At last year’s Backlash, a moment we never thought would come true actually occurred – AJ Styles won the WWE Championship.
Backlash 2017 is here and the WWE Championship scene has changed, of course. But the #1 contender for SD Live’s top prize is an unexpected choice – Jinder Mahal. Randy Orton will defend his title against the man who’s looking to claim the championship and become an icon for his place of origin. Based on last year’s event, it’s likely that we might see another insane title change go down. Also on the card is a United States Championship match that features two of SD Live’s other finest competitors – title holder Kevin Owens and his latest rival, AJ Styles. These bouts and many more make up the entirety of a card that looks to stand out as one of SD Live’s best PPV’s for the current era.
So stay right here as we go into detail about all the results and highlights from Backlash 2017.
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Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English
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Winner: Tye Dillinger!
Highlights: English presented his best song singing rendition to the crowd during his entrance. Both men taunted each other then got right into some back and forth grappling. Both men tried to land 10 punches on each other, but English ended up slipping away and finally getting the advantage on Dillinger. Dillinger dropped him with a neckbreaker and then a flying back elbow strike on him in the corner. English stayed on top for a good while from that point forward. Dillinger managed to get out of a submission hold and finally got the upper hand on his foe. Dillinger laid in his comeback offense while the crowd cheered him on. Dillinger laid in his 10 punches on English on the corner and tried going for his finisher, but English slid out of the ring to avoid it. English ended up laying Dillinger’s throat over the top rope and tried to land something off the top rope. Dillinger then got dropped with a unique Facebuster maneuver. Afterwards, English signaled for another big move but Dillinger got him up just in time to land his finisher – the Tye Breaker 2.0. Dillinger wins!
Luke Harper vs. Erick Rowan
Winner: Luke Harper!
Highlights: Erick Rowan entered the arena with an ever creepier sheep mask (we didn’t think that was even possible). When both giants locked up, Rowan immediately ran Harper into the corner. Rowan threw several punches at Harper, but soon Harper began landing some big shots of his own. Harper ended up losing control after he got pushed face first onto the steel ring steps from the top rope. Rowan made his way to the outside and began punishing Harper even more. When the match returned to the ring, Rowan continued beating the hell out of his former “family” member. Harper tried to make a comeback, but Rowan cut him back down with a slick dropkick, a Pumphandle Backbreaker/Clothesline combination and bodyslams. While Harper lay prone in the middle of the ring, Rowan went sky high for a flying body splash. Luckily, Harper moved out of the way at the very last second.
Rowan looked to grab his mask for inspiration, but Harper stopped him. Harper clocked Rowan’s clock on the outside and then launched himself between the ropes at Rowan. Back inside the ring, Harper laid Rowan down with a Senton Splash and a nasty Big Boot. Harper even took Rowan down with his swinging Big Boss Man Slam. Rowan finally got some offense in after landing a Spinning Kick that got followed up by a big Powerbomb. Harper got caught with more big strikes from Rowan while the crowd booed his every move. Harper and Rowan got into loud striking war that ended with a Frankensteiner from Harper. Harper kept landing Superkicks and forcing Rowan to keep grabbing for his sheep mask. Harper finally finished Rowan with his signature Spinning Clothesline.
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
Winner: Sami Zayn!
Highlights: When the bell finally rang, Corbin used his immense power and height to get the best of the smaller Zayn. Zayn resorted to getting ahold of Corbin’s arm at one point, but Corbin threw him away. Zayn used his speed to further anger his taller rival. Corbin took some time on the outside to change up his game plan. When he ran back in, he landed a few good strikes on Zayn but Zayn landed a nice dropkick on Corbin that forced him back to the outside. Both men soon found themselves near the crowd barrier, which led to Zayn pulling off a Moonsault on a standing Corbin. Zayn looked to be in control when both men re-entered the ring, but Corbin slammed Zayn’s back into the corner ring post. Corbin then began focusing his offense on Zayn’s strained back. Corbin kept Zayn in pain with a Bearhug for a long time, but Zayn eventually escaped a made a comeback.
