WWE Backlash 2017: Full rundown and why you should care

The first SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view after WrestleMania 33 is here, and given the show has had so much time to put together stories, it’s no surprise that there is a whole lot to go over here. So, let’s get right to it: Backlash will air on the WWE Network beginning at 7 p.m. ET with a kickoff show, with the actual event starting at 8 p.m. ET.

What am I looking at here? Two big dudes with beards, both of whom used to work for Bray Wyatt in his cult, the Wyatt Family. Harper is low-key one of the best wrestlers in the entire company and even had a chance to be in the WWE World Championship match at WrestleMania 33. Rowan had a brief run as a face a couple of years back after exiting the Wyatts, showing himself to be kind of a gentle giant who is also a genius. But that seems to have been put aside and replaced with creep factor.

Why you should care: Harper is the good guy now, the one who broke away from Bray’s hold, and Rowan seems to have made major strides in his wrestling since the last time he was around — he only recently returned from an injury that sidelined him and helped change the entire structure of the Wyatts. Both deserve the spotlight, especially as each character adds layers and nuance as a solo act: Seeing which of the two comes out the winner is intriguing.

What am I looking at here? Baron Corbin is a former Golden Gloves winner, NFL player, had a successful college football career, won medals for grappling, is a former Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner, and is literally the most metal athlete in the world — no, really, he recently won an award for that, too. Also, he is a wolf enthusiast.

Zayn, meanwhile, loves ska and being a good person, and also manages to annoy many people around him with how he speaks. It’s OK, though, Sami. We all love you. Except for Corbin, who definitely hates you.

Why you should care: Zayn is a beloved WWE babyface who always rises to the challenge and fights valiantly, even if the outcome seems to rarely be in his favor. Corbin is someone who has known success everywhere he’s gone and who thinks everyone he works with is a giant loser who needs to stay out of his way as he rises through WWE’s ranks. Seeing if Zayn can prove Corbin wrong or if Corbin is going to grind him into dust is the attraction for this one.

What am I looking at here? This six-woman tag match isn’t just some thrown-together affair to get everyone in the women’s division on the pay-per-view. No, no, this match has been setup to decide the soul of the division. Charlotte Flair arrived on SmackDown as part of the Superstar Shakeup and immediately declared herself next-in-line for the show’s Women’s title. Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina Snuka did not take kindly to this, saying Flair is entitled and that she needs to be stopped. So during Charlotte’s championship match against Naomi, they beat her down.

Becky Lynch did not come out to save Charlotte, even though she’s a face, and it’s because Charlotte is a heel who has betrayed Becky in the past — Charlotte was going to need to earn it this time. When Charlotte valiantly came to Naomi’s aid a week later, Becky responded by saving the two of them from a beatdown at the hands of the Welcoming Committee, and we ended up with this three-on-three alignment.

Why you should care: The chances of this match ending without someone either turning or being introduced to the Welcoming Committee seem slim. Will Charlotte Flair decide she should be in charge of this stable that already has a veteran presence, a young and hungry star, and muscle? Will Becky preemptively attack Charlotte, knowing that Charlotte would do the same to her the instant she sees an opening? Or has Naomi been the one behind all of this the entire time? She’s been awfully quiet relative to Charlotte and Becky...

This match is going to determine the direction of the women’s division for some time yet and help lead SmackDown into its next championship program and what the brand will do at its next pay-per-view, June’s Money in the Bank. That’s no small thing.

What am I looking at here? This is Shinsuke Nakamura:

Nakamura has recently been NXT Champion, but now he’s here on SmackDown to become one of the new major stars and good guys on the show. His first challenger is Dolph Ziggler, who is tired of hearing about how great Nakamura is, so he keeps on saying that it doesn’t matter what Nakamura has done outside the WWE: He’ll never be as successful as Ziggler has been within it.

