2025 edition Repulsion There was a premium live event WWE It took over the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri for its first big show since WrestleMania 41 last month. Like most WWE cards under Triple H, Backlash 2025 featured five matches.
We’ll be looking at all matches on the Backlash 2025 card. This includes the final main event of the WWE title, the first appearance in PLE for the female IC title, and the Wild Fourway for the US title, among others.
5
Dominik Mysterio Vs. Penta (Intercontinental Championship)
Overall rating from TheSportster: 6.5/10
Storytelling | 1.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical capabilities | 1.75/2.5 |
Character work/psychology | 1.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 1.75/2.5 |
Feeling like a live match of glory, Dominique Mysterio successfully defended the intercontinental championship with Penta in a fun match. Mysterio looked strong early on, showing off a wider move set, fluidity, good heel work, and the crowd was behind him.
Penta and Mysterio collided well, but the match lacked a clear structure outside the impressive high-flying movement (and the brutal Mexican destroyer on the apron). There was predictable interference from both Judgment Day and El Grande Americano, but it didn’t add anything too special to the matchup.
4
Gunther vs. Patmacafee
Overall rating from TheSportster: 7.25/10
Storytelling | 1.75/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical capabilities | 1.5/2.5 |
Character work/psychology | 1.75/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
Gunther was violent, dominant, cheeky, and gave an incredible character performance in this fight with Pat McAfee. There was some lack of psychology from McAfee, but most of the time he gave great character-driven performances as the underdog, fighting from underneath and picking up the upset by using nothing but grit and heart.
It was by no means a technical clinic, but it retained a very realistic sense of struggle, convincing McAfee to pause his disbelief and beat the wild audience to defeat Gunther. In the end, Gunther was too powerful and choked his opponent for victory. The match was dragged over as perhaps a little too long, but it was still very effective and fans loved it.
3
John Cena vs. Randy Orton (Indisputable WWE Championship)
Overall rating from TheSportster: 7.75/10
Storytelling | 1.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical capabilities | 1.75/2.5 |
Character work/psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
John Cena and Randy Orton kept everything simple. Although Cena was handed over to his best, the execution was mostly strong, so not everything was done cleverly. The choice to simplify everything was for their interest as they could control the crowd and hold it in the palm of their hands throughout.
The crowd gave this a big fight atmosphere, bringing the average match up to what felt like a big main event in the WWE title. There were some shenanigans, many finishers, and close range (and lots of shoulder tackles too). The finish was the biggest problem of the match. Because a very fun contest ended with Orton on R-Truth, allowing Cena to cheat and win with a really bad conclusion.
2
Jacob Fatu Vs. Drew McIntyre Vs. LA Night Vs. Damien Priest (US Championship)
Overall rating from TheSportster: 7.75/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical capabilities | 2/2.5 |
Character work/psychology | 1.75/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
A lot was stuffed into the backlash opener and kicked things off with bangs. Every man in the match got a chance to shine. The action got much faster at a much faster pace, and the strong characters continued to the end, coupled with how the viewers were invested in from the opening bell. The ring was strong and given the chaotic nature of most of the match, it didn’t get messy or lose track of it.
Priest and McIntyre called out to the crowd and crashed the table in a huge spot. And the match ended with Jeff Cobb’s debut. There are several interwoven stories here, which have led to strong unity in every aspect.
1
Lyra Valkyria Vs. Becky Lynch (Intercontinental Championship)
Overall rating from TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical capabilities | 2.25/2.5 |
Character work/psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
Lyra Valkyria star-making performance. The young Intercontinental champion shows off some world-class technical work, often outperforming the experienced Becky Lynch and has her number throughout the match. Valkyria showed swagger, confidence, quality, and relied on the unruly heeled tactics, aggression and ug officers.
The work in the ring was great, rebutting vivid action, lots of good close range and genuine sensory struggles from both women. Although the umpire Shenangan didn’t need to unnecessarily take it from the final stretch, Valkyria’s victory was still a strong moment and she left a much bigger star in WWE.
