Psyko’s WWE Backlash 2025 preview
This Saturday, WWE brings us another PLE, and it’s also the one-year anniversary of WWE doing smaller PLEs, which I have to say, I personally like. I have nothing against those who prefer quantity over quality, but WWE went the other way around, and it makes for PLEs that are more fun to watch and a lot easier to follow.
Having said that, let’s get into my preview of this Saturday’s Backlash.
Fatal Four-Way for the WWE United States Championship
Jacob Fatu (c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. L.A. Knight vs. Damian Priest
While this does feel like a stepping-stone match to move some feuds along, we have four top guys who can deliver in the ring and will put on a banger of a match. This will be the match that cements Fatu as a monster and a main-event-level talent, and obviously, I think he will retain, probably by beating Knight.
Winner: Jacob Fatu
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Penta
At Mania, Mysterio shocked the world by winning the I.C. title, and this will be his first big test since winning it. Both will deliver a high-flying spot fest, and this will elevate both guys. In the end, just like in the previous match, while I would love to see Penta win the title, I don’t see it happening.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
Gunther vs. Pat McAfee
This will be a hard-hitting match, with McAfee getting his butt kicked by Gunther for 90% of the match, which is how it should be. You don’t want Gunther to look weak by wrestling a 50/50 match against an announcer, even though we know McAfee is a pretty good wrestler.
In the end, I can see one of two scenarios happening: either Gunther wins after McAfee gets a hope spot where you think he has a shot to win, and then Goldberg comes in to spear Gunther to save McAfee from a post-match beating, or we go the Guerrero vs. Lesnar route and have Goldberg interfere in the match while the referee is down, allowing McAfee to beat Gunther. Personally, I would go with the first scenario and give Gunther the win, only for Goldberg to get at him afterward.
Winner: Gunther
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Title Match
Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Becky Lynch
We all know that this match will be great, as we saw them put on a banger of a match in NXT where Lyra beat Becky for the NXT title. While I would love to see Lyra pull off another miracle, I doubt she will be able to do it again, and I see Becky winning the title in a controversial manner, leading to a rematch at the next PLE.
Winner: Becky Lynch
WWE Championship Match
John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton
First of all, reaction-wise, this will be the match of the night, as we know that Cena will be booed out of the building while Orton will be the most over guy on the card. This will be an interesting match, as we’ve seen this match numerous times over the years, but it was always Orton as the heel and Cena as the face. Now the scenario is reversed, and it’s going to be interesting to see how both guys adapt to this change.
While both guys are older and slower, they can still deliver a great old-school style of match, and with fans behind Orton throughout the entire match, I think it will be the most captivating match from a storytelling perspective of the whole PLE.
In the end, I doubt they gave the belt to Cena only to have him drop it in his first defense, so I doubt Cena will leave St. Louis without the belt, and we will see the St. Louis crowd disappointed at not seeing their hometown boy win the title.
Winner: John Cena
In the end, while it probably won’t be the best PLE, it’s going to be a pretty good show. Like I said, I love these five-match cards they’ve been doing for a year now, as they give all the matches time to breathe and allow fans time to relax between matches. This show will advance a few feuds and give us some good matches in the end. For those watching on Saturday, just turn your brain off, watch the show, and enjoy it. As always, life is too short to take wrestling seriously, so just have fun and celebrate wrestling.