10 WWE Matches That Were Spoiled Before They Happened
2. Roman Reigns Vs Samoa Joe (Backlash 2019)
A glut of awkwardly-arranged shows and matches in a bloated 2018 post-WrestleMania season saw what could have been an enjoyable encounter left at the bottom of a problematic pile when Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns headlined the objectively pathetic Backlash pay-per-view weeks removed from the 'Show Of Shows;.
Reigns had lost yet again to Brock Lesnar just nine days earlier, with the 'Samoan Submission Machine' forced to promote several separate feuds without expressing any hope that he'd potentially have a Universal Title shot against 'The Big Dog' forthcoming. The whole mess killed both matches, and whilst Roman's lifeless cage match with Lesnar went down about as well as anything else on the bananas Greatest Royal Rumble card, the battle of the Samoan Joes wasn't so fortunate.
All too aware of the outcome (and none-too-chuffed with another easy win that didn't matter for Reigns), the p*ssed off Backlash crowd left in their droves to beat the traffic in a visual that unfairly damned both but spoke volumes about WWE's wretched promotion of the entire ordeal.
It seems glib to even speak on pithy pro wrestling issues in light of the battle Roman fought later that year, but after being bloodied, beaten and ultimately abandoned, it was a new low for Vince McMahon's prioritised project.