Undisputed WWE Championship Match

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles

World Heavyweight Championship Match

Damian Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso

WWE Women's Championship Match

Bayley (c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Match

The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) (c) vs. Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill

Tag Team Match

Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga)

There was a point in time where an AJ Styles main event match would have been appointment viewing, but AJ's run is long in the tooth and it all seems like they're trying too hard to push this as a great match. I wasn't a fan of the Danielson/Ospreay build for a similar reason and while that delivered, I have severe doubts Rhodes/Styles will be able to pull off the same, so it's the one match I'm least interested in.

Priest/Uso is the match I have the least amount of faith in, but I'm curious to see the match because the train-crash quality of it could be high. Jey has had two major chances on major PPVs and dropped the ball on both occasions, Priest is his biggest obstacle yet so I'm curious to see what they deliver.

On the positive side, I'm happy to see Tiffany Stratton being pushed right away. I think they're putting the training wheels on her and adding Naomi in the match just so they have somebody else there to hold her hand but I'm ready to see a new era in women's wrestling and to see the likes of Bayley and Becky Lynch help get the next generation ready. We're slowly but surely marching towards the 10 year anniversary of Becky's main roster debut and Bayley wasn't too far behind either.

The biggest feather in the WWE's cap is that they actually have me interested in a Tama Tonga match. Tonga for those unaware was at one point in time the biggest cheap heat merchant in NJPW who would constantly spoil matches with egregious cheating to hide the fact he wasn't that great in the ring. However this is the WWE style, it's all about presentation and so far I've enjoyed the new chapter in the Bloodline storyline and there's plenty of potential in an Owens/Randy unit.

I spose it'd be petty to cover every match and leave off the women's tag team match. I expect they'll give it to Belair/Cargill, they'll dominate for awhile before one of them gets jealous and they inevitably clash in a rehearsed match on one of the majors. All the while the women's tag team division will continue to be an after-thought and never get to shine as anything more than a trinket to pass over when a show desperately needs a title change or two.

Are ppvs (ple?) still 3 hours or are they more akin to iyh? Is 5 matches really it?

May 3, 2024 13:00:09 GMT @ness said:

Are ppvs (ple?) still 3 hours or are they more akin to iyh? Is 5 matches really it?

PLEs usually go 3 hours even with just 5 matches.

WWE's choosing to go with quality over quantity with their cards.

Is this on now?

May 3, 2024 19:38:14 GMT KING KID said:

Is this on now?

Tomorrow afternoon at 1 ET.

How's the French crowd for these things? Are they vocal or do they sit on their hands?

The only way I see DC retaining is DQ shenanigans but it would be quite a bold move for a HHH PLE.

Also going to enjoy this run of European PLE’s!!

May 3, 2024 21:22:54 GMT NATH45 said:

How's the French crowd for these things? Are they vocal or do they sit on their hands?

Dude I’ve seen clips of them from Smackdown tonight and that crowd is fucking LIT!

I wonder if it rolls over to Backlash. They were insane today. 

May 3, 2024 23:34:09 GMT KING KID said:

May 3, 2024 21:22:54 GMT NATH45 said:

How's the French crowd for these things? Are they vocal or do they sit on their hands?

Dude I’ve seen clips of them from Smackdown tonight and that crowd is fucking LIT!

I wonder if it rolls over to Backlash. They were insane today. 

With the engagement we see from UK fans also, how is it possible there isn't a big promotion in UK and Europe?

May 3, 2024 23:34:09 GMT KING KID said:

May 3, 2024 21:22:54 GMT NATH45 said:

How's the French crowd for these things? Are they vocal or do they sit on their hands?

Dude I’ve seen clips of them from Smackdown tonight and that crowd is fucking LIT!

I wonder if it rolls over to Backlash. They were insane today. 

Them doing Jey’s intro with him.. absolutely insane.

Can someone let me know if Kevin Owens cuts a promo in French?
Backstage segments count

(Starts at 3am here I won’t be watching live)

This PPV really just 5 matches? Like even if AJ and Cody go an hour, still feels like a super short PPV.

Looking @ last year's Backlash the match times seem to be around 90 minutes. Were entrances and backstage really equal to that? Back in the day I always thought 7 announced matches were really pushing it especially because one of them is bound to be 5-7 mins max. Usually they'd have a piss break impromptu match to pad it @ 8. Maybe it's being rounded up. So anything over 2 is basically 3.

Also this time last year the current world champion lost to Bad Bunny.

Bloodline opening. Come on Jacob.

would the French-Canadian be cheered or booed for speaking French?

Super smart to have the French Canadian come out and welcome the audience, shocked KO doesn't have a mic to welcome the fans in French.

Gonna be a very electric night.

And we're not even into the first match.

Why the hell is security separating them?

May 4, 2024 17:15:58 GMT c said:

Why the hell is security separating them?

You're not allowed to wrestle during a wrestling match!

This is great

NICE change to a street fight.

Come on KO, make Tonga drink the prime!!!

NO DQ now.

Also, nice way to use the Double Feature. It's not just for replays anymore.

Are they chanting "This Is Awesome" in French?

Now it is a street fight, we better get the big guy.

I got Backlash on one screen and WrestleMania 6 on another. This is a good day.

Table is set up for the spike 3d o.O

Booo...