Ranking Every 2017 WWE Pay-Per-View From Worst To Best
14. Backlash
The Good: Baron Corbin and Sami Zayn put in a decent shift even if the result was yet more parity booking that harmed 'The Lone Wolf' in 2017 almost as much as his failed Money In The Bank cash-in. The Welcoming Committee looked as strong in their match against babyface defenders Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Naomi as they had done on television. The match and angle in general would mark the peak of the blue brand's female league this year.
The Bad: Jinder Mahal winning the WWE Title had novelty appeal, but like almost all of his run with the strap, the match was the drizzling sh*ts. 'The Modern Day Maharaja' never remotely grew into the role. Kevin Owens and AJ Styles had their first of many disappointing outings this year, with the pair already slipping gradually into the Owens/Shane conflict that overwhelmed their chemistry up to and including the last SmackDown Live! main event of 2017.
The Ugly: Shinsuke Nakamura's main roster debut against Dolph Ziggler was a catastrophe. The polar opposite of his NXT TakeOver bow against Sami Zayn, 'The King Of Strong Style' was reduced to little more than a limp babyface threat within minutes of the bell, and left to flail and sell until a comeback sequence that drew underwhelmed applause from the crowd. Elsewhere, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were doomed to failure yet again, made painfully apparent by their appalling match here against one another shortly after the complete post-WrestleMania decimation of The Wyatt Family. The Bludgeon Brothers gimmick was a sideways step, at very least.