The finale of Backlash is upon us, as it's the "Last Man Standing" match with John Cena taking on Edge. Here's our thoughts on this final match to wrap up yet another WWE PPV.

Matt: A VERY cool ending to a match that seemed to drag on forever, the Last Man Standing you knew was going to have some cool spots, but it was good to see they saved the best for last. The Big Show choke slam through the spotlight was very well done, and it looked great on TV. The match was the usual long, dragged out with a number of near 10 counts, but in the end, you knew that Edge needed to get this belt back so SmackDown would have someone to call champion.

It seemed to be a pretty scary shot through the spotlight, and even on the replay, it seemed there was no real way to protect Cena when he took the slam. Let's hope that he's okay, but at the same time, I think we're heading for a big Cena-Show feud, while Edge starts a showdown with someone on SmackDown. Who that is will be anyone's guess.

John: Well we got our payoff for watching this lackluster pay per view. On a evening of average matches, and that is being generous, we saw a fantastic main event. It started slowly, but one had to see that coming as they has plenty of time to fill out for this show. But the momentum grew and the action started to pick up in the ring. But they saved the best for last as they took it outside, and in the stands. It started with Edge getting tossed into the front row from the announce table. Then we went into the crowd, out into the concourse and back to the stage. Here it ended with Cena being tossed into a spotlight via the Big show and Edge walking away with the win. You knew Edge would win as they need a major belt on Smack Down, but this finish was unpredictable. It matches like this that will pick up interest in the WWE again. This match harkens back to the Attitude era when ECW was forcing major brands to up the ante in order to keep fan interest.

Labels: 2009 backlash, edge, john cena

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:20 PM | Permalink | Comments

One of the two main events was the 5th match of Backlash 2009, as Shane McMahon, Batista and Triple H took on Legacy. Here's our thoughts on this co-main event.

Matt: Well, I guess that means that the HHH win at Mania means nothing, and that was the way it should have been. Orton was on a roll going into Mania, but they couldn't allow it to end on a sour note, so they allowed HHH to get a win that in the end - means little. Now we have real drama, as they are going to push Orton as the champion, Batista and HHH as contenders, and likely we'll see some sort of three-way with Orton having to fight off Batista and HHH for the next few months.

Overall, this match was pretty lacking, as really Legacy and Shane meant little, and it really all came down to Orton, Batista and HHH. Now they will play off HHH getting punted, which is pretty lame since he didn't take the kick flush, but whatever. In the end, we knew they had to give the strap to Orton, problem is, I think it came about 21 days too late.

John: We have a new WWE champ and most likely will see a title quest between Triple H and Batista for Orton's crown. I think everyone saw the possibility of Batista messing up H's title defense as a program between those two has been long rumored. The question is how will all three men factor in and will Batista go heel. This match for all its hype though was a bit slow till the end. It picked up once all the competitors started to take each other out and leave just Orton and Triple H alone in the ring.

They had trouble developing the other wrestlers as they really had no other connection to each other. Legacy only was there to help Orton, but Shane, Batista and Hunter all had their beef solely with Orton. I felt they could have played up the fact that the other men's actions could have cost both Triple H and Orton the title, that would have spiced up the match more than what we saw.

Labels: 2009 backlash, batista, randy orton, shane mcmahon, triple h

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:26 PM | Permalink | Comments

Brother vs Brother was on display once again on Backlash, as Matt Hardy took on Jeff Hardy in an "I Quit" match in the fourth match of the night. Here's our breakdown of the battle.

Matt: Ok, as expected, the best match by far to this point. A little goofy at the end, but overall this was a pretty good match. The focal point as of late has been on Jeff leaving the company, but in the end of this one, they made him look strong, so I wonder if he's having second thoughts. I can't see this thing going on, but you never know, I could see Matt getting one more piece of his brother, and having a cage or some crazy blow off TLC match at "Extreme Rules."

John: For a match that should feature brutality in order to make the opposition quit, we would not be treated to such actions tonight. It took way too long to get to a poor ending. We saw multiple submission moves in order to get the desired results that culminated in Jeff tying Matt to a table. Matt wold beg for mercy and quit, but Jeff would leap frog off a ladder onto the trapped brother. This should end this feud and by the looks of it there is no more gas leff in this tank.

Labels: 2009 backlash, jeff hardy, matt hardy

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Match three at the 2009 Backlash showcased two "Money in the Bank" grapplers, as Kane took on C.M. Punk. Here's our breakdown of the match with Matt and John.

Matt: Well, this seemed more like a match on RAW than a PPV match. Born out of the "for no specific reason" file, we had Kane and CM Punk go at it in what was an okay match, that in the end they gave to Kane with an impressive chokeslam. What bothers me is this match means nothing, and the only thing I can think of is they are going to keep this feud going with a couple of stip matches. Both guys worked well, but I can say three matches in that this PPV is clearly not worth $40.

John: This match was one of those that should have been saved for Raw or Smack Down. A bit of a slow one as it was a slug fest between Punk and the lumbering Kane. There was little back story for this match and it showed as the crowd really just watched because there was nothing better to do. I'm not sure what the win will do for Kane as he has been a filler wrestler at best over the past couple years. Can't see this grouping going on much longer as there is nothing at stake.

Labels: 2009 backlash, c.m. punk, kane

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments

Match two at Backlash saw legend Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat take on Chris Jericho. Here's our analysis on the match from Matt Loede and John Sefcik:

Matt: Okay, as much as I think Ricky Steamboat has shown MORE than enough to get back into the ring since his WM outing, I hope this is the last of it. Jericho is way to good to be involved in a feud with a senior wrestler, and it's time for him to get into a bigger and better feud with a real WWE superstar. He's now on SmackDown, and he should be right back into a main event feud with someone.

This feud with the legends and Jericho has grown stale. If you remember when Randy Orton did it sometime ago, it ended with a loss to Hulk Hogan. I'm glad to see that they didn't give Steamboat a cheap win, and instead let Jericho hopefully keep some needed momentum with a win.

John: This should have been the match we saw at Mania instead of the Micky Rourke fiasco. Match started off pretty good but got very sloppy at the end. Terrible pin attempts followed by a weak figure four by Steamboat and a various display of other lame moves. It does look like we will not see anymore of Steamboat, which is fine. He put on a good show but he knows his limitations and will not put himself in embarrassing situations.

Labels: 2009 backlash, chris jericho, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

It was match one at Backlash on Sunday, as ECW Champ Jack Swagger took on Christian for the ECW strap. Here's our coverage from co-editors Matt Loede and John Sefcik.

Matt: Not a bad opener for what looks to be a crappy card. Both guys worked pretty hard, and while they have met before, this was probably their best match. I felt all along that they were going to get the belt to Chirstian, so this was not much of a shock. ECW is always out there in no man's land, and after what was a pretty good opener, we'll see if he can hold it and if he gains any momentum for the lackluster brand.

John:Not a bad start I guess. Nothing special about the match, but it pulled off its job of starting the pay per view. Will Christian finally bring some excitement to ECW, a job Matt Hardy failed to accomplish while champ? The roster of ECW still needs some talent infused into it and I really don't see Christian sticking around much longer. Especially with his run in with Edge backstage. Look for a summer feud with these two and Swagger to become ECW champ again.

Labels: 2009 backlash, Christian, jack swagger

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: WrestlingObserver.com

As previously noted, Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Steamboat has been added to the Backlash card. This is a complete 180 on the mindset of last week, when WWE told everyone not to even mention Steamboat’s name on the air because he was done as a character.

Labels: 2009 backlash, chris jericho, ricky steamboat

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: 2009 backlash, randy orton

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments