411’s Instant Access 04.26.09: WWE Backlash 2009

Posted by Scott Slimmer on 04.26.2009

Three title matches. Three new champions. Unexpected bondage. And a love triangle involving three men and some barbeque sauce. This show had a little bit of everything…

Hey kids, I'm Scott, and this is 411's Instant Access: WWE Backlash 2009. 411's Instant Access is the companion piece to 411 Live Pay-Per-View Coverage and features immediate reaction to wrestling pay-per-views. The focus in Instant Access is on first thoughts and initial reactions instead of play-by-play with the goal of providing you with instant access to one two three FOUR writers' thoughts on the show. That's right, Instant Access will now feature multiple analysts for all WWE pay-per-views. Here's the team for the Backlash:

• Scott Slimmer, author of Don't Think Twice.
• Chris Lansdell, author of A Brace for Impact and If Could Be Serious For A Moment.
• Rob McNew, author of 411's WWE Raw Report and 411's WWE Superstars Report.
• Jeremy Thomas, editor of 411's Wrestler of the Week and author of The Hush-Hush Movie News Report.


Okay kids, enough with the explanations. Let's get to the wrestling.

ECW Championship Match
Jack Swagger (Champion) vs. Christian
Match Result: Christian defeats Jack Swagger with the Kill Switch.
Match Length: 11:00
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: This was a great match to open the show as both Swagger and Christian really delivered. Christian is definitely at the level where he deserves to hold a championship, and having him as the preeminent start of ECW will breathe a bit of new life into the show. I'm throwing in an extra quarter star for the great interaction between Christian and Edge after the match.
Lansdell: I hope Vince was paying attention here. The crowd was crazy behind Christian the whole match, which by the way was very good. It had a little of everything: near falls, counters, mat wrestling. Swagger busting out the Stampede was a nice throwback too. I imagine we'll get a rematch on this one, as we should because they worked well together.
McNew: This match wasn't quite as good as the match on ECW a few weeks back, but this was still a great opener. Christian went over strong, and showed that he outsmarted the rookie with the turnbuckle spot. This feud still has legs as they're tied 1-1 so I'm looking forward to the rubber match. Swagger wasn't hurt too badly by this one, as he continues to be booked as on the level with the top guys in the company. Note Michael Cole's comment of "Christian's first gold of any kind in close to five years." So let the debate begin. What is the biggest accomplishment of Christian's career? NWA World Title or ECW Title?
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***½
Lansdell: ***
McNew: ***¼
Average Match Rating: ***¼

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Chris Jericho
Match Result: Chris Jericho defeats Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat with the Walls of Jericho.
Match Length: 12:31
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Somewhere, Ric Flair is kicking himself for not waiting for Steamboat to decide to get back into the ring. Who wouldn't have liked to have seen those two guys send each other into retirement twenty years after they defined perfection? Steamboat once again looked far better than he had any right to look at his age, but in the end it was the right decision to have Jericho pick up the win. Jericho is poised to be one of the major stars on Smackdown, and now he heads into his Friday night debut with a win over one of the greatest of all time.
Lansdell: If we can ignore possibly the worst figure four in the history of wrestling, this was our second straight good match. Steamboat rolled back the clock again and from the celebration in the ring, we may have seen the last of him wrestling, which saddens me. Jericho needs a good feud against a youngster now.
McNew: The match started out hot, and Steamboat looked great at the outset still showing he still after all these years has the best arm drag in wrestling. However as the match went on Steamboat started to show his age and ring rust. A pretty bad looking reversal out of the walls into a figure four, and then a slightly botched Code Breaker were the big misses. This should surely be it for Ricky, and if so it's nice that he got this small run so newer fans can appreciate this fantastic performer. If you expected 1989 Ricky Steamboat in this match you were disappointed, but judged on the retired wrestler scale this was good enough.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: **¾
Lansdell: **½
McNew: **¼
Average Match Rating: **½

