The following editorial was written by Quinn Gammon and does not reflect the opinions of WrestleZone as a whole. We encourage you all to discuss Quinn’s thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this post and follow him on Twitter @Sir_Quinn
On Sunday night we saw WWE air its 14th Backlash PPV, a mixed bag of a show that served as little more than a transitional speed bump on the road to Money in the Bank. Traditionally, I like to analyze an entire event match by match, but the honest truth is that very little of this show was noteworthy. There were no title changes and a minuscule amount of storyline development.
Instead, I’m going to focus on two important takeaways regarding the two marquee matches from last night’s PPV.
WWE Backlash Results (5/6): Styles And Nakamura Battle For The WWE Title, Roman Reigns Wins, More!
Styles vs Nakamura Was A Ballbuster…And Not In The Good Way
AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura had the third match of their program, a No Disqualification bout that was supposed to neutralize the illegal low blows that Nakamura has used to decimate Styles’ phenomenal family jewels. It was also intended to ensure a conclusive finish following the double count-out disappointment from The Greatest Royal Rumble.
What we got was a decent wrestling match that saw neither competitor take advantage of the No DQ stipulation until late in the match. It ended with both men literally hitting each other in the nuts until they couldn’t stand up.
So, to recap: the match booked as the answer to an inconclusive finish ends in…an inconclusive finish?
I’m not against the idea of another “Dusty” finish. Admittedly, Styles vs Nakamura at WrestleMania was not the instant classic everyone assumed it would be. It was, however, a good reminder that no matter how amazing two wrestlers are (and yes, Nakamura is one of the best in the world, regardless of what you may think of his WWE run), it doesn’t automatically equate to a great feud.
The Nakamura heel turn has added a new dynamic to a persona that was definitely beginning to feel like a bird with clipped wings. His facial expressions when uppercutting people in the gonads are hilarious. That being said, last night’s match was poorly produced. I could understand neither man wanting to jump into using weapons right away if this was about bushido, the code of the warrior, but it wasn’t. This is a personal feud now! It doesn’t get a whole lot more personal than committing a repeated onslaught of another dude’s manhood.
Next Page: What’s Going On With WWE’s Main Event Scene Following Backlash? (cont.)
