WWE Backlash: 5 possible endings for the Universal Title match

The WWE Backlash pay per view is only a handful of days away and while it will feature a variety of must-see matches, it will also serve as a do-or-die moment for Braun Strowman's Universal Title run. That might sound a little too alarmist to some, but his feud with The Fiend wasn't well received and he is in need of a rebound against The Miz and John Morrison.

Fortunately for Strowman, he is still fresh off of his win against Goldberg at WrestleMania 36 and could easily get back on track with a win at the upcoming event. The problem though is whether WWE sees Strowman as that long term champion that can carry the brand in the long term, or if they are just using him as a placeholder.

With that being said, and Braun Strowman set to defend The Universal Title in a two on one handicap match at Backlash, here are five ways the contest can end. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us you think this match come to an end.

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#5. Braun Strowman winning

Will Braun Strowman get the last laugh at Backlash?

Braun Strowman is only a few months into his run as Universal Champion and already has a tough task ahead of him at Backlash. Not only will he be defending his Universal Title in a two on one handicap match, but will be doing so against one of the craftiest heel duos on the entire roster.

With that being said, this could go one of two ways. Either Strowman will absolutely demolish the pair in a five minute match and nail them with his signature slam, or will be taken to his limit and barely etch out a win. Both scenarios paint different directions for the future of The Universal Title and will be interesting to watch play out.

In the end, WWE seems to have a lot of faith in Strowman and will most likely go the demolition route with this match at Backlash. Now, that doesn't mean The Miz and Morrison won't get in any offense during the match, but expect it to be quickly snuffed out by The Monster Among Men.

#4. Miz and Morrison become co-champions at Backlash

Imagine John Morrison and The Miz as co-champions at Backlash

Believe it or not, this kind of outcome has happened before with other WWE titles and could very well again at Backlash. In fact, The Miz and John Morrison as co-champions could be one of the most outside the box things that The WWE could do right now, and would lead to some pretty interesting possibilities.

As for how the move happens, what if The Miz and Morrison were able to pin Strowman at the same time? Or maybe WWE could have the pair lock in twin submission moves and then give both men the title that way. The company could even do some kind of bizarre roll up without them realizing it and both get counted as champion.

There are a lot of bizarre scenarios for this outcome and it will be interesting to see if the company decides to employ any of these. Of course, the company hasn't exactly been clear on what the stipulation for this match means and whether Miz and Morrison both become champion if one wins or if it's more like a Triple Threat match (I'm assuming the latter just for the sake of argument here), but it definitely will be must see television.

#3. The Miz and Morrison getting disqualified

Can The Miz and John Morison win The Universal Title at Backlash without cheating?

The Miz and John Morrison are two of the best heels on Friday Night SmackDown and the company has been playing that up quite nicely in the lead up to Backlash. Not only is that evident by the return of their Dirt Sheet segment a few months ago, but also by how they resort to ridiculous tactics, like smashing up Braun Strowman's car.

It's almost like the company wants us to see The Miz and Morison slowly getting more and more bold with their actions. Maybe that will lead to them trying to sneak a steel chair past the referee and nail The Monster among men with it. Or, the company could go a more Ruthless Aggression Era route and have the duo knock Strowman out with some brass knuckles.

From distracting the referee while the other gets in a cheap shot, to trying to ambush him, there are a lot of ways to get disqualified at Backlash Keep in mind that this probably won't be the most beloved option of the bunch, but it would at least help both sides avoid a huge loss.

#2. The Miz or John Morrison winning The Universal Title

Will John Morrison or The Miz win gold at Backlash?

WWE has a lot of questions to answer during the upcoming Backlash pay per view and one of the biggest ones is how much faith they actually have in Braun Strowman as Universal Champion. Interestingly enough, the company seems to have a lot of booking options for The 2 on 1 handicap match at Backlash and could easily switch the title without really hurting Strowman.

For example, what if The Miz or John Morrison are somehow able to double team Strowman with a finishing move and knock him clean out at Backlash. Or maybe WWE decides to have Miz and Morrison use a chair or another foreign object and wins that way. This would be a great way to protect Strowman in defeat and allow the company to shift focus to the duo.

Again, WWE hasn't really been clear on if one Superstar can win the championship or if both win no matter who gets the pin, which makes this match a little complicated. With that being said, however, it does add a bit of mystery to this whole equation and should be fun to see how WWE decides to go through with this.

What do you think the stipulation will end up being, considering how often WWE makes this stuff up on the fly? Share you thoughts in the comments.

#1. The Fiend interferes and stops the match

The Fiend could strike again at Backlash!

The Fiend hasn't been seen or heard from in a quite a while now and one has to wonder if the company is saving him for some kind of surprise return at Backlash. Interestingly enough, The Miz and Morrison seemed to take digs at Bray Wyatt's Firefly Funhouse a few weeks ago, which could point to some kind of future encounter between the three.

How it happens though is probably going to be the most intriguing part of of all this and will no doubt set the tone for the title picture going forward. For example, the match at Backlash could be going on as normal when the arena goes dark. The Fiend then appears out of nowhere and chokes out Strowman with The mandible claw to get the disqualification.

Or WWE could do a past-coming-back-to-haunt Strowman again angle and make his opponents disappear with a flick of light. This would leave Strowman and The Fiend having a stare down in the ring and automatically leaves the door open to a fatal four way match at the next pay per view.