8 Burning Questions For WWE Backlash 2016
Can the blue brand's first PPV rise to the occasion with AJ Styles as a major draw?
WWE has entered a new phase of the brand split period, as we now have our first brand-specific PPV on the horizon in more than nine years, SmackDown’s Backlash, on Sunday night. On paper, it looks a lot weaker than last month’s SummerSlam, for obvious reasons; more than half the WWE roster is on Raw.
Sure, we’re guaranteed two new champions, with the SmackDown version of the Women’s and Tag Team Championships being decided, and AJ Styles stands a very good shot at winning his first WWE world title Sunday. So whilst it could be an eventful night, some of the matches feel a little lacklustre.
Fans have had this feeling before, and WWE has turned around and delivered an outstanding show, so there is always room for that to happen again. But you can’t deny that this PPV feels rushed, taking place just three weeks after SummerSlam and without a match involving the brand’s biggest star, John Cena.
As WWE dips its toe into the waters of brand-specific PPVs once again, we’ll see how this era of fans respond. With that said, there are several questions that will need to be answered over the course of Sunday night, so let’s take a look at them…
8. Are There Any Late Additions?
As of right now, there are only six matches scheduled for the PPV, two of which are related to the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Even with backstage segments, intros, and possible interviews, it is going to be awfully tough to fill three hours.
Now, it’s possible that WWE could be looking at these brand-specific PPVs as being more like the old In Your House specials, which were two-hour affairs (or like the NXT TakeOver specials were last year). Perhaps Backlash will only last about two or two-and-a-half hours. Or maybe there will be one or two matches announced on the pre-show to pad out the PPV.
Wrestlers such as Baron Corbin, Kalisto, Apollo Crews, Kane, the Ascension, Vaudevillains, Tyler Breeze, and Fandango currently don’t have anything to do Sunday night. Perhaps we’ll see a tag match added on the undercard, or maybe we’ll finally get that Corbin/Kalisto match that was supposed to take place at SummerSlam.
Oh, and there’s that John Cena guy. He’s still on the roster, right?