A few takeaways were abundantly clear from Sunday night’s WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view, most prominently the line of challengers for Roman Reigns’s spot as WWE and universal champion.
While WWE has a surplus of frustrating qualities (like the callous way it cuts talent under contract), there is also no denying its roster is outrageously talented. That was on display at Backlash, where the majority of matches exceeded expectations. This was a night when a number of key players—Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Sasha Banks, Kofi Kingston, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Rey Mysterio and Shinsuke Nakamura, to name just a few—weren’t even on the six-match card, further illustrating the depth of the roster.
The card opened with Cody Rhodes defeating Seth Rollins, which was the match of the night. Rhodes has infused excitement into WWE programming since his return last month. Immediately putting him in the ring across from Rollins was brilliant, as Rollins is so talented that he continues to dazzle even when he is losing.
