Hot off the heels of WrestleMania 42, WWE now pivots to Backlash in Tampa, where championships will be defended, tensions will rise, and the recently-retired John Cena will deliver a “history-making” announcement.
The in-ring action itself will span five matches, the first two of which will air on ESPN2 for viewers in the United States. One is Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker.
Last October, Breakker ignited The Vision’s turn on Rollins, who served as a leader and co-founder to the group. In retaliation, Rollins then interfered in the 2026 Men’s Elimination Chamber at the expense of Logan Paul, another Vision member. Breakker returned the favor by spearing Rollins at WrestleMania, which in turn cost him his bout against GUNTHER. Now, with the playing field evened and both men cleared for action, Rollins and Breakker will officially face one another.
Elsewhere on ESPN2, fans will see Trick Williams defend his newly-won WWE United States Championship against Sami Zayn. This serves as a rematch of WrestleMania 42, in which Williams dethroned Zayn as champion.
The remainder of WWE Backlash will broadcast on the ESPN app (subscription required). This portion will include a grudge match between IYO SKY and Asuka, the latter of whom turned on SKY last September with the aid of Kairi Sane. Sane’s involvement in their upcoming faceoff is unclear given her release from the company last month.
In tag team competition, The Miz and Kit Wilson will take on Danhausen and a mystery partner. A ruse coordinated by Miz and Wilson led the “very nice, very evil” star to demand a match against them, with “WWE SmackDown” General Manager Nick Aldis granting it under the condition that Danhausen find someone to team with. Internal speculation suggests it could be a celebrity recently seen on WWE TV.
Rounding out Backlash, Roman Reigns will defend his newly-won WWE World Heavyweight championship against his cousin, Jacob Fatu. Since issuing the championship challenge to “The OTC,” Fatu has gotten the better of him on multiple occasions, courtesy of the Tongan Death Grip. Whether Reigns will succumb to it once more or overcome it has yet to be seen.
