WWE: Backlash 2007
April 29, 2007
Atlanta, GA
Philips Arena

The current WWE champions are as follows:
WWE Champion: John Cena (9/17/2006)
WWE Intercontinental Champion: Santino Marella (4/16/2007)
World Tag Team Champions: The Hardy Boyz (4/2/2007)
WWE Women’s Champion: Melina (4/24/2007)
ECW World Champion: Bobby Lashley (12/3/2006)
World Heavyweight Champion: The Undertaker (4/1/2007)
WWE United States Champion: Chris Benoit (10/13/2006)
WWE Tag Team Champions: Deuce & Domino (4/20/2007)
WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Chavo Guerrero (2/18/2007)

Your hosts are Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole & JBL, and Joey Styles & Tazz.

• World Tag Team Championship: The Hardys (c) vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
  

The Hardys dominate early with their Hardy-ness until Jeff misses a dropkick to the outside and gets yanked through the ropes to the floor by Cade. Jeff plays face-in-peril, and it’s like 2000 all over again. Cade hits a uranage spinebuster for two. Murdoch blocks a jawbreaker once, but Jeff hits it on Cade instead. It doesn’t get him out of trouble, though. Murdoch telegraphs a backdrop, but tags in Cade anyway. Cade grabs Jeff by the foot and eats the reverse mule kick. CAN JEFF MAKE THE TAG? No, he cannot. Murdoch knocks Matt off the apron. Matt eventually does get that hot tag, but Cade and Murdoch stop Poetry in Motion. Matt hits the Side Effect on Murdoch, but Cade comes off the top with a double ax-handle. Murdoch hits the ACE OF SPADES on Matt for 1-2-NO! Murdoch throws a tantrum and Matt hits the Twist of Fate out of nowhere. Jeff flies in with the SWANTON BOMB and Matt jumps on top of Murdoch for the three-count. (15:18) Fun little opener. I think Cade and Murdoch need a manager to really get over. Can you imagine these two with Dutch Mantel? It could have been awesome. ***

In the back, Shane McMahon gets Umaga psyched up. Shane tells him to just follow instructions and everything will be all right. Vince and Shane then discuss who should be the next ECW champ.

• WWE Women’s Championship: Melina (c) vs. Mickie James
  

They actually do a brief mat wrestling sequence, and what’s more shocking is that it’s pretty good. Crowd chants, “Let’s go, Mickie!” while Melina adjusts her eyelashes. Lawler jokes he’s never seen a match grind to a halt because a wrestler got something in their eye, which used to be one of Lawler’s stalling tactics. Of course, it’s all a ruse. Mickie goes up top, but gets knocked to the floor. Melina works in a Tarantula Sleeper and a leg-scissor Full Nelson and uses the ropes for leverage. What’s with all the wrestling all of a sudden? Melina hits a seated senton. Melina blocks a kick and yanks Mickie down into a split! Mickie returns the favor, and they trade shots while in the splits! Mickie hits a flying bodypress for two, but falls victim to the Scorpion Deathdrop to give Melina the win. (8:02) Some good stuff. This was a surprisingly entertaining match that got the crowd into it by the end. They weren’t just chanting for them to show their tits for a change. **¾

Over to Maria backstage, Edge tells us how smart he is for cashing in his “Money in the Bank” shot and winning his first title after John Cena was exhausted and beaten. Mr. Kennedy chimes in and reminds him that lightning can strike twice.

• WWE U.S. Championship: Chris Benoit (c) vs. MVP
  

MVP starts out strong showing off his kicks. Benoit goes for the Crossface, and they do the headscissors to backslide sequence. VINTAGE STEAMBOAT-FLAIR! Benoit locks in the Sharpshooter, but MVP makes the ropes. Benoit takes the Bret corner bump and gets booted in the back of the head. Awesome. MVP snaps off a belly-to-belly suplex. Benoit comes back with the Hat Trick of Germans, but MVP is in the ropes on a Northern Lights Suplex. He locks in a reverse stepover armbar that leads to a crucifix hold. JBL talks about how embarrassing it would be for Benoit to lose in the town he lives in with his wife and child watching. Ugh, well that is depressing. The ref catches him using the ropes, though. Benoit ducks a boot and hits more five more German Suplexes. MVP gets his knees up to block the Swandive Headbutt and grabs the half crab, but Benoit makes the ropes. Benoit goes for the Crossface again, but MVP blocks. Benoit then pulls MVP down into a small package for the win. (13:10) This was fantastic. You can tell MVP is getting more confident the more he wrestles Benoit. He’s just so close to winning that US title. ***½

