3 Differences & 2 Similarities between WWE WrestleMania Backlash 2021 and 2022

WWE's WrestleMania Backlash premium live event comes to us live this Sunday, where scores stemming from WrestleMania 38 will be settled!

In the world of WWE, a year might as well have been a lifetime ago. This is the nature of Vince McMahon's machine, the linear progression of WWE never stops. With that in mind, it's fun to look back at the progress over the past year. Especially considering how much the world around the company has changed.

Have previously pushed characters continued their rise? Have the champions changed? Did storylines pan out? Let's log into our Peacock/WWE Network accounts and see 3 Differences and 2 Similarities between WrestleMania Backlash 2021 and 2022.

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Difference: WrestleMania Backlash 2021 took place in the Thunderdome, while 2022 will take place in Rhode Island

It's crazy to think, but from mid-March 2020 to June 2021, WWE had little to no in-person shows for their weekly and pay-per-view programming.

While WWE would eventually incorporate some live reactions by having members of the performance center and close friends in attendance; it wouldn't be until WrestleMania 37 that the company would have their first ticketed fans in attendance for an event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the return of fans, WWE began utilizing the Thunderdome in August of 2020. This allowed the company to create engaging, bright, and grander productions of RAW, SmackDown and pay-per-views that fans were more accustomed to.

The Thunderdome's original home was in Tampa Bay, Florida. However, due to the Tampa Bay Ray's beginning their MLB season, WWE moved the Thunderdome to the Yuengling Center at the University of South Florida. WWE Backlash 2021 was the first pay-per-view produced from The Thunderdome at the Yuengling Center.

This year's show will take place at the Dunkin' Dounts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, which has a capacity of approximately 10,000-14,000 people.

Similarity: Roman Reigns will be in the main event of WrestleMania Backlash for the second year in a row

The Tribal Chief has been on top of WWE since his return in August of 2020, when he captured the Universal Championship at Payback. Since then, Reigns and the rest of The Bloodline have been focal points for WWE programming, and WrestleMania Backlash has been no exception.

At last year's event, Roman Reigns main evented the card and took on fan favorite Cesaro in a nearly 30 minute showdown. Reigns would go on to defeat the Swiss Cyborg via technical submission

This year, Roman Reigns will be flanked by his cousins Jimmy and Jey Uso, as The Bloodline takes on the trio of RK-Bro and Drew McIntyre.

Difference: Only one championship will be defended at WrestleMania Backlash this year, while five were defended in 2021

This year's WrestleMania Backlash card might seem a little light to some fans, with less championships being featured. While the main event will feature the Unifed WWE Universal Champion, the SmackDown Tag Team, and RAW Tag Team Champions, none of these titles are on the line.

This is a stark difference from last year's event, which saw the Universal, WWE, RAW and SmackDown Tag, and both the RAW and SmackDown Women's titles defended.

As of this writing, the only championship that will be on the line on Sunday will be the SmackDown Women's Championship. Which will feature current champion Charlotte Flair taking on Ronda Rousey in an "I Quit" match.

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Similarity: Drew McIntyre is involved in the world title scene in some form once again at WrestleMania Backlash

While Drew McIntyre will not be competing for a world title at this year's WrestleMania Backlash, he has once again found himself in the championship scene.

At last year's event, McIntyre competed in a triple threat match for the WWE Championship. Taking on then champion Bobby Lashley and former Universal Champion, Braun Strowman. While McIntyre fought valiantly, he was unable to capture the championship, with Lashley retaining the title off a spear on Strowman.

As noted earlier, McIntyre will once again be squaring off against a world champion, only this time it will be in a 6-man tag team match.

This match, along with recent booking by WWE, has prompted many fans to believe the Scottish Pyschopath is next in line to face The Tribal Chief. The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns currently has no challenger, since he defeated Brock Lesnar and unified the world titles.

Difference: 3 Superstars involved in last year's WrestleMania Backlash have been released by WWE

One very noticeable difference between this year and last year's WrestleMania Backlash event are the three superstars absent from WWE's roster.

Last year's event featured: John Morrison, Cesaro, and Braun Strowman. All three men have been released from their WWE contracts since the event.

Former ECW Champion John Morrison was released by WWE in November of 2021, The Monster Among Men Braun Strowman was released in June of 2021, and Cesaro was reportedly released from the company in February of this year.