Why you should care: Ziggler is such an annoying heel, and, at least lately, I mean that as a compliment. There is nothing that I (and many others) want more on Sunday than for Nakamura to knee him in his big dumb head for all the dumb things he’s said about Nakamura, who is a capital-s Star. This match could end up being the best one of the entire show, as it’s his first real opportunity to let loose against an opponent who will make him look amazing since his NXT debut against Sami Zayn from TakeOver: Dallas over a year ago.

Nakamura will likely win and be immediately thrust into the main event scene somehow — just in time to participate in the Money in the Bank ladder match for a WWE World Championship match contract.

Kevin Owens (c) vs. AJ Styles for the WWE United States Championship

What am I looking at here? Owens claims to be the new face of America, as the Canadian is the current U.S. Champ and speaking French to American crowds infuriates them. More realistically, speaking ill of AJ Styles infuriates them, and doing so coming off the heels of a feud with the beloved Chris Jericho has made them all even more upset with KO. Styles is the face of SmackDown, and that’s not just something he says: He’s a good guy once again, and the top star on Tuesday’s show, and he’s coming for the belt that SmackDown has been put in charge of reviving.

Why you should care: The Occam’s Razor explanation for why you should care is that these two dudes are dope as hell in the ring. More big picture, though, is that RAW screwed up the United States Championship, and it’s been sent to SmackDown to be rehabilitated. Pitting a recent WWE Universal Champion against a recent WWE World Champion for this secondary title — and making the feud about the title — is an effective way to get that process started.

Hey, we already saw SmackDown successful bring the Intercontinental Championship back to life. Why not the U.S. strap?

What am I looking at here? The Usos went heel a while ago, and it’s added an extra dimension to their characters while also giving their in-ring performance the killer instinct it was missing. They’ll take on Breezango, the portmanteau of Tyler Breeze and Fandango, aka the Fashion Police. You might think that Breezango is a joke, but instead, WWE seems to just be letting them tell jokes: They won the number one contendership by beating out the rest of the SmackDown tag division, and now they’re here to win the titles, too.

Why you should care: For one, watch this and then look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want Breeze and Fandango to be the tag champions for every wrestling promotion on Earth:

SmackDown’s tag division was unquestionably the weakest part of the show before WrestleMania 33, but between the Usos and the Fashion Police, that seems to be changing. Breeze and Deputy Dango don’t necessarily need to win the titles at Backlash to be taken seriously as a competitor, but they do need to look real good so that they aren’t just a one-and-done opponent for the Usos until another team (presumably, New Day) shows up. This is SmackDown’s chance to build some real depth and help launch a team that could entertain us every Tuesday for months and months.

Randy Orton (c) vs. Jinder Mahal for the WWE World Championship

What am I looking at here? Randy Orton won the WWE World Championship from Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33, and Jinder Mahal won a battle royal to determine the number one contender and Orton’s opponent at Backlash. Mahal had recently been a jobber — a guy who loses all the time — but his past doesn’t matter anymore. He’s got a new attitude, he’s ripped as all heck, and maybe most importantly, now he has friends. Jinder Mahal might not be able to beat anyone by himself, but he’s not by himself, and that might be Orton’s downfall.

Why you should care: SmackDown bills itself as the land of opportunity in WWE, and it’s done a great job of delivering on that promise. Jinder Mahal, who has never had real success in WWE, is suddenly in the main event scene because he got some new muscles and some new friends and put both to work. Just having him in this match is huge, but if Jinder wins the WWE World Championship, then it says a lot about how far SmackDown is willing to take its promotional line in reality.

None of that is a negative, by the way. Jinder is the bad guy here: If you don’t think he deserves the title but he wins anyway with help from the Singh Brothers, well, you dislike him for the right reasons — the story line reasons WWE is giving you. And in a world where Jinder’s former goofy stable mates Heath Slater (SmackDown Tag Team Champion) and Drew McIntyre (indie sensation returned to NXT as a big deal) have already rehabilitated, Jinder doing so at the top of the SmackDown card makes plenty of sense.