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WWE Backlash
File:WWE Backlash Rev logo.png
The WWE Backlash logo circa 2016
PromotionsWWE
BrandsRaw (2002–2009)
SmackDown (2002–2003; 2007–2009; 2016–present)
ECW (2007–2009)
First eventBacklash: In Your House

WWE Backlash is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, that was produced every April (with the exception of 2005 and 2016) by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1999, with its inaugural event produced as an In Your House event in April of that year. The event in 2000 was rebranded as an annual PPV event for WWE. To coincide with the brand extension, the event was made exclusive to the Raw brand in 2004. In 2007, to follow the format of WrestleMania, all PPV events became tri-branded. Extreme Rules replaced Backlash in 2010.[1] Backlash was announced as returning as a SmackDown exclusive event in 2016.[2]

Dates and venues

Raw-branded event SmackDown-branded event
# Event Date City Venue Main Event
1
Backlash: In Your House
April 25, 1999
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence Civic Center
 Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) vs. The Rock in a No Holds Barred match for the WWF Championship with special guest referee Shane McMahon[3][4][5]
2
Backlash (2000)
April 30, 2000
Washington, D.C.
MCI Center
 Triple H (c) vs. The Rock for the WWF Championship with special guest referee Shane McMahon[6][7][8]
3
Backlash (2001)
April 29, 2001
Rosemont, Illinois
Allstate Arena
 WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin and Intercontinental Champion Triple H vs. WWF Tag Team Champions Kane and The Undertaker in a "Winner Takes All" match[9][10][11]
4
Backlash (2002)
April 21, 2002
Kansas City, Missouri
Kemper Arena
 Triple H (c) vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Undisputed Championship[12][13][14]
5
Backlash (2003)
April 27, 2003
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester Centrum
 Goldberg vs. The Rock[15][16][17]
6
Backlash (2004)
April 18, 2004
Edmonton, Alberta
Rexall Place
 Chris Benoit (c) vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship[18][19][20]
7
Backlash (2005)
May 1, 2005
Manchester, New Hampshire
Verizon Wireless Arena
 Batista (c) vs. Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship[21][22][23]
8
Backlash (2006)
April 30, 2006
Lexington, Kentucky
Rupp Arena
 John Cena (c) vs. Edge vs. Triple H in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship[24][25][26]
9
Backlash (2007)
April 29, 2007
Atlanta, Georgia
Philips Arena
 John Cena (c) vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge in a Fatal 4-Way match for the WWE Championship[27][28][29]
10
Backlash (2008)
April 27, 2008
Baltimore, Maryland
1st Mariner Arena
 Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H vs. John Cena vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a Four-way elimination match for the WWE Championship[30][31][32]
11
Backlash (2009)
April 26, 2009
Providence, Rhode Island
Dunkin' Donuts Center
 John Cena (c) vs. Edge in a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship
12
Backlash (2016)
September 11, 2016
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond Coliseum
 Dean Ambrose (c) vs. AJ Styles for the WWE World Championship
(c) – refers to the champion prior to the match

History

Backlash consists of a main event and undercard which feature championship matches and various other matches. The first Backlash was originally promoted as an In Your House event for World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the former name of WWE.[33] The In Your House event was titled Backlash: In Your House. It took place on April 25, 1999 and aired live on PPV.[3] In 1999, production of In Your House events were canceled,[34] though many of the former In Your House events, such as Backlash, No Way Out, and Judgment Day among others, were rebranded as annual PPV events.[35][36][37]

In 2002, WWF was court ordered to change their name, which resulted in the promotion changing its name to WWE.[33] A couple of months before the name change that year, WWE held a draft that split its roster into two distinctive brands of wrestling—Raw and SmackDown.,[38] and ECW in 2006.[39] Before the draft, matches featured wrestlers from the roster without any limitations; after the draft, matches only consisted of wrestlers from their distinctive brands. The first Backlash event to be produced under the WWE banner and with roster limitations was Backlash (2003), which took place on April 27, 2003.[15][40] Later on in 2003, WWE announced that PPV events, excluding WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble, would be made exclusive to each brand; Backlash was made exclusive to the Raw brand.[41] After three years of being produced as a brand exclusive event, Backlash 2006 was the final brand exclusive Backlash event of the original brand extension, as WWE announced that PPV events from then on would feature all three brands of WWE.[42] Following the second brand extension in July 2016, WWE announced the return of Backlash as a SmackDown brand event to be held on September 11, 2016.[43]

Each Backlash event has been held in an indoor arena, with eleven events taking place in the United States and one event taking place in Canada.

