Backlash France
| Backlash France | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring Cody Rhodes | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown | ||
| Date | May 4, 2024 | ||
| City | Décines-Charpieu, Lyon Metropolis, France | ||
| Venue | LDLC Arena | ||
| Tagline(s) | "Nightmares Do Come True" | ||
| WWE Network event chronology | |||
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| Backlash chronology | |||
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| WWE in Europe chronology | |||
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Backlash France is an upcoming 2024 professional wrestling event produced by the American company WWE. It will be the 19th Backlash event and will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu in Lyon Metropolis, France. The event will air via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and will be held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. This will be WWE's first PPV and livestreaming event to be held in France, and the first Backlash held outside of North America. The concept of the event will be based around the backlash from WrestleMania XL.
Production
Background
Backlash is a recurring professional wrestling event that was established by the American promotion WWE in 1999.[1] It was held annually from 1999 to 2009, but was then discontinued until it was reinstated in 2016 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 and 2020 did not carry this theme; however, the 2021 event returned Backlash to this original concept.[2]
In late October 2023, reports emerged that WWE were discussing plans to hold the 2024 Backlash in Paris, France.[3] The following month on November 16, the company announced that the 19th Backlash would be held in France, but in Décines-Charpieu, in the Lyon Metropolis, on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the LDLC Arena, which opened in November 2023. This subsequently marks WWE's first pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event to be held in the country, with the event in turn titled Backlash France, as well as the first Backlash held outside of North America. The event will be based around the backlash of WrestleMania XL and will feature wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. It will air on PPV worldwide and will be available to livestream on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network in most international markets. Additionally, the May 3 episode of Friday Night SmackDown will be held at the same arena, marking the first time that the program will be broadcast from France.[4] Tickets went on sale on January 12, 2024.[5]
Storylines
The event will include matches that result from scripted storylines. Results are predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[6][7] while storylines are produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.[8]
On April 12, it was announced that the first challenger to face Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship would be determined by a tournament that would begin on that night's SmackDown. LA Knight and AJ Styles won their respective triple threat matches and will face each other to determine the challenger on the April 19 episode.[9]
Matches
| No. | Matches* | Stipulations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cody Rhodes (c) vs. LA Knight or AJ Styles | Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship | ||||
| 2 | Damien Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso | |||||
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Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Eliminator Tournament (2024)
References
- ^ "WWE Backlash". The History of WWE. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (April 11, 2021). "WWE Announces WrestleMania Backlash For May". Fightful. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ Carey, Ian (October 25, 2023). "Report: WWE has 'heavily discussed' Paris for Backlash 2024". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (November 16, 2023). "WWE Backlash France To Take Place In France On May 4, 2024". Fightful. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ Boone, Matt (December 14, 2023). "WWE Backlash 2024 Ticket On-Sale Date For Return To France Announced". PWMania. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ Barnett, Jake (April 12, 2024). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (4/12): Barnett's review of the appearances of new champs Cody Rhodes and Bayley, Triple Threats for a shot at the WWE Universal Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 12, 2024.