WWE’s first premium live event following WrestleMania XL delivered on chaos, surprises, and hard-hitting drama. With four championship matches, an unexpected debut, and a main event filled with controversy, Backlash 2025 set the tone for a turbulent summer in WWE.
United States Championship Fatal 4-Way: Jacob Fatu (c) def. Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, and LA Knight
The United States Championship match exploded into action from the opening bell, with each man quickly rekindling post-WrestleMania rivalries. While Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest battled outside, LA Knight used the chaos to send Jacob Fatu crashing into the ring post. Momentum swung early and often, with Knight briefly taking control before Priest, McIntyre, and the champ started a cycle of signature offense.
An explosive exchange saw Fatu deliver a senton to McIntyre, only to eat Knight’s BFT, which led to a Priest chokeslam, followed by a Claymore from McIntyre — but no pinfall.
As the ring cleared, McIntyre seemed poised for victory after hitting Knight with a Claymore, but Priest yanked him out of the ring, robbing him once again. That sparked a brutal brawl between the two up the ramp and into the timekeeper’s area, culminating in Priest hitting South of Heaven off a production box through a table.
Back in the ring, Knight nearly had it won with a pair of elbow drops on Fatu — but the Samoan Werewolf refused to stay down. Just when Knight looked ready to end it, Solo Sikoa appeared to rescue the champion, dragging him to safety. That distraction allowed a mystery man, revealed to be Jeff Cobb, to ambush Knight.
Cobb demolished LA and fed him to a confused but opportunistic Fatu, who hit a moonsault for the pin. The champ retained, but his post-match stare-down with Sikoa and the debuting Cobb hinted that bigger moves may be in motion.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Lyra Valkyria (c) def. Becky Lynch
In a fiercely contested bout, Lyra Valkyria proved she’s more than a rising star — she’s a fighting champion. The challenger, Becky Lynch, leaned hard into her heel tendencies, taunting both the crowd and Lyra’s fiancé at ringside, using every trick in the book to get under the champ’s skin.
Despite Lynch’s mind games and underhanded tactics — including exposing a turnbuckle and going for a steel chair — Valkyria stayed composed. A key sequence saw her hit a devastating top-rope leg drop and later a Nightwing, but a delayed count due to Carr’s distraction allowed Lynch to kick out.
The finish came after a frenzied exchange of reversals and an eye poke from Lynch. Valkyria outsmarted the veteran by reversing a roll-up for the three-count. Lynch lost it post-match, refusing to release a Dis-Arm-Her on the champ. It took GM Adam Pearce and officials to restore order, with commentary speculating Valkyria may have suffered a broken nose.
Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) def. Penta
Penta gave Dirty Dom all he could handle in this first-time-ever match, taking early control and stunning the champ with a destroyer on the apron. But Judgment Day’s presence loomed large, and when Penta dove onto Carlito and JD McDonagh, Finn Bálor was able to distract the referee.
That allowed El Grande Americano to strike — headbutting Penta with a loaded mask just as he prepared for a high-flying attack. Mysterio hit a frog splash to steal the win and retain the Intercontinental Championship. The Judgment Day stood tall on the ramp, looking more unified than they have in weeks.
Gunther def. Pat McAfee via Submission
Pat McAfee returned to the ring in front of a hyped St. Louis crowd, but found out quickly that Gunther doesn’t do comedy matches. The Austrian juggernaut brutalized McAfee with his signature stiff offense, but the commentator-turned-wrestler showed incredible heart.
A spirited comeback — and some help from Michael Cole, who actually grabbed Gunther’s foot — gave McAfee a glimmer of hope. A sleeper and roll-up nearly shocked the world, but in the end, Gunther’s technical dominance was too much. He choked McAfee out cold, winning via submission while sending a message that even entertainment personalities aren’t safe in his ring.
Undisputed WWE Championship: John Cena (c) def. Randy Orton
In a wild, main event clash filled with mind games and veteran counters, John Cena once again walked away as Undisputed Champion — but not without controversy.
The match began with mutual gamesmanship and turned personal quickly. Cena poked Orton in the eye during a fake handshake, and it was off to the races. The Viper dished out punishment with stomps, DDTs, and even a table spot on the outside. Cena responded with multiple Attitude Adjustments and even tried a punt kick of his own.
Ref bumps, interference teases, and multiple finisher kickouts left the match teetering on chaos. After Orton fought off GM Nick Aldis’ staff, R-Truth tried to intervene, only to be dropped with an RKO. That allowed Cena to blast Orton with the championship belt. With the referee slowly getting into position, Cena covered and scored the controversial win.
Post-match, Cena declared himself the last real champion and dismissed the crowd — but when a “Thank you Cena” chant broke out, the 16-time world champ paused, appearing to fight off emotion before walking to the back, title in hand.
John Cena attacks R-Truth at the WWE Backlash Press Conference
The WWE Backlash post-show press conference in St. Louis took an unexpected turn when 17-time World Champion John Cena made a surprise appearance—one that ended with R-Truth eating a table.
After quietly exchanging a few words with WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Cena took the mic to a big reaction. Levesque dubbed him the “Greatest of All-Time” before handing over the floor, and Cena stepped up in a notably subdued tone. Sounding more like one of his introspective tweets than the fiery Cena fans are used to, the champ said he felt it was time to “step forward” and address the media personally following his latest successful title defense.
Cena promised to answer any question the press had, starting with one about his longtime rival and opponent from the Backlash main event, Randy Orton. But before he could get a word in, chaos arrived in the form of R-Truth.
Bursting into the room, Truth excitedly called out for his “childhood hero,” clearly thrilled to see Cena after his big win. At first, Cena took the interruption in stride with a smile. That changed quickly when Truth, in his usual mix of comedy and confusion, mentioned that some people say Cena “sucks and can’t wrestle.”
That struck a nerve.
Cena’s demeanor darkened, warning Truth that he’d crossed a line and better not push his luck. But, of course, Truth being Truth, he didn’t stop talking.
That’s when Cena snapped—lifting Truth and sending him crashing through the press conference table in front of a stunned media crowd.
While the status of Truth after the attack hasn’t been officially updated, it’s clear that Cena’s current title run is coming with a new edge—and a much shorter fuse. As for the soul-searching Cena alluded to? If this moment is any indication, it may be leading him down a darker path than fans are used to.
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