There’s barely a week to go before WWE Backlash 2025 gets underway on May 10. Fans are looking forward to what promises to be an action-packed evening of wrestling. The show will be live from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri – Randy Orton’s hometown.
Fresh from the excitement of WrestleMania 41, WWE didn’t waste any time in setting up new storylines. Last week’s Raws and SmackDowns brought huge storylines, and this week’s Raw was not an exception. During Triple H’s creative time, a repeated trend has happened – the majority of Premium Live Events (PLEs) contain approximately five hard-hitting matches. Backlash 2025 will most likely have the same format. Let’s review all the officially announced matches up until now:
Undisputed WWE Championship Match: John Cena vs. Randy Orton
During WrestleMania 41, John Cena bested Cody Rhodes to emerge the Undisputed WWE Champion and a record-breaking 17th world title winner. However, controversy hit the victory since Cena apparently resorted to unethical tactics. During the next Raw, Cena reacted to what transpired during his promo when he was the “real champion.” Cena finished with an ambush from Randy Orton as Cena took an RKO.
Tensions escalated on SmackDown, where Cena and Orton exchanged heated words. Orton challenged Cena to a title match on the spot, but Cena declined and instead offered to defend the title at Backlash 2025. WWE later made the match official. Orton added more fuel to the fire by delivering another RKO to Cena during the show.
Gunther vs. Pat McAfee
Former World Heavyweight Champion Gunther was defeated by Jey Uso for his title at WrestleMania 41. Fuming with anger, Gunther assaulted commentator Michael Cole on Raw. Attemting to stop him was Pat McAfee, but Gunther redirected his ire at him, choking out McAfee and putting him in poor condition. Consequently, Gunther was suspended.
During this week’s Raw, the situation was handled by Pat McAfee, with him saying he had no alternative. GM Nick Aldis consequently suggested a confrontation between McAfee and Gunther at Backlash. McAfee agreed to this challenge, giving rise to highly anticipated clash.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch returned at WrestleMania 41 with current Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria to capture the Women’s Tag Team Championships. But the partnership didn’t last. On the next Raw, they lost the championships to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Becky went heel and assaulted Lyra out of frustration.
This week on Raw, the two had their first confrontation. Becky admitted to confronting Bayley behind the scenes at WrestleMania and called out Lyra to a title contest at Backlash 2025. WWE formally announced the contest.There is less than an hour left until WWE Backlash 2025 takes place on May 10. Fans are eager to see what is shaping up to be an action-packed evening of wrestling. The event will air live from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri – the home of legend Randy Orton.
Fresh from the excitement of WrestleMania 41, WWE did not waste time creating new storylines. Last week’s Raw and SmackDown episodes brought significant developments, and this week’s Raw was no exception. During Triple H’s creative period, a recurring format has been observed, and it is that most Premium Live Events (PLEs) consist of approximately five high-stakes matches. Backlash 2025 will likely be no different. Here are all the announced matches thus far:
Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Master of the Game Randy Orton vs. The Face John Cena
John Cena beat Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 to win the Undisputed WWE Championship, earning his record 17th world title. The victory was marred by controversy, though, as Cena appeared to employ unsportsmanlike behavior. On the next Raw, Cena spoke about the incident in a promo, proclaiming himself the “real champion.” The segment concluded with Randy Orton attacking Cena with an RKO.
Tensions escalated on SmackDown, where Cena and Orton exchanged heated words. Orton challenged Cena to a title match on the spot, but Cena declined and instead offered to defend the title at Backlash 2025. WWE later made the match official. Orton added more fuel to the fire by delivering another RKO to Cena during the show.
Gunther vs. Pat McAfee
The World Heavyweight Champion was lost by the former title holder Gunther at WrestleMania 41 against Jey Uso. The frustrated Gunther assaulted Raw commentator Michael Cole on Raw. Trying to come in between them, Pat McAfee was a target of Gunther’s frustration now, where Gunther choked and left McAfee in disfavor. As an outcome, Gunther got suspended.
This week on Raw, Pat McAfee spoke out about what happened and said that he had no other option. GM Nick Aldis followed up by suggesting a match at Backlash between McAfee and Gunther. McAfee accepted the challenge, which has a lot of fans looking forward to a potential showdown.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch returned at WrestleMania 41, alongside current Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria in a successful bid for the Women’s Tag Team Championships. The partnership didn’t last long, though. They dropped the titles to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez on the next Raw. Becky went heel by assaulting Lyra in anger.
This past week on Raw, the two faced off. Becky admitted to assaulting Bayley backstage at WrestleMania and issued a challenge to Lyra for a title match at Backlash 2025. WWE has officially announced the match.
