On Saturday, May 9th, WWE holds its first PLE post-WrestleMania 42, and there are several intriguing matches on the card! WWE Backlash 2026 comes to us live from the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. The show will air on the ESPN app in the US and Netflix Internationally beginning at 6 PM EST. The first hour will air free on ESPN 2!

Currently, five matches are advertised on the card, culminating with an all-out Samoan War when Roman Reigns defends his newly won WWE World Heavyweight Championship against his cousin Jacob Fatu! Also, Danhausen makes his PLE debut when he tags with a mystery partner against The Miz and Kit Wilson, plus so much more!

Here is the match card and my predictions of who will walk out of WWE Backlash 2026 victorious:

Seth Rollins vs Bron Breakker

To me, this match is easily the toughest one to predict on this card. The WWE has already teased a Rollins vs Reigns match, preferably at SummerSlam. So conventional wisdom would say Rollins should win to get that ball rolling. Plus, after a WrestleMania 42 loss to Gunther, it would appear Rollins needs the win here more than Breakker.

However, I’m not so sure that is what happens here. The main question is: will this storyline continue past here? If it does, then I believe Bron Breakker wins here. Also, let’s not forget about Paul Heyman in Breakker’s corner, who might summon The Vision to assist.

Rollins will definitely get the big win when this feud is all said and done. I don’t think it’s ending here. We still have a ways to go before SummerSlam, and Rollins can easily move into the title picture several ways before SummerSlam.

For that reason, I think Breakker will get the win here with assistance from Paul Heyman and The Vision, furthering this feud!

Winner: Bron Breakker

United States Championship Match: Trick Williams (c) vs Sami Zayn

There appears to be one reason to make this WrestleMania 42 rematch happen. If the WWE is all in on doing a double turn with Zayn coming out of this as the true Heel and Williams coming out of this as the beloved Babyface, then this match makes sense and would be worth it!

I can’t see Trick Williams losing just a few short weeks after winning the title at Mania, which is why I see him winning and retaining his title here!

Winner: Trick Williams retains

Asuka vs IYO SKY

This match has the makings of being the sleeper match of the night! After months of Asuka being a thorn in Sky’s side, they finally meet here one-on-one. Many believed this would have been the time when Kairi Sane would turn on Asuka. With Sane’s release from the company, that doesn’t appear to be happening now, although many fans believe this is a swerve from WWE, and Sane was actually not released.

Regardless of whether Sane appears or not, I can’t see “The Genius Of The Sky” losing this match. A win by Sky over her mentor would do her a world of good and help put her back on track for a title shot! That makes the most sense, and that’s what I’m going with here.

Winner: IYO SKY

Danhausen & Mystery Partner ???? vs The Miz & Kit Wilson

Danhausen has taken the WWE by storm since being introduced at WWE’s Elimination Chamber! He is a fan favorite and a huge merchandise seller! There have been several names thrown around for Danhausen’s partner; the most frequently used is CM Punk.

Punk and Danhausen are friends in real life. Punk has been on several social media videos with Danhausen. The fact that CM Punk is not on the card, combined with the enormous pop it would get from the crowd, makes Punk the most favorable choice.

Regardless of who Danhausen’s partner is, this is his PLE debut, and I can’t see any way the WWE has him lose his first PLE match! I’m going with Danhausen and his mystery partner to pick up the win here.

Winner: Danhausen & Mystery Partner

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs Jacob Fatu

Jacob Fatu is where he rightfully belongs, in the World Title picture and main eventing! “The Samoan Werewolf” is a legitimate tough guy who has so much athletic ability and can cut a promo too!

With that being said, I don’t think this is the spot they put the belt on him. This match is Roman Reigns’ first title defense since WrestleMania 42, and while a loss would push Fatu to the moon, it seems unlikely that WWE would invest so much into his Mania match with Punk, to have him lose in his first defense.

The headline of Reigns’ removal from all of WWE’s television schedule in June has fueled speculation that Reigns might drop the title here. However, remember his removal from the schedule is due to his not doing the Saudi show, so removing him from the European Tour makes sense.

I look for Fatu to be booked strongly, while Roman successfully defends his title by the skin of his teeth! Jacob Fatu is the future, but Roman Reigns still has a few more miles left in the tank.

Winner: Roman Reigns retains