SmackDown Live’s second pay-per-view of the calendar year takes place tonight in Chicago, Illinois, and the match card certainly looks interesting, with Shinsuke Nakamura's first televised match on the main roster and a couple of fascinating title bouts on the menu.
As always, this article will provide last-minute predictions for all the matches on the card, taking into account the rumours that have been circulating online.
Read on for final insight into the WWE Backlash 2017 potential results.
#5 The Usos will retain their SmackDown Tag Team Championships
Breezango is a tag team that consists of two entertaining professional wrestlers that, until recently, have been nothing more than jobbers. However, when they won the Beat the Clock challenge on SmackDown a couple of weeks ago and became the #1 Contenders for the Tag Team Championships, things looked to be a little different.
The Usos are always on top of the tag team division when they are around, with this recent run seeing them as heels after years of being babyfaces. Breezango’s popularity has largely been due to the Usos’ heel heat, and they are still the favourites to win the match, according to Bleacher Report. The Usos captured the title just before WrestleMania and haven’t had the opportunity to have a good run, so it is unlikely that they would lose the titles in their first pay-per-view defence.
However, it may not be the last time Breezango challenge for the title, and even a loss could see their recent push continue.
#4 The babyfaces will go over the heels in the women’s division match
Compared to the rest of the card, the women’s match for Backlash has been rather bland in its build-up. Charlotte and Naomi were feuding over the SmackDown Women’s Championship, and Natalya, Tamina and Carmella decided Charlotte wasn’t going to be on top as soon as she arrived on Tuesday nights. Charlotte and Naomi joined forces and recruited Becky Lynch, and now there is a six-women tag team match.
It’s obvious that the babyfaces are going to win, because when it comes to women’s tag team matches, when don’t they? Furthermore, Naomi, Becky and Charlotte are the biggest names on the SmackDown women’s roster, and all three of them suffering a loss on the same night seems highly unlikely.
Expect James Ellsworth to have some part to play, though.
#3 Shinsuke Nakamura will announce himself to mainstream audiences in victorious fashion
Talent: Undeniable. Debut: Spectacular. Popularity: Immense. In-ring debut: Pending.
It’s been almost two months since Shinsuke Nakamura arrived on the main roster, and he is yet to make his in-ring debut. That box will be checked at Backlash when Nakamura takes on Dolph Ziggler, who he has been feuding with for a while now.
Nakamura and Ziggler have the combined talent to put on a WrestleMania main event level match, so a great spectacle could be in store for the audience.
With regards to the winner, there is almost no doubt that Shinsuke will walk away victorious, given Ziggler’s minimal importance to WWE content and the rumours of the King of Strong Style being elevated to main event status sooner rather than later. Nakamura will likely go on a streak of victories following his first at Backlash, possibly challenging for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam.
Also read: 5 twists that can happen at WWE Backlash 2017
#2 Kevin Owens will retain his United States Championship in chapter one of the Styles-Owens saga
It was reported recently that the AJ Styles and Kevin Owens feud over the United States Championship would stretch beyond Backlash, so it makes sense for Owens to emerge victorious at the event. Betting odds also point at Owens retaining the title and effectively prolonging the feud.
The United States Championship changing hands once again will make it look like a hot potato, which would have the opposite effect of what WWE is trying to achieve in increasing the relevance of its secondary titles.
However, it isn’t likely that Styles is going to lose clean as he is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – name on the SmackDown Live roster, so expect something like an exposed turnbuckle to enable Owens to pick up the win.
#1 Randy Orton will hinder the Jinder
Jinder Mahal's unexpected push culminates in the main event of Backlash for the WWE Championship.
While the build-up to the match has been surprisingly good, with Jinder Mahal even pinning the champion last week on SmackDown Live, it is unlikely that the same outcome will close out Backlash.
For the past couple of weeks, rumours have been going around of Mahal not winning the title and being removed from the WWE Championship scene, and that seems to be inevitable because SmackDown Live has received its lowest ratings since its inception, in recent weeks.
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