10 Worst WWE Pay-Per-Views Ever

6. Backlash 2018

WWE Backlash 2018 Strowman Lashley Zayn
WWE.com

A steep hill sloping downwards after an electric opener, Backlash 2018 had all the ingredients that can often make modern pay-per-views borderline unwatchable. Or literally so, in the case of those that f*cked off before and during Roman Reigns' disappointing main event with Samoa Joe.

In defence of the dissenters, they'd swallowed more than their share of sh*te by then. Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss weren't capable enough to deal with the subverted bully storyline in the context of a pro wrestling match, nor was Jax remotely believable in her company-mandated monologue afterwards. Daniel Bryan and Big Cass was an utter calamity hamstrung by 50/50 booking, whilst AJ Styles/Shinsuke Nakamura was overwhelmed by plot for the third time in a row and Carmella heaped yet more dirt on the rationale for Charlotte ending Asuka's streak at WrestleMania.

Diamond In The Rough: Tearing it up before the rest of the roster burned it down, Seth Rollins and The Miz had a scintillating New Japan-style scrap over the Intercontinental Title in the show's opener. A performance that seemed to finally etch Miz' name amongst the elite even from his fiercest critiques, the contest was an absorbing and emotionally satisfying display in keeping with two stars hitting new peaks in WWE's ordinarily moribund midcard.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.