WWE Backlash 2026: Biggest Winners & Losers

Now that the post-WrestleMania PLE has come and gone, it is time to say something, one last time…*Danhausen voice* Backlash!

Alright, now that that is out of my system, it is time to break down the winners and the losers from last night’s big show in Tampa. Obviously, the literal winners and losers can be found on the WWE Backlash 5/9/2026 results page.

Now it is time to talk in regards to the proverbial, metaphorical, and other holistic Winners and Losers. Sometimes a loser is a winner, like Jacob Fatu, and sometimes a winner is de facto a loser, just like the poor son-of-a-b**** that may have to be the primary John Cena Classic Champion.

Enough of my bloviating, let’s break it down.

On the 1989 Academy Awards, there was an elaborate musical number, dedicated to the “Stars of Tomorrow.” I won’t bore you with the total breakdown. If you would like to see it, it’s on YouTube and it’s one in every of the various explanation why that 12 months’s ceremony was a humiliation.

In the course of the segment, Tyrone Power Jr. does a little bit of dancing, and even does a swashbuckling sword fight with Christian Slater, ala Power’s father’s role as Zorro within the 1940 remake of “The Mark of Zorro.” Power Jr. is a wonderfully cromulent matinee idol, within the vein of his namesake. Strong jaw, loads of hair, he looks the part, but just a little bit hole. He doesn’t quite have the charisma, and even worse, his name is presupposed to conjure one in every of the nice movie stars of the Forties and 50s. There was no hope for Tyrone Power Jr. to be what his father was, and I believe where I’m going with this.

The convoluted rules, the vague promise of some form of tertiary championship, the incontrovertible fact that the inaugural winner may have to essentially wear John Cena’s name of their introduction, all of it seems like whoever the inaugural winner of the John Cena Classic shall be is being set as much as fail.

I hope that whoever they’re proves me fallacious, but there’s something a little bit terrifying in regards to the idea of wins and losses finally being shed within the name of fan support. It could possibly be a riveting change to the structure of skilled wrestling, or the death of any semblance of kayfabe or logic. It’s deconstructionist at best, accelerationist at worst. I cannot wait to see what happens, but I feel bad for the poor bastard who needs to be the primary champion.

Jacob Fatu is bulletproof. I’m not going to pretend he’s the most effective wrestler on this planet. I’m not going to pretend the major event of Backlash was perfect. But as a foil to Roman Reigns, there may not be anyone higher.

He is sort of a funhouse mirror version of “The Tribal Chief” and a brutal motherf***er at that. Where CM Punk and Reigns had a comparatively protected match, give or take some stairs and a few blood, Fatu and Reigns had a very violent confrontation on Saturday. Ever since his debut, Fatu’s stock seems to only go up and up and up, and while he still hasn’t won the large one yet, he feels closer than ever.

Even when he just finally ends up a perennial almost-champion, like Hirooki Goto in Latest Japan Pro-Wrestling. Fatu is carving a fairly sturdy place for himself within the pecking order of WWE. I’m sure WWE has someone flashier picked to dethrone Reigns, in the event that they have anyone even picked in any respect, but like Goto, considerations ought to be made for Fatu.

I feel like WWE is working as hard as it could possibly to get the Seth Rollins/Vision feud back on target, after far more interesting feuds took over within the wake of varied injuries. It’s snake bit, and there was something downright depressing about watching Rollins attempt to conjure the ghost of his 27-year-old self, while Bron Breakker just did his best to be certain the Spear looked good at the tip.

WWE also looked as if it would admit that this match was a glorified “Raw” major event by broadcasting it on ESPN2, and even then it took second-billing to Trick Williams and Lil’ Yachty avenging a Gingerbread Man.

WWE just is not fascinated with the form of match Seth Rollins is selling anymore, and Bron Breakker seems like collateral damage as everyone learns this fact together. That is the corporate of Danhausen, and Tribal Chief Community Theater. By being an organization man to the tip, Seth has began to stick out like a sore thumb, as his proto-AEW style doesn’t quite fit any of WWE’s three-ring circus anymore, as one in every of the rings has been sold for ad space, so he’s sharing one in every of the rings with the Gingerbread Man, while WWE fans pay $30 for Minihausen.

Speaking of which…

It’s Mascarita Sagrada’s world, and we’re merely living in it. The previous El Torito made his return to WWE on Saturday as Minihausen, and while the match wasn’t quite the vaudeville classic Wee-LC, it was still an amazing time.

Danhausen is riding a wave of recognition that’s on no account sustainable, but until that wave breaks on the shore, it’s undeniable that he’s one in every of WWE’s pillar attractions. His sensibilities and the corporate’s Disney-like Imagineering are a refreshingly simpatico combination. Miz is one in every of the best comedy foils in WWE history, and taking Kit Wilson under his wing hopefully ensures that this type of buffoonery can proceed when he’s done.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, WWE charged $30 for Danhausen, and damned if it wasn’t the proper call.