CM Punk vs. Kane
Match Result: Kane defeats CM Punk with the Choke Slam.
Match Length: 9:26
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I would have bet my left nut on Punk picking up the win here. Which is why it's good I'm not a gambling man. Lately I've begun to wonder if Kane is still of any real use in the real, but he looked much better than I expected tonight. Maybe he and Punk just have great chemistry, or maybe Kane is feeling rejuvenated by his move to Fridays. Either way, Kane could now play a significant role in the World Heavyweight Championship scene. I mean, I think he and the champion have a bit of history together… As for Punk, let's not forget that he could still become a factor in the World Heavyweight Championship picture at any moment.
Lansdell: Three strong outings in a row. Punk and Kane did a much better job here than in any of their previous matches against each other, with some innovative counters and more out of Punk than he's shown since coming to WWE. Kane looked very good for a change, which is nice to see. Will we see Punk cash in tonight? Doubt it.
McNew: Wow, who saw THAT coming? I'm really not what to make of this one. Interesting that Punk would do a clean job when many feel he will be taking a World Title very soon. Maybe this is an indication he is cashing in tonight, ala Edge at NYR '06 when he cashed in after dropping a match to Flair. The other question would be is Kane getting a bit of a look in the main events? This match leaves us with a lot more questions than answers. Maybe it all makes sense before the end of the night. Match itself was pretty average.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***
Lansdell: **¾
McNew: **½
Average Match Rating: **¾

"I Quit" Match
Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy
Match Result: Jeff Hardy defeats Matt Hardy when Matt Hardy quits… while tied to a table… with his hands and feet bound with duct tape…
Match Length: 19:00
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I was so ready to praise this match. I was so ready to say that Jeff and Matt learned from the weaknesses of their WrestleMania match and told a real story here. And then came one of the more drawn-out, anticlimactic, melodramatic, and generally nonsensical finishes that we've seen in quite some time. Not only does Matt lose the match, but he looks like a complete pussy in the process. Jeff picks up the win, but he did so while perched atop a ladder that was woefully short by Hardy standards. I have to assume that this was all done in an effort to entice Jeff to stay with WWE, but even then it was a waste of yet another opportunity for the Hardy Boys to put on what could have been a great match.
Lansdell: There was a story here, there was psychology here, but I couldn't get into this match. It was very tame for an I Quit and the ending, while psychologically good, drained a lot of the heat from the crowd. After their first two encounters I expected more. It wasn't bad, but it was FAR from good too.
McNew: Absolutely loved the finish of this match. Matt tried every piece of heel logic he could think of to keep Jeff from delivering the spot without saying "I Quit" before being forced to at the last moment. Jeff delivers the move anyway so the fans weren't cheated to get the win. I wondered how they'd pull off the finish here with neither guy being a submission specialist, but they did it quite well. However as for the match leading up to the finish it was very disappointing. Slow and plodding, and without the drama that you'd expect in a blood feud. This might put to bed some of the rumors of Jeff's impending departure. Now Matt heads to Raw to get lost in the shuffle while Jeff will continue to thrive on Friday's. Unfortunately it's the story of Matt's career.
Thomas: I have to say, I was pretty satisfied with this one. Matt and Jeff put on a really good show here against each other, and while it could have been better I was consistently into it. They let Matt and Jeff go a good long while and both came out looking pretty strong. "I Quit" gimmick was used pretty nicely, we had some expected wild spots and I particularly loved the booking of the end of the match. Matt trying to play the brother card, then saying "I Quit" before Jeff could hit his move, but Jeff nailing it anyway was just awesome. I'm pretty sure the feud is over now, which is too bad because I would have glad watched them extend it out until the Extreme Rules (or whatever it's called this particular second) Pay-Per-View.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: **¼
Lansdell: **
McNew: **¼
Thomas: ***½
Average Match Rating: **½

Santina Marella on the Khali Kiss Cam
Analysis:
Slimmer: I have to admit that there were parts of this segments that were perversely entertaining, the key word being "perverse." But there were also parts that I have to question. Like the man-on-woman violence and the fact that I'm pretty sure no one told Good Old JR that he was going to be part of the plot. But the biggest problem here is that there is absolutely no reason for any of this nonsense to be on pay-per-view. This segment would have been questionable on Smackdown, but it was a waste of time and money on pay-per-view.
Lansdell: Normally I hate segments like this on pay-per-view, but nothing has suffered time-wise from its inclusion. Santino and Khali both play their roles perfectly, but I could have done without the continued burial of Beth. Amusing in parts, especially when JR asked Cole who fed him the line, but ultimately it was just harmless filler.
McNew: This segment ranged from hilarious at times to downright stupid. JR's line to Cole of "who fed you that line?" was amazing. Most of the stuff with Santina was funny, but the impromptu match with Beth made little sense. Also Khali throwing the single worst brain chop in the history of civilization. But hey we got a topless diva on pay per view for the first time since 1999. It wasn't "win a date with ODB" bad, but it wasn't gut busting hilarity either.
Thomas: So let's see if I've got this right. They used valuable Pay-Per-View time to do the following: 1) Show Khali to be a moron by making him unable to realize after all the shenanigans that Santina was Santino, 2) made Santino look like even more of a goof than this whole thing already made him, and 3) buried Beth Phoenix just for shits and giggles while they were at it? Jesus Christ. The J.R. thing was funny and all involved tried, but you can only polish a pile of shit so well, and this just stunk.

