| Backlash: St. Louis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown | ||
| Date | May 10, 2025 | ||
| City | St. Louis,Missouri | ||
| Venue | Enterprise Center | ||
| Attendance | 17,155[1] | ||
| Tagline | "One Last Time" | ||
| WWE event chronology | |||
| |||
| Backlash chronology | |||
| |||
The 2025Backlash, also promoted asBacklash: St. Louis, was aprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) andlivestreamingevent produced byWWE. It was the 20thBacklash event and took place on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at theEnterprise Center inSt. Louis,Missouri, held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw andSmackDownbrand divisions. The concept of the event was based around the backlash fromWrestleMania 41.
Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event,John Cena defeatedRandy Orton to retain SmackDown'sUndisputed WWE Championship. In other prominent matches,Gunther defeatedPat McAfee bytechnical submission in what was a featured match for Raw,Lyra Valkyria successfully defended Raw'sWWE Women's Intercontinental Championship againstBecky Lynch,Dominik Mysterio retained Raw'sWWE Intercontinental Championship againstPenta, and in the opening bout,Jacob Fatu defeatedLA Knight,Damian Priest, andDrew McIntyre in afatal four-way match to retain SmackDown'sWWE United States Championship. The event featured the WWE debut ofJeff Cobb, whosering name was subsequently changed to JC Mateo. This was also Cena's first appearance at a Backlash event since2009, as well as his last Backlash appearance as an in-ring performer due to his retirement from professional wrestling at the end of 2025.
Backlash is a recurringprofessional wrestlingevent that was established byWWE in1999.[2] It was held annually from 1999 to2009, but was then discontinued until it was reinstated in2016 and has been held every year since, except in 2019. The original concept of the event was based around the backlash from WWE's flagship event,WrestleMania. The events between 2016 and2020 did not carry this theme; however, the2021 show returned the event to its original concept.[3]
On March 14, 2025, WWE announced that the 20th Backlash, promoted as "Backlash St. Louis", would take place on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at theEnterprise Center inSt. Louis,Missouri, and feature wrestlers from theRaw andSmackDownbrand divisions.[4] In addition to airing on traditionalpay-per-view (PPV) worldwide and vialivestreaming onPeacock in the United States, the event was available to livestream onNetflix in most international markets and theWWE Network in any remaining countries that had not yet transferred to Netflix due to pre-existing contracts. This marked the first Backlash to livestream on Netflix following the WWE Network's merger under the service in January 2025 in those areas.[5] Tickets went on sale on March 21 viaTicketmaster.[4]
The event includes matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[6][7] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Monday Night Raw andFriday Night SmackDown.[8]
In the main event of Night 2 ofWrestleMania 41,John Cena won theUndisputed WWE Championship to become a record 17-time WWE world champion.[9] On the followingRaw, Cena gloated about his win only for his long-time rivalRandy Orton to attack Cena with an RKO.[10] OnSmackDown that Friday, as Cena was about to cut another promo, he was interrupted by Orton, who tried to reason with the now villainous Cena, who had turnedheel atElimination Chamber: Toronto back in March. After an exchange of words, Orton challenged Cena to a match for his championship that night; however, Cena declined, stating that the match should happen in Orton's hometown of St. Louis at Backlash. The match was subsequently made official,[11] and was billed as "One Last Time".[12]
Prior to Night 1 of WrestleMania 41,Bayley, who was supposed to team up withLyra Valkyria for aWWE Women's Tag Team Championship match on Night 2 of the event, was found attacked backstage by an unknown assailant, requiring Valkyria to find a new partner.[13] On Night 2,Becky Lynch made a surprise return as Valkyria's mystery partner and they won the Women's Tag Team Championship.[9] However, in a rematch the next night onRaw, they lost the title with Valkyria taking the pin. Following the match, Lynch attacked Valkyria, turning heel for the first time since 2022.[10] The following week, Lynch revealed that she was the one who attacked Bayley, and she also stated that she attacked Valkyria because of Valkyria's friendship with Bayley, whom Lynch had numerous problems with in recent years. Valkyria interrupted and challenged Lynch to fight her that night, however, Lynch declined. Valkyria then decided to defend herWomen's Intercontinental Championship against Lynch at Backlash, who subsequently accepted.[14]
On theRaw the night after WrestleMania 41,Gunther came out and argued with commentatorsMichael Cole andPat McAfee as Gunther felt disrespected by them following his loss at WrestleMania. Gunther then attacked Cole which led to McAfee attacking Gunther in Cole's defense, however, Gunther managed to overpower McAfee and choked him out.[10] Gunther was subsequently fined and suspended by Raw General ManagerAdam Pearce.[15] The following week, McAfee wanted to fight Gunther and asked SmackDown's General ManagerNick Aldis, who was subbing for Pearce that night, to lift Gunther's suspension. Aldis declined and instead proposed a match between them at Backlash, which McAfee accepted.[14]
