On Saturday, May 9th, WWE returned to Tampa, FL, for its first big event since WrestleMania 42, “Backlash.” The show was headlined by Roman Reigns putting his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Jacob Fatu. Following Reigns’ win at WrestleMania 42 to crown himself as the new World Heavyweight Champion, Fatu wasted little time coming after his family member, targeting Reigns the very next night on Monday Night RAW. This marked the first time these two had met in a singles match in history. They faced off in multi-person matches and while a singles match has been teased, it did not come to fruition until tonight.

We also saw Bron Breakker battle Seth Rollins to kick off all the action. Also, Trick Williams put his United States Championship on the line against the former champion, Sami Zayn. Iyo Sky looked to settle her bitter rivalry with her old mentor, Asuka. Also, Danhausen had to find a special tag team partner to face off with The Miz and Kit Wilson. So, what were the top three moments of the night?

3. Danhausen and the MiniHausen’s Reunite

In the third match of the night, Danhausen had to find a tag team partner to face off with The Miz and Kit Wilson. This was a very unconventional tag match, but a rivalry that began all the way back when Danhausen first arrived at WWE. Danhausen was looking for a mentor and ended up choosing The Miz. The Miz was very much less than thrilled, and declined him all he could. However, this would result in Danhausen cursing Miz multiple times. Kit Wilson entered the fray as someone whom The Miz actually wanted to teach, which only further irritated Danhausen.

So, who would Danhausen get to be his tag team partner? A very unconventional choice. Was it Jelly Roll? Was it Oba Femi? Nope. It was one of the minihausen’s who we saw at WrestleMania 42. Together, Danhausen and Minihausen took the fight to The Miz and Kit Wilson in a very fun match. The crowd ate it all up and loved every second of it. Danhausen continues to be one of WWE’s hottest and most over acts around today. A far cry from what many thought about him when he first debuted.

In the end, Danhausen would pin The Miz to win the match for his team. This was simultaneous with Minihausen taking out Kit Wilson from the top rope onto the floor. While it would have been fun to see an actual wrestler or an actual name with Danhausen, this match was great as is. It got the point across very easily, as well as kept Danhausen to his true, wacky character that fans have gotten to know and love. It remains to be seen where we go from here, but one thing we know is that Danhausen is indeed overhausen.

2. Bron Breakker Knocks Off Seth Rollins

In the opening match of the night, we saw Bron Breakker make his return to singles action against his former mentor and friend, Seth Rollins. This is a match that was supposed to happen at WrestleMania 42, but due to Breakker’s healing from a hernia, it got delayed. Instead, we saw Rollins go one-on-one with Gunther in losing fashion. Breakker made his massive return at WrestleMania 42, spearing Rollins out of his boots to help Gunther win the match. However, that was more about hurting Rollins and less about helping Gunther. Now, the two men had the chance to settle this long-term rivalry once and for all.

While this was the opening match of the night, it was also the best match of the night by far. The two men went to war for just under 22 minutes. Breakker was trying to prove a lot in this one. He did everything he could to come away with the biggest win of his career. Breakker is poised to take over as the future of the WWE, alongside Oba Femi. This match could be viewed as the starting point for his monumental push. While this match could have been better suited for a WrestleMania-type event, the two men put on a WrestleMania-caliber match at “Backlash.”

In the end, The Vision’s Logan Paul and Austin Theory tried to help Breakker, but failed as Seth Rollins had their number. However, that didn’t stop Breakker, as he found his moment and landed a final spear onto Rollins and pinned him to win the match. Breakker’s win over Rollins is easily the biggest of his career. If booked right, this is a moment that Breakker could use to propel him into the main event scene and potentially take the title from Roman Reigns down the line. This was a stellar match and a huge win for Breakker.

1. Roman Reigns Retains Over Jacob Fatu, Fatu Snaps

    The main event of the show saw Roman Reigns put his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Jacob Fatu. This marked Roman Reigns’ first title defense after winning the championship from CM Punk in the main event of WrestleMania 42. Reigns and Punk put on an instant classic for the championship, which spoke volumes. It truly may have been the best World Heavyweight Championship match in WWE history. That was a fantastic way to get the World Heavyweight Championship to be on the same level as the Undisputed WWE Championship, held by Cody Rhodes.

    So, now Reigns was scheduled for his first-ever defense. Unfortunately for Roman, it came against a Bloodline-family member, and perhaps the most dangerous one, Jacob Fatu. On the RAW after Mania, Reigns and The Usos reunited. This drew out Jacob Fatu, who was fresh off a win over Drew McIntyre at the biggest show of the year. Fatu said he needed the title. Reigns gave him a week to think about it. Fatu took the week, came out the following RAW, and locked in the Tongan Death Grip. Reigns accepted Fatu’s challenge, and the dream match was made official.

    This match was far from disappointing, too, as the two warriors left it all out there. This was, hands down, Fatu’s best showing since coming to the WWE. Despite coming up just short, Fatu looked absolutely incredible here. This was the Fatu that I thought they would bring to the WWE, and I’m happy to see him finally arrive. After the match, Fatu absolutely snapped and choked Roman out with the Tongan Death Grip while taking out the officials who tried to break it up. Thus, a new monster heel was born.

    What do you think? Do you agree on these three moments? Join the conversation and tweet your thoughts to @turnbuckletime1 or my personal Twitter account, @scott44mitchell.

    Until next week,


    Scott Mitchell