In the back, Randy Orton interrupts an interview with John Cena and proposes a truce so they can work together against Shawn Michaels and Edge. Cena thinks Orton is hitting on him and things get gayyyyyyy. Orton channels some Tobias Funke and Ron Simmons appears to end the segment.

• ECW World Championship: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Umaga, Mr. McMahon & Shane McMahon
  

No Armando, which makes me sad. Shane starts the match and that was his first mistake. Lashley tosses him around like a rag doll and sends him flying. Umaga tags in and gets more of the same. Shane charges and gets tossed again. Shane is taking some serious bumps here. Vince just stands on the apron talking trash, but refuses to get into the match. Finally, Shane yanks down the ropes, spilling Lashley to the floor. Shane shows off his MMA skills. Lashley powers up and slams Shane down, so Umaga has to tag in and maintain the advantage while Shane recovers. Shane comes back in and works the back, but Lashley makes his own save and cleans house. Vince is finally forced to come in to make the save on a cover. Shane saves him from a powerslam and hits Lashley with the ECW world title belt. Umaga adds a pair of Samoan Splashes and allows Vince to get the pin to win the ECW world title. (15:44) The McMahon celebration is pretty funny. Thankfully, they went with the numbers. Shane McMahon actually carried the match, which was a good idea. Too one-sided to be any good, but it got its point across. **

Backstage, your *new* ECW world champion Mr. McMahon goes to the back and bullies the ECW Originals. NOBODY IS MORE EXTREME THAN VINCENT KENNEDY MCMAHON.

• Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: The Undertaker (c) vs. Batista
  

Batista charges right into a boot to open. The crowd definitely sides with Taker. He goes for the Chokeslam early, but Batista battles out. Taker has to settle for a flying clothesline. Batista comes back with a sloppy powerslam for a six-count. They brawl on the floor with Taker going after Batista’s bandaged hamstring. Batista whips Taker to the steps but makes the mistake of going up and takes a superplex. They slug it out and Batista levels him with a clothesline for an eight-count. Taker slings Batista to the floor and sets up the Smackdown announce table. Batista whips Taker to the barrier, but Taker hits a sloppy backbreaker move and smashes the ringsteps into his head. Batista is busted open, but on his feet. Taker tosses him onto the table and hits a LEGDROP THROUGH THE TABLE! JBL and Cole have to do play-by-play from the crowd. It gets a nine count, though, and Undertaker gets grumpy. Back in, Taker hits a corner clothesline and Snake Eyes, but runs right into a spear. Bats hits Spinebuster after Spinebuster on the champ. He’s starting to generate some serious heel heat here. Taker blocks the Demon Bomb and hits a Chokeslam for nine. Taker mounts Batista for some corner punches, and Batista counters to a DEMON BOMB to play off their WM match. It gets about a 9.5 count. Bats gets desperate and drills Taker with a chair. He sets up for the Demon Bomb, but Taker backdrops out of it and hits the TOMBSTONE! Taker staggers over to the corner and puts his head down to rest, but Batista makes it up behind his back. Taker’s reaction is awesome. They brawl all the way up to the entrance platform. Taker goes for the Tombstone, but Batista slips out and spears Taker off the platform to send them both through the production equipment below. The scaffolding from the set (which did look unnecessary) collapses on top of them and neither man can beat the ten count – declaring the match a draw. (20:27) Pretty cheap way to get out of the finish, but everything that led up to it was a completely awesome brawl. ****

• Fatal Four-Way for the WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge vs. Shawn Michaels
  