Zayn’s comeback attempt didn’t do enough to bring down Corbin for too long, however. Corbin put Zayn down with a nasty Spinebuster while the crowd tried to rally behind Zayn. Corbin took too long to talk back to the taunting crowd, which led to him walking into a Clothesline from Zayn. Zayn then launched right into his signature comeback repertoire. Corbin eventually got the upper hand again after leaving the ring by sliding out and quickly running back in clean Zayn’s clock with a Clothesline of his own. Corbin then went right back to damaging Zayn’s weakened back. Zayn even got dropped with a Chokeslam into a Backbreaker from Corbin. Both men soon found themselves fighting on the top rope. Zayn used a Sunset Flip Powerbomb to slam Corbin right back into the mat.
Zayn went for a Tornado DDT off the top rope, but Corbin was just too strong to hit the mat. Both men began vying for control, but Corbin ended up getting just that after landing his Deep Six. Corbin decided to stomp out Zayn for a few seconds, but he ended up running right outside of the ring. Once back inside, Corbin found himself getting finished in the corner by Zayn’s Helluva Kick.
Find out how to watch a free live stream of WWE Backlash 2017 here:
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura!
Highlights: Nakamura’s entrance was epic (no surprise there, right?). When the match finally began, Ziggler and Nakamura got into a grappling contest. The action got a bit more intense after Ziggler had the audacity to smack Nakamura. Both men got back into some grappling and countering once again. Nakamura finally broke out of Ziggler’s hold and finally laid in some of his stiffest offense. Nakamura ended up forcing Ziggler to the outside for a bit. When they got back in, Ziggler kicked Nakamura while he was trying to get back in and then followed it up with a neckbreaker. Ziggler weakened Nakamura even more with strikes, a submission hold and a beautiful dropkick. After a while, Nakamura finally countered Ziggler with a knee strike to the gut and a spinning kick. Nakamura then jumped right into his comeback offense.
Ziggler looked to roll up Nakamura in a school boy pin soon after, but Nakamura switched that attempt up into a Kimura lock. But Ziggler quickly escaped and spiked Nakamura with a nice DDT. Some more back and forth countering went down that resulted in Nakamura eating a Fame Asser. Ziggler got the courage to begin hyping up his Superkick while Nakamura struggled to recover. When Nakamura got to his feet, he dodged the Superkick but ended up getting caught with a Zig Zag. Afterwards, Nakamura turned the tables on Ziggler with quick leg strikes. But after Nakamura launched Ziggler in the air, Ziggler landed on his feet and Superkicked him in the back of the head. Ziggler tried stomping Nakamura out, but Nakamura used some strikes of his own to get the better of Ziggler. Nakamura used a sliding knee to crack Ziggler in the head while he was laid over the bottom rope. Another countering exchange occurred soon after, but Nakamura ended the bout with a Reverse Powerslam and a devastating Kinshasa.
Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Naomi vs. The Welcoming Committee (Natalya, Tamina, and Carmella) (with James Ellsworth) (6-Woman Tag Team Match)
Winners: The Welcoming Committee!
Highlights: James Ellsworth grabbed a mic and showed plenty of love to Carmella (and plenty of hate for the good people of Chicago). Tamina and Becky Lynch were the first ladies to lock up. Tamina used her immense power to gain control over Lynch, then she tagged in Natalya to continue getting the better of Lynch. Lynch ended up getting the better of her and then tagging in Charlotte. Natalya began twisting Charlotte’s arm, but Charlotte flipped out of it. Charlotte and Natalya traded a few counters, but Charlotte eventually took her down with chops, a knee drop and some Wooing. Charlotte had the match in control until she ate a Clothesline from Natalya while she stood on the ring apron. The Welcoming Committee then began using quick tags as they assaulted Charlotte. Carmella got into the match to further incapacitate Charlotte. Carmella’s offense didn’t last long though once Charlotte finally tagged in Naomi.
