10 Best WWE Backlash Matches Ever
WWE Backlash is back, so what better time to look at the finest matches from its previous run?
Shane McMahon announced this week that Backlash is set to make its return to WWE's pay-per-view schedule. Taking place on September 11th, the show will be a SmackDown-exclusive show, and will be the first time Backlash has been on the calendar since 2009.
The first Backlash came way back in 1999, hot off the heels of WrestleMania 15 as the WWF began to pull further and further away from a now flagging WCW. The Attitude Era was in full flow, and those first two or three Backlash shows are truly something special.
The show traditionally featured a number of WrestleMania re-matches along with fresh bouts, as WWE began to move into the next cycle before hitting the road to WrestleMania once more. Free of the pressure of the biggest show of the year many performers pulled out lifetime performances at Backlash, and on more than one occasion a star was born.
To give an idea of the quality I'm talking about here, just look at some of the matches that don't make this list; Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin, The Rock vs. Goldberg, Chris Benoit vs. Edge. Heck, a match featuring GOD HIMSELF doesn't even make it.
Here are the 10 best matches in WWE Backlash history. Here's hoping the September 11th show gives us something of this quality.
10. Dean Malenko Vs. Scotty 2 Hotty - 2000
A battle from way-back-when for the Light Heavyweight Title, Dean Malenko and the former Scott Taylor put on something of a clinic that easily sat atop the WWF's attempts at cruiserweight wrestling at the time. It didn't hurt that Malenko was involved, and this would also serve as his last real showcase before being relegated to Heat and silly stories.
Neither Malenko or Scotty were renowned for their high-flying antics, focusing more on ground attacks and athleticism. Therefore the match centred around such things, but the two had a chemistry that far surpassed expectations. Malenko was at his most Malenko here, working over Scotty's leg throughout with the precision that he was famous for.
Scotty more than holds his own, despite some questionable selling of the leg towards the end. The match itself is very good, but it is the finish that bumps this up to extremely good territory. Malenko gets caught on the top rope, and Scotty goes up top hoping for a superplex. Somehow, Malenko reverses this into a DDT in mid-air and the crowd collectively lose their minds.
A fantastic finish that still holds up to this day, this was arguably the best performance from either man in WWF/E