Although Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins’ second encounter is often the least remembered from their trilogy of matches in 2022, it’s still holds up as an important piece to their rivalry and features some of the best technical wrestling between both competitors. Unlike their first bout at WrestleMania 38, Rhodes and Rollins had the ability to build a story around their match at Backlash, with Rhodes now being a full-time member of the WWE roster after returning at the “Showcase Of The Immortals.” Coming into the match, it was expected that Rollins had a better chance of winning being that he was prepared for Rhodes this time around, while fans also believed that the score would be evened between both men before heading into a potential third match. 

In addition to Rollins wanting to prove that he was better than Rhodes, the entire story was focused on “The Visionary” claiming that “The American Nightmare” would follow in his father Dusty Rhodes’ footsteps and never capture the WWE Championship. Therefore, a simple but effective story was set up for Backlash with Rollins looking to rewrite history, and Rhodes needing to show the former Shield member that he belonged in WWE.

Before the contest started, the commentary team was adamant about the pressure being on Rollins to deliver, but also admitted that “The Architect” would have studied Rhodes this time, which heavily impacted the beginning of the matchup. Throughout the first ten minutes, Rollins had an answer for nearly every move that Rhodes could throw at him, as he controlled the pacing both inside and outside of the ring. However, Rollins and Rhodes once again immediately put their chemistry on display, proving that their masterpiece at the WrestleMania 38 wasn’t a one-off. 

A massive Superplex by Rhodes eventually changed the momentum, allowing him to kickstart his comeback, while the commentary team smartly mentioned that when Rollins bails on his strategy and tries to brawl with his opponent, he starts to lose the match. Additionally, Rollins easily losing his temper was a consistent story beat throughout their feud in 2022, with Rhodes always managing to take advantage by remaining composed.

Rhodes finally evened the odds, as he countered the Pedigree, survived a Falcon Arrow, and rolled Rollins into a Cross Rhodes after enduring a Superplex from the top rope. This led Rollins to lose his composure again, as he shouted at Rhodes, “you can’t lace my boots” and resorted to mocking Dusty by performing his iconic jabs and attempting to hit the Bionic Elbow. Rollins’ frustration led him to eat another Cross Rhodes, but he quickly tried to escape defeat with a roll up — grabbing Cody’s tights in an attempt to steal the victory. However, Rhodes reversed Rollins into a rollup of his own, and held onto Rollins’ tights to secure the pinfall.

Rollins was shocked that he lost to Rhodes again and would take out his anger on the referee for the loss, which would heat up the rivalry heading into their historic Hell In A Cell Match the next month.

Written By Julien D’Alessandro