Naomi took Carmella down for a good while until Tamina distracted her and caused Carmella to bring her back down to the mat. Carmella soon got control of the match by landing a Bronco Buster on Naomi. Tamina then got a piece of the action after getting tagged in. The Welcoming Committee ended up making too many errors and almost helped Naomi tagged out, but all three heels tripped up her teammates on the ring apron. Naomi eventually got brought back down with a Samoan Slam from Tamina. Natalya did some damage to Naomi before Naomi countered her and tagged in Lynch. Lynch then went on an offensive spree against Natalya. Lynch did her best to dodge all outside interference from Natalya’s partner and even locked in the Dis-Arm-Her. Soon, everyone began taking each other out with their best signature moves. Lynch managed to knock down Tamina at one point, but she turned right around into a match ending Sharpshooter from Natalya!
Kevin Owens (c) vs. AJ Styles (WWE United States Championship)
Winner: And STILL the WWE United States Champion (by countout), Kevin Owens!
Highlights: Both men wasted no time in locking up as soon as the bell rang. Owens shot right for Style’s leg, but Styles dodged his attempt as soon as he spotted it. Afterwards, both Superstars engaged in some quick counter exchanges. Owens slipped to the outside to catch a breather, which led right into AJ following him. Owens ran right back inside just to play mind games with the challenger. Back inside the ring, Styles pulled off his Phenomenal Dropkick on Owens and began striking him soon after. Styles even took Owens down with his Kip Up Frankensteiner while Owens was distracted. Owens finally began beating on Styles after dropping his head onto the corner ring post and Clotheslining him right after. Owens got super aggressive as he locked in a submission hold on Styles while the crowd looked on. Styles fought hard to escape Owens’ hold, but he got taken back down and assaulted with three Senton Splashes from the big man. Owens locked Styles back into a submission hold, but Styles broke out again and countered with an Enzuguri this time.
Styles then pulled off his striking combo and a Running Forearm Strike to Owens. Styles then began pulling off his best signature comeback moves on a much weaker Owens. Styles looked to land his Styles Clash, but Owens pulled himself out of it. This moment ended with Owens getting dropped on his neck over Styles’ knee. The match intensified even more when Styles tried to flip onto Owens, but Owens Superkicked him and then landed a Pumphandle Neckbreaker. Both men got back to their feet to throw a few punches, but Styles found himself propped up onto the ring apron. Owens used a Stunner to drop his neck right onto the top rope. Owens went to the top tope, but Styles cut him off and almost landed a Styles Clash from the ring apron. Owens flipped out of it, then began beating down on Styles’ injured leg. Back in the ring, Owens used a Cannonball Splash on Styles’ body and that hurt leg of his. Owens stuck to focusing on Styles’ right leg by using a Single-Leg Crab and an Ankle Lock. Styles screamed in pain, but he soon grabbed hold of the bottom rope to break the submission.
Both men got tied up on the top rope. Owens looked for something big, but Styles catapulted over him to land a Sunset Flip Powerbomb. Styles tried to break out his Phenomenal Forearm, but his bad leg caused him to trip up over the top rope. Owens got ahold of Styles to land a nasty DDT soon after. Owens took some time to slap Styles over and over and scream in his face about his current status. Styles responded with a Pele and some punches to boot. Styles placed Owens onto the top rope to land another big move on Owens, but Owens countered him by using a Fisherman Buster off the top rope. Owens then climbed to the top rope, but Styles rolled out of his way to the ring apron. Owens made sure to follow him there, but Styles caught him off guard by suplexing him spine first onto the ring apron. While both men looked to recover on the outside, Owens shoved him right into the time keeper’s area. Styles flew right out of it with a Phenomenal Elbow that landed on Owens. Styles went for a Styles Clash on the announce table, but Owens tripped him up. Owens tied Styles’ leg with the table wires, ran back into the ring and got the countout victory. After the match was decided, Owens got in a cheap shot by Superkicking Styles. Styles was helped to the back by some referees while the crowd cheered him on.
Find out how to watch a free live stream of WWE Backlash 2017 here:
The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) (c) vs. Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) (WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
Winners: And STILL the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The Usos!
