The WWE presented the first post-brand extension "SmackDown Only" event on Sunday night with Backlash.
From new champions to memorable moments, there was a lot of action and storyline momentum built when the dust settled at the Richmond Coliseum in Virginia. Three new champions were crowned, while the Intercontinental Championsihp stood pat.
Here are the highs and lows of WWE Backlash.
The Good
1) A Phenomenal Moment: AJ Styles has now done it all in wrestling, clearing one final hurdle by winning the WWE World Championship for the first time to etch his name into wrestling lore. The "Phenomenal One" defeated Dean Ambrose with the Styles Clash to win the belt in one of the best booking decisions of the night. It was a well-deserved win for Styles as he has been setting the world on fire night after night and the WWE is riding its hottest hand.
Not the first time @AJStylesOrg has been the world champ over a wrestling company, nobody deserves it more! pic.twitter.com/xIURkGqUC6
— AJ-Styles.net (@AJStylesNet) September 12, 2016
2) cLYNCHing The Big One: Just as it ended on a high note, Backlash started out very strong as well. Becky Lynch defeated five other women to become the first-ever "SmackDown Live" Women's Champion. The "Lass Kicker" has been often under-utilized in the WWE, but it seems the company wants her to be the face of the Blue Brand and her career is finally headed in the right direction.
This doesn't feel real!!! A dream come true doesn't even begin to describe it! #Backlash #WomensTitle pic.twitter.com/YozV93m4wA — Becky Lynch (@BeckyLynchWWE) September 12, 2016
3) The Gore & Free Agent No More: There were a lot of questions over whether or not the WWE would pull the trigger on the odd ball team of Heath Slater and Rhyno by giving them the "SmackDown Live" tag titles, but that's exactly what they did. It was a smart move as Slater has been highly entertaining in his role, while Rhyno has played a good straight man to his goofy partner. The Usos may have absorbed the loss, but their victory over The Hype Bros earlier in the night established them as the top heel tag team on the brand.
Thank you @WWEUniverse you all were amazing tonight just like every night.. Thank you for having my back. pic.twitter.com/bp05kFR9IO
— Heath Slater (@HeathSlaterOMRB) September 12, 2016
4) Show Stealer: The Intercontinental Championship may not have the sense of importance it once had and the WWE may be squandering a chance to give The Miz some serious momentum after his epic meltdown on Daniel Bryan, but the match between the reigning IC Champion and Dolph Ziggler was a highlight of the night.
When you see The Miz doing your signature move… #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/uzqfvz9J6q — Bleacher Report WWE (@BR_WWE) September 12, 2016
The Bad
`1) Wyatt Riot: There really weren't many bad aspects to Backlash as it was a very entertaining event with mostly logical booking. Still, having Bray Wyatt lose yet again -- this time to Kane -- in a match where he really could have built some momentum was questionable. At the very least, it furthered his feud with Randy Orton headed into No Mercy.
"here is your winner... kane!"#wwebacklash pic.twitter.com/97CR8PKRx1
— What a Maneuver! (@WAManeuver) September 12, 2016
Match of the Night
AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose: Once again Styles earns Match of the Night honors in what is becoming a routine for him these days. "The Phenomenal One" had an amazing match with Dean Ambrose and him finally winning the WWE World Championship is a moment that will never be forgotten.
3 Stars
Here are our three stars of the night following Backlash
3) Rhyno & Heath Slater *
2) Becky Lynch **
1) AJ Styles ***
Rank-O-Mania
Here are our rankings for each main card match of the night.
6) The Usos vs. The Hype Bros
5) Kane vs. Bray Wyatt
4) Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. The Usos
3) Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz
2) Women's Six-Pack Challenge
1) AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose
Overall Grade
We give WWE Backlash an 8 out of 10.
