WWE Backlash 2023: 10 Things That Must Happen

5. Austin Theory Pins Bronson Reed

WWE Backlash 2023 Cody Rhodes
WWE.com

The fact Bobby Lashley was also traded to SmackDown during the 2023 Draft does add a bit of spice to this United States Title three-way. WWE won't put the belt on a Raw star (sorry, Bronson Reed), but they could stick it back on Bobby and have him roll forward with it on Fridays.

They shouldn't though.

Nah, just have Austin Theory continue his momentum coming out of that WrestleMania 39 win over John Cena by having him opportunistically pin Bronson here. There's no need to try anything fancy, or to change the belt over to Lashley for the sake of booking a cheap title switch on the card.

That'd be a mistake, because Theory has recovered big time from his Money In The Bank woes and deserves to keep shining. Reed is surely only in here to take the loss, give Bobby an excuse to keep chasing Austin and prolong Theory's title stint.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.