#LAWTAKE - WWE BACKLASH 2024
We are live from Lyons, France tonight for the WrestleMania 40 follow-up known as WWE Backlash. I am excited for more WWE PLE’s overseas coming up every month for the most part. They have the U.S. crowd beat by a long shot, save my home state of New York and the Chicago crowds! Tap into my Law Take below and get familiar..
CM Punk and Big E need to do commentary or at the pre-show all the time even when Punk gets cleared. Their chemistry together works well.
The PPV gets cracking with the Bloodline 2.0 vs. RKOwens, much to my surprise, but it shouldn’t have been. I for sure predicted the World Title match would open the PPV since we seldom have back-to-back World Title matches.
Solo Sikoa’s theme song really is not good.
With both sides hating each other as much as they do, they never got the match cracking. Nick Aldis makes a cameo and shows he’s for the people by giving us a STREET FIGHT in Paris between these two. Let the car crash begin!
Randy Orton made the wrong call trying to headbutt a Samoan.
Tama Tongo already being a fixture in WWE seems so odd but cool at the same time. This new era is superb.
The Bloodline New Gen really is fun. This match was the car crash we were hoping it would be. From the action on the announce table, the crowd fighting, Brainbuster’s through stacks of chairs, Tama Tonga’s whole back from getting whacked by K-O’s chair shots, the selling of the Spike from Solo to K-O, everything hit. This match was ROCKING. Two thumbs up.
Tama’s brother Toa makes his debut in the WWE to further show WWE is grabbing any bit of NJPW they can. Phantasmo, Hikuleo, y’all next? With an ACE like Jacob Fatu in the wings, their is no rush to bring him in JUST yet.
Shit, as long as we get Jacob Fatu Moonsaulting over his opps by Survivor Series idgaf if Lance A’noia (?) or Juicy Fatu show up.
The Women’s Triple Threat match was much better than anticipated for me.
Whatever Carmella left behind, Tiffany Stratton has picked up and ran miles with it. Hard to deny this girl is the next up when it comes to young stars in the Women’s Division.
Tiffany Stratton for Women’s MITB this July that’s a Fendi fact.
Naomi got so much love from the crowd in France. Shit, she gets a lot of love when she has her entrances but man I just want to see her getting a W that matters.
Naomi in NXT would have been superb to keep her hot for the Summer.
BAYLEY BUDDIES WE HEREEEEE BAYBAY.
Naomi being a better wrestler than both Uso brothers is wild when you think about it. Shorty is very underrated.
Bayley pinning Naomi was predicted, as it’s more mileage for Bayley/Tiffany one-on-one, perhaps in Saudi. Either way, Bayley and Nia Jax is a showdown we are looking forward to and Bayley needs to pile up wins in the mean time to look as dominant as Nia’s physical presence.
“Main Event” Jey Uso competes in the third match of the night. How fitting.
I just imagined this World Title match consisting of Superkick/Cross Body/Spear/Superkick/Superkick before the bell even rang.
Jey Uso will always get over with that entrance no matter what. Even with the offbeat crowd singing along.
I predict that no matter what, we will see Damian Priest/Jey Uso multiple times on Raw for the next few months.
I think this match quality was least anticipated because we knew how the ending would go and alas it did. We probably will see Finn vs Damian at SummerSlam if Finn does not win MITB.
With that said, this match WAS way better than anticipated. Included was a “this is awesome” chant to put things over. Unexpectedly the end came from a South Of Heaven off the top rope.
I just want Bianca Belair to take the majority of the tag team matches/title defenses, then Jade makes a niche being known as “The Hot Tag” and does nothing else but hit finishers and win. Less filler the better.
BotchMania is going to have a field day with this match for the Women’s Tag Title match.
Many thought Bianca had a torn pec scar or a chest tattoo but it was just Asuka’s face paint all over her.
The highlight of the match was easily Jade flipping Kairi from a Powerbomb to the Jaded to end the match.
With matching gear now down, a Tag Title win in the books, we need a team name. Cocoa Butter Combat Club is taken already?
Up until this point, the Women’s Tag Title match was probably the least favorite match even after a Jey Uso match. I can’t believe I wrote this.
The France crowd made this Cody/Styles match way more exciting than it already wasn’t.
What are the chances Cody/AJ ends in a draw? Probably not possible but it would be refreshing.
I’ll give the French crowd a pass for how off beat they are all night with the singing along of theme songs; English isn’t the first language LOL.
This main event felt like a Triple H imprint from 2003. Maybe I just didn't have the highest expectations going into it but I knew the match would not be a car crash, a technical masterpiece, a five star, a banger, any of it. What it was, was solid, for a first title defense.
For a WWE PLE main event, this will probably be remembered more for the crowd and key notes from the match such as AJ Styles wearing updated gear that matches his NWA-TNA Title match against Dusty Rhodes from the Asylum days, AJ Styles new theme song not eliciting even a peep from the crowd at any time it comes on, Cody Rhodes performing the Cody Cutter with a wicked variation, then hitting one limp warmed Cross Rhodes for the win.
I see these two running it back just to give Cody another win, because realistically I don’t believe anyone as a contender for Cody next.
In another lifetime, this PLE would have ended with a Brock Lesnar theme music interruption to make Cody do the whirlwind head spin just to create some chaos.
I’m excited for that part of Cody Rhodes title reign he doesn’t cry after every win.
With the biggest PLE gate to date, this PLE was solid for me with time and fluidity of matches. The opening match, the Women’s 3-Way & World Title were the best matches for me tonight in entirety. In actual order too. 8/10 PLE overall for me.