Highlights: Tyler Breeze actually walked out with his janitor gear, which was a hilarious surprise to see. He made sure to bring his mop, too. Fandango and Jimmy started things off. Fandango took Jimmy down, began shimmying soon after and tagged in Breeze. Breeze got in, proceeded to mop, dodged a splash from Jimmy then used the mop to disrespect Jimmy. Jimmy tagged in Jey, who finally laid out Breeze with a slick punch and then pissed off the crowd by breaking the mop over his knee. Jey tried more than once to splash Breeze, but Breeze kept rolling out of the way. Breeze managed to hit Jey with an Enzuguri and tag in Fandango. Fandango seemed to get back in control, but Jimmy got tagged in and helped his brother punch the pretty boy out. Fandango almost got rolled up but Jimmy, but Fandango broke the pin with some sexy dancing and a leg drop. While Fandango was in the ring working, Breeze donned the disguise of an elderly lady. “Grandma” Breeze pulled out a dropkick and a Bronco Buster to the delight of the crowd.
Breeze’s offense didn’t last long, though. Both Usos beat the hell out of Breeze with deadly dropkicks. Jey even threw Breeze’s old lady uniform at JBL (the crowd even broke into a “FIRE BRADSHAW!” chant). Breeze dodged a big corner slash from Jey and got Fandango in after getting the hot tag. Fandango went crazy with comeback offense on Jey for a good while. Breeze got tagged in, but Jimmy got tagged in and helped knock him down. Some miscommunication took place between The Usos, which led to Breeze laying out one of them with an Unprettier. On the outside, more madness ensued – Breeze got thrown into the security barrier, but Fandango hopped right over the top rope onto both Usos. The match came to a sad close when Fandango ate a Superkick from Jey.
Randy Orton (c) vs. Jinder Mahal (with Samir Singh and Sunil Singh) (WWE Championship)
Winner: And the NEW WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal!
Highlights: During the Superstar introductions, Orton ran right at Mahal and started a wild brawl. This fight slipped to the outside, which saw Orton launch Mahal over the announce table. Orton stayed in a fiery rage as he beat Mahal down before the bell officially rang. When the ref finally started the match, Orton went right back into hyper mode and jumped all over Mahal on the inside and the outside. Mahal finally got some offense in after he threw Orton shoulder first into the LED board. Mahal made sure to focus all of his offense on Orton’s now injured limb. Orton laid hurt for a while, but he got some offense back in on Mahal by using repeated kicks. Mahal shook off all the damage he had just endured and went right back to working on Orton’s shoulder. Once again though, the match exited the ring and went right back to the outside. Orton lifted Mahal up and dropped him back first onto the announcer’s table.
Once both men crawled back into the ring however, Mahal used knee strikes to ground Orton once again. Mahal then locked in another submission hold aimed at Orton’s hurt shoulder. Orton got back onto his feet, broke the hold and then dodged a shoulder charge from Mahal. This aforementioned moment caused Mahal to ram his shoulder into the corner ring post and now injure his shoulder. Orton followed that up by trying to slam Mahal from the top rope. Mahal tried his hardest to fight Orton off, but Orton brought Mahal down to the mat with a nasty Superplex. When both men got back up, they exchanged blows until Orton started hitting his comeback moves in quick succession. Orton began pulling up Mahal to his feet, but Mahal countered with his arm cross neckbreaker-type maneuver. Mahal looked to follow that up with another big move, but Orton dropped his neck over his back and then landed his Rope Assisted DDT.
Orton signaled for the RKO, but Mahal slid out of the ring to dodge it. Orton followed him outside and destroyed his two assailants, but Mahal slammed his shoulder into the corner ring post. Back inside the ring, Orton shocked the crowd after landing a quick RKO! But Mahal got pulled back outside by his best buddies. Orton then flew back into a rage and took out his frustrations on them by throwing them into the announce tables. Orton handed both men simultaneous Apron DDT’s to the delight of the crowd. Mahal then shocked the world after catching Orton with his Khallas and winning the match! After the match concluded, Mahal celebrated all over the arena while the crowd remained in shock.
Come back and join us for the results & highlights from WWE Extreme Rules on June 4, 2017!
Find out how to watch a free live stream of WWE Backlash 2017 here:
