7 New Directions For WWE After Backlash 2025
John Cena's next major challenge, Goldberg's WWE comeback and more Backlash fallout.
Everyone's entitled to their own individual opinions. Some writers believed John Cena's first title defence vs. Randy Orton was a shallow, interminable mess of a main event at Backlash 2025. Fair enough, but this writer looked at it differently. If anything, it was refreshing to see two masters of their craft take time to let everything breathe before whipping up a finisher-based storm late on.
R-Truth interfering in a Cena vs. Orton main event sounds like something straight out of Raw's playbook in 2011, sure, but then this is all part of John's lengthy WWE send off. Those unhappy with how Backlash panned out or grumbling about what's coming next at Saturday Night's Main Event can rest assured that there's another "Final Battle" waiting for Cena anyway.
Ironically, it'd take a page from the 2011 book too, and Money In The Bank is on the horizon as one of the looming PLEs. If Triple H doesn't fancy booking it on another 'B' show, then he could always wait until SummerSlam - Cena and CM Punk have history on that event series too.
In execution, Backlash was a better card than most fearing nightmares could reasonably expect going in. A big time foe is coming to shut down bully boy Gunther, Jeff Cobb is the latest to debut under Bloodline-ish auspices, WWE has a legacy women's division story just waiting to happen, and there's a killer Intercontinental Title feud set to trigger.
Here's where WWE's booking goes next; probably, and in some cases hopefully, over the next few months.
7. A Big Blowoff For Drew & Damian
Reports coming out of Backlash suggest that both Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest were more than a little shaken up following their thumping table bump late on in the United States Title four-way. WWE officials were more concerned for McIntyre's health, but Priest apparently lost a tooth. That's the price both willingly pay for putting on a show.
Onto the next for both brutes. It's what they do.
Drew and Damian kinda have to work another big gimmick bout to blowoff their feud after that South Of Heaven table bump on Saturday night. Their match at WrestleMania 41 was perfectly fine, but they’ve got to thrash one another with weapons, more tables etc. Money In The Bank inclusion is possible for both, but there’s also another Saturday Night’s Main Event special coming up.
Last Man Standing, maybe? That'd be a sweet way to wrap up issues that have been lingering since Priest cashed in MITB at 'Mania 40 to crush McIntyre's own title dreams. Failing that, Triple H should just go the 'Street Fight' route and let these dudes do their very best Cactus Jack vs. 'The Game' from Royal Rumble 2000 - they've got that kind of classic in their locker, and it's clear people want to see them tear strips off one another again.
Personally, this fan would have Drew win out then move back into the title scene. It's either that or he goes after Cody Rhodes, which is something WWE set the scene for when Cody was still champ months ago. Last Man Standing at SNME, then both guys being involved at MITB sounds good.