1999

Further information: Backlash: In Your House

The inaugural event took place on April 25, 1999 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island.[40][44] Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the card as well as four matches on Sunday Night Heat before the show aired live.[3][40] Backlash: In Your House was the twenty eighth and final event to be produced under the In Your House chronology. The event had an attendance of 10,939.[40] The event was praised by the Canadian Online Explorer's professional wrestling section giving the show 8 out of 10 and declaring, "the World Wrestling Federation had something to prove and prove it they did".[3] The main event scheduled on the card was a No Disqualification Special Guest Referee match for the WWF Championship. The match featured Steve Austin defeating The Rock to retain his championship with guest referee as Shane McMahon.[45]

In addition to the main event, the undercard featured a Boiler Room Brawl between Mankind and Paul Wight, which Mankind won, plus a hardcore match for the WWF Hardcore Championship featuring Al Snow defeating Hardcore Holly, to win the championship.[3][40]

2000

Further information: Backlash (2000)

The second Backlash event was held on April 30, 2000 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.. Nine professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the card. The event had an attendance of 19,101.[40] The main event was a Special Guest Referee match for the WWF Championship. The match was between reigning champion, Triple H, and challenger The Rock with guest referee Shane McMahon.[6] The Rock defeated Triple H to win the championship.[7][40][46]

Other matches on the event card included a singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship between Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho, which Benoit won by disqualification. As a result, Benoit retained the championship. A six man hardcore match for the WWF Hardcore Championship which featured Crash Holly defeating Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Hardcore Holly, Perry Saturn and Tazz to retain the championship. Eddie Guerrero also pinned Essa Rios for the WWF European Championship.[7][47]

2001

Further information: Backlash (2001)
The Brothers of Destruction were the WWF Tag Team Champions heading into the encounter against Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin at Backlash 2001, however they lost the championship.

Backlash 2001 was held on April 29, 2001 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.[9][40] Seven professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the card, with two matches scheduled on Sunday Night Heat. The event had an attendance of 17,154.[40] The main event was a tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship, the WWF Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Championship between The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane) versus WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin and Intercontinental Champion Triple H, The Two Man Power Trip in which the person to get the fall would win the Tag Team Championship as well as the championship of the wrestler who was pinned. Austin and Triple H won the match to win the Tag team championship.[10][48]

Other matches that were scheduled on the event card included an Ultimate Submission match between Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle, which Benoit won after winning four falls to three in sudden death overtime, a Last Man Standing match featuring Shane McMahon defeating The Big Show, plus a Triple Threat match for the WWF European Championship between Matt Hardy, Eddie Guerrero and Christian, which Hardy won to retain the championship.[10][40]

2002

Further information: Backlash (2002)

The fourth event under the Backlash chronology was held on April 21, 2002 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.[12][40] This was the last Backlash event under the WWF name before the name was changed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[33] Nine professional wrestling matches were scheduled for the event and one dark match was scheduled before the event began airing live.[13][40] The theme song was "Young Grow Old" (performed by Creed). The event had an attendance of 12,489. The main event on the card was a singles match for the Undisputed WWF Championship, which saw Hollywood Hulk Hogan defeat Triple H to win the championship.[49]

Other matches that were scheduled on the event card included a Special Referee match between The Undertaker and Steve Austin with Ric Flair as guest referee. The Undertaker won the match. Another match was Eddie Guerrero versus Rob Van Dam for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, which Guerrero won to become the new Intercontinental champion. Also Kurt Angle defeated Edge in a singles match.

2003

Further information: Backlash (2003)

2003's Backlash was the first Backlash produced under the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) name. It took place on April 27, 2003 at Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts and starred talent from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brands. Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the card with a dark match taking place before the event went live. The event had an attendance of 10,000 and grossed US$450,000 through ticket sales and pay-per-view buys. The theme song for the event was "Remedy" (performed by Cold). The main event was a singles match between Goldberg and The Rock, which Goldberg won.[50] The featured match from the Smackdown! brand was a WWE Championship match between John Cena and reigning champion, Brock Lesnar. Lesnar won the match and retained the championship.

Other matches that were scheduled on the event card included a six man tag team match between the team of Triple H, Ric Flair and Chris Jericho against Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash and Booker T, which Triple H, Flair and Jericho won. The predominant match from the Smackdown! brand was the encounter of The Big Show and Rey Mysterio, which The Big Show won.

2004

Further information: Backlash (2004)
Chris Benoit was the World Heavyweight Champion heading into the Triple Threat match against challengers Shawn Michaels and Triple H at Backlash 2004.

The sixth Backlash event was held on April 18, 2004 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta and was a Raw brand-exclusive event. This was the only Backlash that has been held in Canada. Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the card. The event had an attendance of 13,000. The main event was a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship between reigning champion Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels and Triple H.[51] Benoit won and retained the championship.

