Rivalry renewed as Reigns will battle Samoa Joe at WWE Backlash

Bayley vs. Ruby Riott (Backlash Kickoff Match)
United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (No Disqualification Match)
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe

Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe

At WWE Backlash, an intense rivalry will reignite when Roman Reigns goes head-to-head with Samoa Joe.
At WrestleMania 34, Reigns engaged Universal Champion Brock Lesnar in an absolutely brutal match, and
although he gave it everything he had, The Big Dog came up short.
The following night, a war-torn Superstar reemerged on Raw, only to learn that The Beast had been
re-signed by WWE and that they would square off for the Universal Title at the Greatest Royal Rumble
event inside a Steel Cage.

As he took issue with learning this news on the internet, The Big Dog was suddenly interrupted by a
returning Samoa Joe. The intense Superstar made it clear that he was sick of hearing Reigns making
excuses and that they would square off at WWE Backlash after Lesnar is done with The Big Dog.
With no love loss between Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns, there is no telling how much destruction will
occur when they once again lock horns. Who will emerge in one piece? Find out at WWE Backlash,
tomorrow, streaming live at 8/7 C

WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (No Disqualification Match)

The intense rivalry between WWE Champion AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura is destined to reach a fever
pitch when the two Superstars once again square off for the WWE Title in a No Disqualification
Match at WWE Backlash.
After his triumphant showing in the 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble Match, the charismatic Nakamura earned
the right to a dream match against The Phenomenal One at WrestleMania 34. However, moments after
Styles successfully defended the WWE Championship in a hard-fought encounter on The Grandest Stage
of Them All, The King of Strong Style suddenly struck a vicious low blow that forever tarnished
the instant classic the WWE Universe had waited so long to see.
The nefarious Artist would follow up that assault on SmackDown LIVE with several strategic sneak
attacks en route to their rematch at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Along the way, he would meet any and all inquiries about his behavior with a sudden inability
to speak English.

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass

Daniel Bryan will look to cut Big Cass down to size when the two SmackDown Superstars collide at
WWE Backlash tomorrow.
When Bryan retuned to in-ring competition prior to WrestleMania, everyone was inspired by the
four-time World Champion’s refusal to give up on his unrelenting drive to chase down his dream.
Well… almost everyone that is.
Coming to SmackDown LIVE as part of the 2018 Superstar Shake-up and making his return after
suffering a knee injury, Big Cass made it very clear from the get-go that he was not impressed
with Bryan’s comeback story. On the contrary, he opted to lay out The “Yes!” Man during a
sneak attack on the April 17 edition of the blue brand.

One week later, Bryan was scheduled to be a guest on “Miz TV” for a face-to-face encounter
that the WWE Universe has been excited to see since an epic war of words between Bryan
and The A-Lister on the Aug. 23, 2016, edition of WWE Talking Smack. Instead, Cass made
his way down to “the most must-see TV show in WWE history.” The irate Superstar expressed
his frustration that his own return to action had been overshadowed by that of Bryan’s,
and he promised that the subject of his animosity would never again be able to cast a shadow
over him. Moments later, it was discovered that Bryan had been attacked from behind, an
assault that one can only assume came from Cass.
As a result, the still war-torn Bryan asked SmackDown General Manager Paige to set up a
match between the two Superstars for WWE Backlash, promising that it won’t matter how
big his opponent is when he makes him tap out.
Don’t miss WWE Backlash when Big Cass clashes with The Beard, streaming live tomorrow at 8 ET/5 PT

Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

At WWE Backlash, newly-crowned Greatest Royal Rumble Champion Braun Strowman will join forces
with Bobby Lashley as they attempt to dismantle Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.
After Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon overruled General Manager Kurt Angle and allowed
Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens to bring The “Yep!” Movement to Raw, The Olympic Hero opted to treat
the outspoken duo to a tag team showdown against Strowman & Lashley.

Though the ensuing chaos was in no way a surprise, Zayn caught such an intense beatdown at
the hands of The Monster Among Men and The Dominator that it apparently caused Zayn’s
supposed “vertigo,” a condition that would keep the Superstar from competing in the Greatest
Royal Rumble Match. He fortunately recovered by the following Monday, when he, Owens and
Jinder Mahal were defeated by Strowman, Lashley and Roman Reigns in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.
The “Yep!” Movement will have a chance for payback when they face The Monster Among Men
and The Dominator in a tag team rematch this Sunday.
Owens & Zayn are truly as dangerous as they are devious, but will they find a way to
survive the wrath of their destructive opponents? Find out tomorrow at 8 ET/7 PT

Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. The Miz

A frustrated and furious former Intercontinental Champion The Miz wasted no time invoking his
rematch clause for a chance to reacquire his illustrious title. On the Raw after WrestleMania 34,
The A-Lister denied Rollins’ suggestion they square off right then and there and declared the
two should clash at WWE Backlash tomorrow.
At WrestleMania, Rollins dethroned The Miz in a tooth-and-nail Triple Threat Match that also
included Finn Bálor. The win earned him the prestigious distinction of being a Grand Slam
Champion, joining the ranks of his Shield brothers, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. As a
first-time Intercontinental Champion, The Architect is certainly looking to construct a nice,
long reign.

As for The Miz, he’s clearly sitting in an uncomfortable position. The eight-time
Intercontinental Champion just held the coveted title for 76 days, and he once headlined
WrestleMania XXVII. This is not what he envisioned for himself for 2018.
Who will prevail when these two super-competitive athletes collide on the pay-per-view stage?
Don’t miss WWE Backlash 2018, streaming live on the award-winning WWE Network tomorrow
at 8 ET/5 PT, with a special Kickoff beginning at 7 ET/4 PT.

United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton

Randy Orton will attempt to unseat United States Champion Jeff Hardy at WWE Backlash in what
promises to be a knock-down, drag-out fight for the title.
By defeating Bobby Roode to capture the U.S. Title at WWE Fastlane, The Viper became a Grand
Slam Champion, a milestone that includes 13 reigns as World Champion. Then, after losing the
red, white and blue title in a Fatal 4-Way Match at WrestleMania, he wasted no time getting
back in the game by overcoming Roode and Rusev in a fast-paced Triple Threat Match on SmackDown
LIVE for the right to challenge his longstanding adversary Jinder Mahal at WWE Backlash. Enter Jeff Hardy.
On the same night that Mahal brought the star-spangled title to Raw as part of the 2018
Superstar Shake-up, Hardy emerged to conquer The Modern Day Maharaja and win the U.S.
Championship, bringing it back to SmackDown LIVE when he officially became a member
of Team Blue as part of the Shake-up one night later.

Though this sudden turn of events ruined Orton’s plans for a rematch against Mahal, he
soon made it clear that he didn’t care who he defeated to win back the title. This Viper
proved his point just moments after a tag team bout with Hardy against The Miz & Shelton
Benjamin when he dropped the titleholder with a post-match RKO outta nowhere.
What will happen when WWE’s Apex Predator squares off with The Charismatic Enigma for the
United States Championship? Find out at WWE Backlash, streaming live tomorrow at 8/7 C