WWE Backlash: From The Rock to John Cena – five iconic matches to watch before the Lyon megashow

WWE heads to Lyon for Backlash: France this weekend, with the post-WrestleMania series delivering iconic moments from the past.

A traditional sequel to WWE’s biggest show of the year, Backlash still delivers classic thrills, spills and bizarre showdowns, with Saturday’s show also likely to impress.

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Cody Rhodes puts his new WWE Undisputed title on the line against AJ Styles, while his compatriot, Damian Priest, defends his world heavyweight championship against Jey Uso.

With Bayley, The Bloodline and Randy Orton also in action this weekend, talkSPORT.com goes back in time to reign in some notable battles from the event’s nearly 20-year history.

Here are five matches to discover before WWE Backlash: France.

Randy Orton and Mick Foley in a wild fight

In all honesty, we could include this match in our compilation of the best Backlash matches just for the sight of Randy Orton thrown alone on a pile of thumbtacks – thumbtacks.

It’s an image that has stuck with many WWE fans over the next 20 years, as Orton writhed in what would no doubt have been true agony.

As you would expect from these two bitter rivals, it was a real war; a baseball bat, barbed wire and (almost) fire were all in play before Orton eventually took down legend Mick Foley, in his iconic Cactus Jack form, with what became an RKO trademark – on a bat covered in barbed wire, of course.

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Bad Bunny shines in WWE classic

Thanks to Pat McAfee and especially Logan Paul, celebrities who take up wrestling have enjoyed a newfound respect in recent years. Another name in this mix is ​​Bad Bunny, the rap star whose lifelong dream was to wrestle in WWE.

In front of a partisan crowd in his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, last year, he got his wish by taking on Damian Priest in a stunning street fight.

Yes, there were a lot of guns and there was plenty of interference – including the surprise arrival of Carlito – but this fight did a great job of showing how seriously Bad Bunny took his pro wrestling cameo and how expertly Priest had guided him through it.

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The Rock vs. Austin in WrestleMania rematch

Not one to accept his loss to rival Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania the previous month, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson did his best to reclaim the WWE Title at Backlash in 1999.

Although it lacked the blockbuster feel of their Mania epic, it was just as enjoyable for being a real fight. They fought outside, used a fire extinguisher, demolished the commentary tables, all while involving Vince and Shane McMahon in the melee.

The rattlesnake ultimately triumphed, but that didn’t settle much between these two rival icons.

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The greatest wrestling match of all time

WWE not only loves hyperbole, but takes it to a completely different stratosphere. Look no further than 2020’s Backlash which saw Edge and Randy Orton collide in what was billed – in advance, in fact – as the greatest wrestling match of all time.

Did it turn out so good? Well, of course not, but for 45 minutes, these two veterans put on a superb spectacle of storytelling and wrestling – notably in an empty arena during the COVID pandemic that forced WWE to close its doors to fans.

Rather than being hamstrung by its absurdly high billing, the match played out very well – even with an extremely ironic ending – and is definitely worth a watch.

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Cena defeats three WWE legends at once

If you can spare just 20 minutes before Backlash: France this weekend, take the opportunity to seek out this gem of a fatal four-way match from 2007 that saw John Cena defend his WWE Championship against Edge, Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton in Atlanta.

This fight took place during one of Cena’s many superhero runs to the top of WWE, in which he triumphed over all comers. Seeing him take out all four big names in the same matchup was, in retrospect, a step too far, but a sufficiently creative ending protected his opponents.

Michaels was also at the peak of his WWE comeback years while Orton and Edge were at the top of their game. Rather than being an overbooked melee hodgepodge, this main event delivered on its promise.

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WWE Backlash: France will take place in Lyon on Saturday May 4 with UK fans able to watch it on WWE Network or TNT Sports Box Office.