Cena and Shawn draw Edge and Orton over to them across the ring by talking to one another. Once they come over and ask what the deal is, Cena and HBK clothesline the two out of the ring so they can go one-on-one with each other. Shawn chops away, but Cena comes back with a release fisherman’s suplex for two. Now Edge and Orton come in and clean house so they can go toe-to-toe. Shawn pulls out Orton, but Cena runs over and clotheslines them down. Edge takes out Cena with a baseball slide and heads outside to whip Orton into the steps. However, Shawn slams Edge down and heads to the top with everybody staggering for the MOONSAULT PRESS! Michaels brings Edge back inside only to knock each other down. Cena ascends to the top and comes down on both guys while they’re doubled over with the Flying Famouser. Orton interrupts Cena’s momentum and dumps everybody else out. He hits Cena with the Inverted Backbreaker for 1-2-NO! Cena fires back, but misses a corner charge and runs shoulder-first into the ringpost as he ends up on the floor. Shawn meets Orton in the ring and hits the Flying Forearm. As he kips-up to begin his comeback, Edge shuts him down with a spinning heel kick for two. Orton pulls Edge off the cover and jumps on Shawn for a nearfall! Edge pulls him off the cover as well, but then smooths things over to form an alliance as they work over Shawn together. During a double Boston crab, Cena flies in out of nowhere with the Throwback on BOTH guys to break up the hold. Cena takes care of Michaels and Orton with shoulderblocks, but saves Edge for the Protobomb and the Five Knuckle Shuffle. As Cena waits for Edge to stand up, Michaels and Orton yank out Cena and send him into the ringpost. Now Shawn shoves Orton into the ringpost to wipe him out as well. With Orton incapacitated, Shawn takes him over to the Raw announce table for a piledriver until Edge runs over and BLASTS Shawn with a steel chair to save the day. Orton gives him the thumbs up, but turns around into a CHAIRSHOT TO THE FACE courtesy of Edge!

He slides the chair back into the ring and gets ready to finish off Cena and win the gold. Edge runs at Cena with the chair, but Cena trips him up into the STFU! There’s nobody around to save him! Awesome. Edge makes the ropes and Cena releases the hold as Orton comes staggering into the ring prime and ready for the STFU as well. Cena sees HBK coming into the ring, so he lets go of Orton and tries for the STFU on Shawn, but HBK pulls him into a small package for two! Shawn hits atomic drops on everybody and dumps out Orton and Edge so he can finish off Cena. He hits the Flying Elbow and tunes up the band until Edge interrupts. Shawn slams him down and gives him the Flying Elbow. The same happens to Orton, but Cena cuts off the Flying Elbow and goes for the SUPER F-U! Orton and Edge come over for a modified TOWER OF DOOM spot. Shawn and Orton roll out. Cena tries several times to get the F-U on Edge, but he keeps getting away. Shawn runs in and gets put on top of Edge, but he slips away and looks to hit SWEET CHIN MUSIC on Cena. Out of nowhere, Orton jumps in and drops Shawn with the RKO! With Orton covering Shawn, Cena drops Edge and breaks up the pin real quick. Edge hits Cena with EDGECUTION for 1-2-NO! Now Edge wants to hit Cena with the SPEAR, but Cena leapfrogs him. That sends him into Orton for the RKO, but Edge shoves Orton off into the F-U. He slips out of that and tries the RKO on Cena, but Cena shoves him off into the SPEAR from Edge! As Edge gets to his feet, Cena lifts him up for the F-U! Finally, he delivers! Cena turns around to go after Shawn, HBK meets him with SWEET CHIN MUSIC, but Cena falls on top of Orton for the 1-2-3! (19:21) Probably one of the better if not the best finishes possible for a fatal-four way match. This was just amazing. You really have to see it to be able to appreciate just how good it is. ****½

Final Thoughts: Great PPV! Backlash is typically a more relaxed version of WrestleMania and this was no different. You have two very strong world title matches and a fantastic U.S. title match here. Besides that, there’s no real stinkers on the entire card. Two thumbs up for Backlash 2007. I can’t believe I gave up on WWE at the end of 2006!