Greetings, comrades! It is I, your beloved El Presidente, reporting to you live from the gold-plated observation deck of my newly commissioned luxury submarine, currently parked just outside the territorial waters of Tampa, Florida! My pet capybara Esteban is dressed in his finest smoking jacket, the caviar is chilled, and the periscope is aimed...
Greetings, comrades! It is I, your beloved El Presidente, reporting to you live from the gold-plated observation deck of my newly commissioned luxury submarine, currently parked just outside the territorial waters of Tampa, Florida!
My pet capybara Esteban is dressed in his finest smoking jacket, the caviar is chilled, and the periscope is aimed directly at the Benchmark International Arena, because tonight is WWE Backlash, the first major Premium Live Event since WrestleMania, and your El Presidente would not miss it for all the unmarked Swiss bank accounts in Geneva! Jacob Fatu cuts a promo on WWE SmackDown ahead of Backlash.
This is the show where WWE must clean up the mess left behind by WrestleMania, much like I had to clean up after my cousin Raul's 'victory parade' turned into an accidental palace coup. WWE Backlash has world titles on the line, family betrayals brewing, corporate mystery announcements, and at least one deceased baked good receiving a state funeral. Comrades, this is my kind of evening!
WWE Backlash Full Card Preview World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu WWE Backlash Tampa poster featuring Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu on May 9. At WWE Backlash, World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns will battle his dangerous cousin Jacob Fatu. For the first time in more than two years, Reigns claimed a championship when he defeated CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Title in the main event of WrestleMania.
The following night, The OTC reemerged on Raw with The Usos to celebrate a new era by expressing an interest in once again doing business with The Usos. As they raised their ones to the sky united, however, Fatu suddenly interrupted and shocked the WWE Universe when he challenged The OTC to a title showdown at Backlash.
Fatu doesn't think The OTC has ever done anything for him and his family because Solo Sikoa was the one who brought Fatu to WWE to help destroy Reigns. For this reason, Fatu is determined to take the World Heavyweight Title. Reigns knows he needs to put down this dangerous family threat and make The Samoan Werewolf acknowledge him. Comrades, family disputes over inheritance are a topic I know well!
When my brother attempted to seize my private banana plantation in 1987, I had to remind him with extreme prejudice who the head of the family truly was. Roman Reigns now faces the same dilemma against Jacob Fatu, a man who has been booked like a Soviet T-72 tank rolling through a small village. Solo Sikoa brought Fatu in to dismantle Reigns, and now Fatu wants the gold for himself.
I once watched Manuel Noriega and Fidel Castro argue at a state dinner over who deserved credit for a particular CIA-thwarting operation. The argument ended with a thrown plate of ropa vieja and Fidel storming out into the night. Tonight at WWE Backlash, I expect similar levels of family dysfunction, only with more superkicks and possibly an interfering Talla Tonga. Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker headline the WWE Backlash Tampa promotional poster.
Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker will be out to destroy each other when they clash at WWE Backlash. Once united with Rollins in The Vision, Breakker led a coup that kicked The Visionary out of his own faction in October. After both Superstars suffered injuries, Bron suddenly reemerged at WrestleMania 42 to Spear Rollins and cause him to lose to Gunther on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
Breakker followed the attack by charging down the entire WrestleMania ramp and blasting Rollins with a monstrous post-match Spear. On the Raw after WrestleMania, Breakker again delivered a vicious beatdown to his one-time mentor. This led to a war of words the following week with Rollins suggesting that Breakker prove he's ready to take over in a one-on-one showdown. A coup against your own mentor?!
Comrades, this is a story that resonates deeply with my soul! Bron Breakker kicked Seth Rollins out of his own faction, which reminds me of the time my deputy minister of internal security tried to overthrow me while I was on vacation in Sochi with Kim Jong-un and, oddly enough, Steven Seagal. Bron is being booked like a future generational champion, and Rollins is the perfect veteran to put him over. If WWE has any courage, Breakker leaves WWE Backlash having broken The Visionary in half on national television. The bourgeois always tremble when the protégé becomes the predator! United States Champion Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn WWE Backlash Tampa poster featuring Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn for the United States Championship.
At WWE Backlash, United States Champion Trick Williams will battle Sami Zayn in a highly personal showdown. Williams and his friend Lil Yachty first introduced a live-action Gingerbread Man on the SmackDown before WrestleMania, a situation designed to mock Sami that ended with Zayn hitting the tasty character with a thundering Helluva Kick. Two days later, Trick captured the United States Title from Zayn on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
Five days later on SmackDown, Williams threw himself a Championship Celebration. When Gingerbread Man showed up for the festivities, however, it was really Zayn in disguise. The irate former titleholder laid waste to both Trick and Lil Yachty with a brutal Candy Cane attack. The following week, Zayn snapped.
Fed up over the silliness he felt was making a joke out of him, Zayn attacked Gingerbread Man. Trick rushed the crumbly mess backstage for help, but it was too late. The Gingerbread Man was pronounced 'cooked' soon after. A despondent Williams responded by agreeing to battle Zayn in a title rematch at WWE Backlash before announcing a funeral for Gingerbread Man.
Comrades, I have ordered many assassinations in my time, but never of a confectionary item! Sami Zayn's war crime against the Gingerbread Man may yet be brought before The Hague, though I assure you my legal team has been studying the precedent carefully. Trick Williams and Lil Yachty turned a U.S. Title program into a Pixar movie, and Sami snapped like a man who has finally had enough of the bourgeois nonsense.