Six-Man Tag Team Match for the WWE Championship Match
Triple H (Champion), Batista, and Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase
Match Result: Randy Orton defeats Triple H with the Skull Punt.
Match Length: 23:00
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I'm not sure how I feel about Orton running for the hills as soon as the match begin, but that did give Rhodes and DiBiase a chance to stand on their own. I like the fact that Orton both won the title and seemingly put Triple H on the shelf for the near future, thus giving Orton and Batista the chance to carry the ball on Raw. Assuming, of course, that John Cena doesn't also show up on Raw tomorrow night with a Championship of his own…
Lansdell: The majority of this match was a little methodical for me, with the exception of Shane hitting two straight 80s tag team finishers. The finishing sequence was well done however, except for the botched bell ring. They had better keep HHH off TV for at least a month or everyone else who took the punt will look weak. I imagine we'll get Orton-Batista for a few months. Overall a good match that built to a climax but started too slow
McNew: I really hate that Orton won the title in a six man tag, but the finish was incredible. Crazy hot finish with mass hysteria running wild everywhere. Orton delivering the punt likely puts HHH on the shelf for a while and transitions the feud from HHH-Orton to Batista-Orton. When HHH returns from the punt later this summer the feud will once again be hot, but this was perfect as the feud needed a break. The Age of Orton will return on Raw, as he likely feuds with Batista for a few months. The match was slow at times, but was still better than I expected. Rhodes and DiBiase finally looked like legit competitors, and Orton even won relatively clean. Other than it being three weeks late, and a bit gimmicky being in a six man I have really no complaints with this one.
Thomas: So, basically they booked this like I expected...with the faces beating on Priceless while Orton used heel tag team tactics to take and maintain control whenever things got too tough for Cody and Ted. The match would have made a great main event on Raw, but as a Pay-Per-View match I was left fairly wanting once again. This wasn't WrestleMania bad by any stretch, and there were a few crowd-pleasing moments, and Orton finally won the title, though it does seem like it's too little too late, and there was no reason for them to have Batista be involved in the final spot as it just weakens Orton as a champion right out of the gate even more than the match situation itself already did. I imagine we'll either be having a Batista/'H/Orton feud coming out of this, which I could really do without, or the Game will take some time off to sell the concussion kick, which will mean Batista battling Orton for a while until 'H comes back.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***
Lansdell: **½
McNew: ***½
Thomas: **¼
Average Match Rating: **¾

Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (Champion) vs. Edge
Match Result: Edge wins after John Cena is thrown through a ginormous stoplight by the Big Show.
Match Length: 29:00
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Okay, yes, the spotlight spot was insane. But for me, the spot of the night was definitely the FU Attitude Adjustment off the announce table into the crowd. I thought that we'd seen every possible version of the clichéd announce table spot, but I was totally not expecting that one. At this point we all know that Cena and Edge have phenomenal chemistry with each other, and they once again proved that tonight. But seriously, the Big Show? Why would he give the title to a man that he hates who is also on a different show? With John Cena as World Heavyweight Champion on Raw and Edge on Smackdown, Big Show as arguably the number one contender and could have been in line for a title shot at Judgment Day. But now that the championship has moved to Smackdown, Show can kiss his chances of holding gold goodbye. Unless of course he wants to squish Rey Rey for the Intercontinental Championship, but somehow I just don't see that happening. Much like the Hardy Boys match, the nonsensical finish really hurt this match. The difference is that this match still managed to reach greatness before the crazy finish, whereas the finish of the Hardy match prevented the match from possibly being saved.
Lansdell: I'm a little torn on this one. On the one hand it was a great match with some tremendous storytelling and each man taking the violence up another level. On the other hand, it was a run-in finish on a pay-per-view main event. It was pretty clear that Edge would win and take the belt to Fridays, and Show- Cena is clearly the next feud, but it still irks me. Enough to detract from an otherwise great match?
McNew: Great match, shitty finish. What possible motive was there to Big Show who was recently feuding with Edge as well as Cena helping Edge win the belt? Yes it obviously gives Cena a feud on Raw, and gets the World Title back to Smackdown. Personally if Edge was going to win this one I would have just had the Conchairto on the ramp be the finish. Other than that though this was an amazing match. Just what you'd come to expect out of these two. As for where we go from here, obviously Cena will be feuding with Show for a bit away from the title scene while Edge takes the World Title back home to Smackdown without a rival at the moment. Enter CM Punk who has a title shot guaranteed, and a pay per view in three weeks in his home town.
Thomas: Whereas the Six-Man Tag match was a shoddy ending ruining a tolerable match, this was a pointless ending nearly ruining an otherwise phenomenal match. Edge and Cena are always golden and this was no different. There were some fun spots, from the opening pseudo-exchange to the Attitude Adjuster off the second rope followed soon after by the spear that dropped Cena mid-leap off the top, and some brilliant stuff like the Attitude Adjuster into the fans and the running bulldog out of the stands. Cena and Edge delivered hugely, only to have Show come out and destroy Cena. I hate that because it looked like, for one brief moment, Edge was going to have a true, non-cheap title win. But it likely gets Cena off TV, which means that possibly Cena AND the Game will be away for a short bit at least, and the in-ring work made for a kick-ass match.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****
Lansdell: ****
McNew: ****
Thomas: ****
Average Match Rating: ****