At Night 1 of WrestleMania 41,Jacob Fatu defeatedLA Knight to win theUnited States Championship,[16] and a day later at Night 2,Drew McIntyre defeatedDamian Priest in aSin City Street Fight.[9] On the next episode ofSmackDown, duringThe Bloodline's (Fatu andSolo Sikoa) celebration, Knight interrupted stating that he wanted his rematch. McIntyre also interrupted, and after taunting Priest, he stated that he also wanted a championship match, with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis scheduling a match between Knight and McIntyre later that night to determine the number one contender for Fatu's United States Championship. During the match, Priest attacked McIntyre, while Sikoa attacked Knight, however, the referee only noticed Priest's attack, awarding McIntyre a disqualification victory. Afterwards, Fatu stood tall over Knight and Priest.[11] On the next episode, Knight and Priest faced each other in a no-contest due to interference from Sikoa. Following the match, Priest and Knight brawled with Fatu and Sikoa. Aldis would then schedule atriple threat match between Fatu, Priest, and Knight for the United States Championship at Backlash, however, after Sikoa stated that McIntyre should receive a championship match because of his disqualification win, Aldis scheduled afatal four-way match for the championship also involving McIntyre at Backlash.[17]
At Night 2 of WrestleMania 41,Judgment Day'sDominik Mysterio won theIntercontinental Championship in afatal four-way match also involvingPenta and Mysterio's stablemateFinn Bálor, the latter of whom he pinned.[16] On the next episode ofRaw, Mysterio successfully defended his championship against Penta after interference from a returningJD McDonagh.[10] On the next episode, Penta interfered in Bálor and McDonagh'stag team match, which costed them the match.[14] A week later, Penta defeated McDonagh despite interference from Bálor andCarlito. Later that night, it was announced that Mysterio would defend his Intercontinental Championship against Penta at Backlash.[18]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| English commentators | Michael Cole |
| Wade Barrett | |
| Spanish commentators | Marcelo Rodriguez |
| Jerry Soto | |
| Ring announcer | Alicia Taylor |
| Referees | Jessika Carr |
| Dan Engler | |
| Dallas Irvin | |
| Eddie Orengo | |
| Chad Patton | |
| Interviewer | Byron Saxton |
| Pre-show panel | Jackie Redmond |
| Big E | |
| Peter Rosenberg | |
| Vic Joseph |
Before the event, Pershard Owens performed "The Star-Spangled Banner".
The actual event began with Jacob Fatu defending the United States Championship against LA Knight, Damian Priest, and Drew McIntyre in a fatal four-way match. During the match, Fatu performed a swanton on McIntyre. Knight performed a BFT on Fatu followed by a South of Heaven by Priest on Knight and a Claymore by McIntyre on Priest, who fell into a pin on Knight, with McIntyre breaking it up. McIntyre performed Future Shock DDTs on Fatu and Knight. McIntyre performed a Claymore on Knight, but Priest pulled the referee out of the ring. With McIntyre and Priest fighting outside the ring, Knight performed two elbow drops on Fatu for a nearfall. Priest performed a South of Heaven on McIntyre through tables. Knight attempted an elbow drop on Fatu through a table, but Solo Sikoa pulled Fatu to safety.Jeff Cobb, making his WWE debut, then attacked Knight. Fatu pinned Knight following a moonsault to retain the title.[19]
After that, Lyra Valkyria defended the Women's Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch. Valkyria attempted a moonsault, but Lynch got her knees up. Lynch performed a Manhandle Slam on Valkyria for a nearfall. In the end, Valkyria attempted Nightwing, but Lynch blocked and struck Valkyria in the nose. Valkyria countered a pinning combination into her own to retain the title. After the match, Lynch attacked Valkyria.[19]
In the third match, Dominik Mysterio defended the Intercontinental Championship against Penta. During the match, Carlito, JD McDonagh, and Finn Bálor showed up at ringside. As Bálor grabbed a chair, he, McDonagh, and Carlito were ejected from ringside. In the end, as Penta went to the middle rope,El Grande Americano performed a headbutt on Penta, allowing Mysterio to perform a Frog Splash and pin Penta to retain the title.[19]
In the penultimate match, Gunther faced Pat McAfee. After Gunther dominated most of the match, McAfee performed a Punt Kick on Gunther for a one count. In the closing moments, McAfee applied a sleeper hold on Gunther, who escaped and performed a lariat on McAfee. Gunther then applied the sleeper hold on McAfee, who passed out, to win the match. After the match, Gunther gave McAfee a show of respect.[19]