Other matches on the event card included a Hardcore match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship between Randy Orton and Cactus Jack. Orton won the match and retained the championship.[51] Another primary match on the card was between Edge and Kane, which Edge won. The theme song used for this event is "Eyes Wired Shut" by Edgewater

2005

Further information: Backlash (2005)

The 2005 event was held on May 1, 2005 at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire and had an attendance of 14,000. Backlash 2005 helped WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $4.7 million, through ticket sales and pay-per-view buys. The theme song for the event was "Stronger" (performed by Trust Company). Six professional wrestling matches were scheduled for the event. The main event was a singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Batista and Triple H. Batista won the match and retained his championship.[52]

In addition to the main event the undercard featured a Last Man Standing match between Edge and Chris Benoit, which Edge won after Benoit was unable to get to his feet before the referee's count to ten and a Tag team match between the team of Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan facing Muhammad Hassan and Daivari, which Hogan and Michaels won.

2006

Further information: Backlash (2006)

The 2006 event was held on April 30, 2006 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. It had an attendance of 14,000 and earned $480,000 through ticket sales and pay-per-view buys. Seven professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event card. The main event was a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship between reigning champion John Cena, Triple H and Edge. Cena won the match and retained the championship.[53]

Other matches that were scheduled on the event card included a No Holds Barred match between the team of father and son, Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon facing Shawn Michaels and "God". Vince pinned Michaels to win the match after the Spirit Squad interfered. The other featured match on the card was a singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship and Money in the Bank contract between reigning champion Shelton Benjamin and winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match, Rob Van Dam. Rob Van Dam won the match along with the championship and retained his contract. The theme for this event was "Baby Hates Me" by Danko Jones.

2007

Further information: Backlash (2007)
Edge was one of the challengers (Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels were the other two) challenging for the WWE Championship that was held by John Cena in the Fatal Four-Way match at Backlash 2007.

The ninth Backlash event was held on April 29, 2007 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. This was the first WWE event (with the exception of WrestleMania) that became tri-branded with talent from Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW.[54] The event had an attendance of 14,500. The theme song for the event was "There and Back Again" (performed by Daughtry). Six professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the card with one dark match taking place before the event went live. The main event and featured match on the Raw brand was a Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Championship between champion John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge and Shawn Michaels. Cena won the match and retained his championship.[55] The featured match on the Smackdown! brand was a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring The Undertaker and Batista. The match ended in a no-contest after both wrestlers were unable to get to their feet by the count of ten.

Other matches on the event card included the featured match on the ECW brand; Bobby Lashley versus Team McMahon (Umaga, Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon) in a Handicap match for the ECW World Championship. Vince won the title and the match for his team after pinning Lashley.[56] The other primary match on the undercard was a singles match between Chris Benoit and Montel Vontavious Porter for the WWE United States Championship, which Benoit won to retain the championship.

2008

Further information: Backlash (2008)

The tenth Backlash event took place on April 27, 2008 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland in front of 11,277 fans. The event received 200,000 pay-per-view buys, more than the previous year's event, Backlash (2007). The theme for this event was "All Summer Long by Kid Rock.The event card scheduled seven professional wrestling matches and featured a supercard, a scheduling of more than one main event. The featured match from the Raw brand was a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match for the WWE Championship.[57] The match featured reigning champion Randy Orton, Triple H, John Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield. The match was won by Triple H who became the new WWE champion. The other main event featured wrestlers from the SmackDown brand, in which reigning World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker defeated Edge in a regular Singles match to retain the championship.

The featured match from the ECW brand was a singles match for the ECW Championship, in which Kane retained his championship against Chavo Guerrero. The other primary match on the card was a Special Referee match between Shawn Michaels and Batista, in which Chris Jericho was the guest referee. Michaels won the match.

2009

Further information: Backlash (2009)

The 2009 event was held on April 26, 2009 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.[58] The event's theme song was "Seasons" by Veer Union. The event had an attendance of 8,500. Seven professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event card with a dark match taking place before the event went live. Raw's main match was a 6-man tag team match for the WWE Championship.Triple H & Batista & Shane McMahon against Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase(The Legacy). Other matches featured on the event card included World Heavyweight champion John Cena and his opponent Edge in a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight championship in the main event which Edge won thanks to Big show interfering. Also, an "I Quit" match took place featuring Jeff Hardy defeating Matt Hardy.

2016

Further information: Backlash (2016)

The 2016 event was the first SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view following the newly reinstated brand extension. It was held at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia on September 11, 2016.

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