I once attended a state funeral for a parrot belonging to Hugo Chávez. The eulogy lasted four hours. The parrot had only known three words, all of them anti-American slogans. A beautiful service, comrades.
Last night at WWE SmackDown, the Gingerbread Man received similar honors, but there is a still a matter of payback for a certain Sami Zayn, and I only hope he recieves it tonight. I sense vengeance in the air, comrades. Danhausen and ? vs. The Miz and Kit Wilson WWE Backlash Tampa poster for the Danhausen & a mystery partner vs. the Miz & Kit Wilson men's tag team match, streaming May 9.
The eccentric Danhausen must find a tag team partner to take on The Miz and Kit Wilson at WWE Backlash. After weeks of wanting to be mentored by The Miz, Danhausen was finally embraced by The A-Lister, but it was all a ruse as it led to a major beatdown that included Wilson. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis made the match official, but he demanded Danhausen find a partner for the tag team match. A betrayal by a mentor!
Comrades, this is the second such betrayal on the card tonight, which tells me WWE creative is currently being written by someone with deep daddy issues. Danhausen trusted The Miz, and The Miz, along with Kit Wilson, did what every capitalist pig does — exploited a trusting socialist for personal gain. The mystery partner question is the real intrigue here. Could it be a returning legend?
A surprise call-up? Esteban, who has been training in submission grappling? I would offer my services personally, but I am needed in the submarine command center. WWE Backlash will reveal all.
IYO SKY vs. Asuka Iyo Sky and Asuka are featured on the WWE Backlash Tampa poster, promoting the PLE in Tampa on May 9. In a showdown months in the making, IYO SKY will take on her one-time ally Asuka at WWE Backlash. Asuka and SKY have been at odds ever since The Empress of Tomorrow betrayed her friend in September.
On the Raw after WreslteMania, IYO teamed with her longtime ally and newly crowned WWE Women's Champion Rhea Ripley to hand The Kabuki Warriors a tag team defeat, a loss that left Asuka irate. The following week, Asuka reemerged to cost The Genius of the Sky a Women's Intercontinental Title Match against Becky Lynch before unleashing a vicious post-match attack.
Asuka is a four-time Women's Champion on the main roster, Royal Rumble winner, Money in the Bank winner and still holds the record for longest reign with the NXT Women's Title at more than 500 days. Despise her enormous success, Asuka has remained hostile toward The Genius of the Sky, who has won two Women's Championships on the main roster and claimed a Money in the Bank victory in 2023.
Now, Asuka has set out to destroy IYO once and for all. Comrades, Asuka misted IYO SKY during a sit-down segment, which is the wrestling equivalent of poisoning a colleague's tea, a tradition I have observed at many international summits. The mentor-friendship-betrayal arc is the oldest story in dictatorship, and this match has all the emotional weight WWE Backlash needs. I expect this to be the bell-to-bell match of the night.
Rhea Ripley may lurk somewhere in this story, and frankly, I would not be surprised if a third Kabuki Warrior emerged from a fog machine to further complicate things. Long live the workers of the squared circle! Things to Watch for at WWE Backlash John Cena salutes the fans after his last match at Saturday Night's Main Event, marking a memorable conclusion to his wrestling career.
The biggest non-match story may be John Cena's 'history-making' announcement, which WWE has hyped as something that could change the future of the company. Comrades, John Cena may be announcing Club WWE, a new premium fan membership, or perhaps a secret plan to monetize the very oxygen inside the Benchmark International Arena. Whatever it is, El Presidente respects a man who is willing to change the foundation of an institution.
I have changed the foundations of several governments myself, usually with tanks, sometimes with creative tax legislation, and once with a very persuasive musical number. Beyond Cena, watch for the family interference in Reigns vs. Fatu , the star-making opportunity for Bron Breakker, possible appearances from Cody Rhodes and Gunther to set up Clash in Paris, and whatever surprise Danhausen has stashed away.
WWE Backlash also arrives during a difficult moment for the company. Fans are still grumbling about a lackluster WrestleMania, TKO's record profits while asking wrestlers to take pay cuts has the workers furious, and the Triple H booking honeymoon appears to be ending while AEW is showing signs of life again. The capitalist pigs at TKO must be reminded that wrestlers should seize the means of production, comrades!
A union is the only true championship! WWE Backlash Start Time and How to Watch Sami Zayn confronts an empty Gingerbread Man costume in the WWE SmackDown ring. WWE Backlash streams live tonight, Saturday, May 9, at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT from the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. In the United States, you can watch on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited plan.
Internationally, comrades, Netflix has you covered. The WWE Backlash Countdown show begins at 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT on WWE.com, ESPN, WWE YouTube, WWE TikTok, and various WWE social platforms. A special post-show will follow on the ESPN App and YouTube. Many thanks to WWE's website for providing the preview materials, which can be found at this link.
And so, comrades, I urge you to tune in tonight to WWE Backlash! As for myself, I shall be watching from the captain's lounge of my luxury submarine, with Esteban perched upon a velvet cushion, a 1962 Dom Pérignon chilling beside a tray of imported Beluga caviar, and a small orchestra of conscripted musicians playing softly in the corner.
The CIA satellites overhead may try to ruin my reception, but they have failed for forty years and they shall fail tonight. Viva la lucha libre, viva los trabajadores, and viva WWE Backlash! Until next time, comrades — this is your El Presidente, signing off!
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