Final Thoughts

Match of the Night:
Slimmer: John Cena vs. Edge (****)
Great match, sketchy finish. I would have easily gone at least another half star if Edge had finished the match himself like a real man.
Lansdell: John Cena vs. Edge (****)
Love Cena or hate him, he always delivers in Last Man Standing matches and this was no different. Edge is always good value and the combination of the two really hit a home run.
McNew: John Cena vs. Edge (****)
This is a pretty easy choice as these two again showed their amazing chemistry in the ring together with another tremendous outing. Both guys came out looking every bit the equal of the other with Edge needing the assist of Big Show chokeslamming John Cena through a spotlight to pick up the win. Both guys took everything the other had to offer. Just amazing stuff all around, even if the finish was a bit illogical.
Thomas: John Cena vs. Edge (****)
Amazing work by both men, that would have been a lot higher if only they'd kept Show out of it.

Trash of the Night:
Slimmer: Santina Marella on the Khali Kiss Cam
Sketchy segment. On a pay-per-view. You do the math.
Lansdell: Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy (**)
It's a tough one because there were no truly bad matches on this card, but Jeff-Matt takes it for me. It just didn't do enough. I won't pick the Santina thing because it was just a segment with a pin.
McNew: Santina Marella on the Khali Kiss Cam
Was there any doubt? I probably could have wrote this before the show started. I love Santino. He's one of my favorite parts of Monday Night Raw. But I don't spend 50 bucks for segments. This could have been saved for Raw or Smackdown and it would have been fine. As a time filler on a pay per view because they were too lazy to book a seventh match this is easily trash.
Thomas: Santina Marella on the Khali Kiss Cam
Seriously, we needed PPV time for this whole thing??

Final Analysis:
Slimmer: Total mixed bag here. The first three matches weren't epic, but there were all solid and had clean finished. Unfortunately, two of the last three matches had really bizarre finishes, and that sort of killed any momentum that had been built by the undercard. But in the end this show was really about crowning three new champions, and with the draft taking full effect tomorrow night, all three brands have now been both shaken and stirred.
Lansdell: Backlash normally falls flat, being on the heels of Mania and often at the end of a month filled with great matches from all the companies. With mania and Lockdown disappointing this year, Backlash had less competition and delivered more. Some of these matches should have happened at Mania and maybe people wouldn't have shit all over it.
McNew: Overall Thoughts
Decent enough show. Better than WrestleMania, but not as good as the Rumble or No Way Out. All 3 titles changed hands which is something you don't see every day, and heels walked out of both main title matches as Champions. The McEvolution-Legacy match was surprisingly good, and Orton finally got one over on Triple H. Sadly it still hasn't come in a one on one match though. Edge-Cena delivered as always. Steamboat-Jericho was a bit disappointing, as was the I Quit Match, but neither was terrible. Slight thumbs up for this one.
Thomas: I missed the first few matches of the show, but what I saw made Backlash a better show than WrestleMania. We have three new champions and for the most part the in-ring work counteracted the poor booking choices. The cards have been shuffled around enough and the feuds have been properly ended so that the 'E can finally get serious about the Brand Extension (as they're rumored to be doing), and overall I think this was a very good show.

Verdict:
Slimmer: ***
Lansdell: ***¼
McNew: ***
Thomas: ***¾
Average Verdict: ***¼