momentum.
It is not very often that WWE can claim to present a 'First Ever' match but that is exactly that they have in store as Randy Orton takes on Bray Wyatt in a strange but exciting blend of the unexpected.
Randy Orton - Bray Wyatt
Prediction: Heath Slater & Rhyno.
With a win to become the recipients of the first ever SmackDown Live Tag-Team titles and more importantly for Slater to actually become signed by the blue brand, the unlikely duo must surely overcome the twins; the win the fans want.
The development of the former Social Outcast member has been astonishing and every segment featuring the 33-year-old has been funny, witty and truly entertaining; leading to fans really being behind the 'unsigned' athlete.
The Uso's will surely advance into the final, making for an interesting showdown against the ECW legend Rhyno and The Hottest Free Agent; Heath Slater.
Tag Team Championship Match: Rhyno & Heath Slater - Hype Bros or Uso's
Prediction: The Uso's (To beat the Hype Bros).
Following their beat-down of American Alpha, rendering Chad Gable unable to compete, The Samoan duo has now become far more interesting than they have done in years. Now complete with a fresh look they finally have character to add to their, well, characters.
The newest heel tag-team in WWE, The Uso's will have to lay it all out on the line as they must first defeat The Hype Bros in order to earn the right to face Heath Slater and Rhyno for the New SmackDown Live Tag-Team titles.
With all the gold on the line, the blue brand has gone all out to try and claim all the glory from their red brand rivals but who will be coming out on top?
The Uso's - The Hype Bros
SmackDown Live will host Backlash in Richmond, Virginia at the Richmond Coliseum in what is the first Brand Exclusive Pay-Per-View of the New Era.
A pay-per-view a mere 22-days following WWE SummerSlam seems rather sudden yet, who would complain about more wrestling?
Welcome, everyone to VAVEL USA's coverage for the first SmackDown Live exclusive PPV, Backlash. My name is Joel Lampkin and I will be providing minute-by-minute updates throughout the show of all the action and results, as well as an in-depth preview, so sit back, relax and enjoy.