In the main event, John Cena defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton. Throughout the match, Cena and Orton executed their respective moves. At one point, Cena attempted a Punt Kick, but Orton moved out of the way. Cena performed an Attitude Adjustment on Orton and grabbed the title belt. Orton then performed an RKO on Cena for a nearfall. Orton performed an Attitude Adjustment on Cena through the announce table and another through a table he retrieved. Orton then performed another RKO for a nearfall. In the climax, Cena charged at Orton with the belt, but struck the referee. Orton then performed another RKO on Cena, but with no referee to count the pin, Orton performed RKOs on Nick Aldis and producers. As Orton attempted another Punt Kick,R-Truth blocked Orton, who laid out R-Truth with an RKO. Cena then performed a low blow on Orton and struck him with the title belt to retain the title. After the match, Cena proclaimed that he was what a real world champion looked like.[19]
Wade Keller ofPro Wrestling Torch stated that the main event's first portion "was rudimentary to a fault", but in character for John Cena and Randy Orton's "styles, especially at this point in their careers". As the match progressed, "fans got more into it", and Keller was not bothered with the ref bumps "because the expectations for Orton and Cena telling this story straight-up isn't really there, so a lot of outside stuff and controversy was likely and, ultimately, worked".[1] Shakiel Mahjouri ofCBS Sports gave the match a grade of A−, stating that it was not "a technical thriller", but "there's a charm to seeing an iconic rivalry's final chapter after 20 years". With the match being physical with high stakes and a hot crowd, it "was an overbooked throwback to WWE's heavily used playbook in the 2010s".[20] John Canton, reviewing forTJRwrestling.com, gave the show an overall score of 7.25 out of 10, calling it "a pretty good show most of the way" whilst noting it sat below the generally high average of quality WWE PLE's had been reaching. He gave the main event a score of 3.25 stars, enjoying the "nearfalls and the counts with no referee", and stated that whilst Cena's win will "frustrate fans", it embodied Cena's new role as a heel.[21]
Canton gave his most positive remarks towards the Women's Intercontinental Championship match, calling it an "excellent match" and positively noted its use of counter wrestling, expressing his excitement for Lyra's further development in the WWE.[21]
For the United States Championship match, Mahjouri gave it a grade of A, stating that the "finish hit all the right marks: giving the champ a win, protecting the challengers, debuting a new act, and furthering The Bloodline storyline".[20] Canton was also postiive, praising everyone in the match and its overall "twists and turns", but looked negatively on the match-ending interference, giving the match a score of 3.75 stars.[21]
Wrestling Observer Newsletter'sDave Meltzer rated the United States Championship fatal four-way match 4.25 stars, the Women's Intercontinental Championship 4.25 stars, the Intercontinental Championship match 3.5 stars, Gunther vs. McAfee 3.25 stars, and the Undisputed WWE Championship match 3.25 stars.[22]
During the Backlash post-event press conference,Triple H commented on Damian Priest's South of Heaven Chokeslam on Drew McIntyre, stating that McIntyre was "banged up but totally fine".[23]
Also during the press conference, R-Truth interrupted Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena's promo. This led to Cena performing an Attitude Adjustment on R-Truth through a table.[24]
Following his loss at Backlash, Penta faced and defeated Chad Gable on the following episode ofRaw.[25]
Also onRaw, Becky Lynch addressed her loss to Women's Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria,[25] who cost Lynch a Money in the Bank qualifying match the following week.[26] Lynch and Valkyria were subsequently scheduled for another title match atMoney in the Bank.[27]
On the following episode ofSmackDown, as a result of John Cena's attack on R-Truth during the Backlash post-show, a non-title match between them was scheduled forSaturday Night's Main Event XXXIX.[28]
It was also announced that Drew McIntyre would face Damian Priest in aSteel Cage match at Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIX.[28]
Also onSmackDown, Solo Sikoa introduced Jeff Cobb, renamed as JC Mateo, as a new ally of The Bloodline. Mateo subsequently defeated LA Knight in a match.[28]
On August 6, 2025, WWE announced thatESPN'sdirect-to-consumer streaming service would assume the streaming rights of WWE's main roster PPV and livestreaming events in the United States. This was originally to begin withWrestleMania 42 in April 2026, but was pushed up to September 2025 withWrestlepalooza. As such, this was the last Backlash to livestream on Peacock in the US.[29][30]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[19] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Fatu (c) defeatedLA Knight,Damian Priest, andDrew McIntyre bypinfall | Fatal four-way match for theWWE United States Championship[31] | 17:55 | ||
| 2 | Lyra Valkyria (c) defeatedBecky Lynch bypinfall | Singles match for theWWE Women's Intercontinental Championship[31] | 18:45 | ||
| 3 | Dominik Mysterio (c) defeatedPenta bypinfall | Singles match for theWWE Intercontinental Championship[31] | 9:20 | ||
| 4 | Gunther defeatedPat McAfee bytechnical submission | Singles match[31] | 14:00 | ||
| 5 | John Cena (c) defeatedRandy Orton bypinfall | Singles match for theUndisputed WWE Championship[31] | 27:50 | ||
| |||||