.gif)
Backlash (2009)
Encyclopedia
Backlash was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE). It took place on April 26, 2009 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center
in Providence, Rhode Island
. The 11th and final event under the Backlash
banner, it featured talent from all three WWE brands
: Raw
, SmackDown, and ECW. The event's card
featured seven matches.
The main event consisted of a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship
, in which Edge defeated John Cena
to win. The other main match scheduled on the event's card was a Six-Man Tag Team match for the WWE Championship
between Triple H
(champion), Batista and Shane McMahon
, and The Legacy
(Randy Orton
, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
). Legacy won the match and Orton became the new WWE Champion. Other matches also appeared on the event's card. The first was an "I Quit" match between Jeff
and Matt Hardy
and three singles matches: Christian versus Jack Swagger for the ECW Championship, followed by CM Punk
versus Kane
, and Chris Jericho
versus Ricky Steamboat
.
The event had 182,000 buys, down on the Backlash (2008)
figure of 200,000 buys.
involving different wrestlers from pre-existing script
ed feuds, plots, and storyline
s that played out on Raw
, Friday Night SmackDown, ECW on Sci Fi, and WWE Superstars
—World Wrestling Entertainment
's (WWE) primary television programs. Wrestlers portrayed either a villain
or a hero
as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. The event featured wrestlers from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands—a storyline division
in which WWE employees are assigned to the television program of the same name.
The main rivalry
heading into Backlash 2009 pitted Triple H
against Randy Orton
over the WWE Championship
. The feud had started on the February 16 edition of Raw, when Orton punted Triple H's brother-in-law, Shane McMahon
and then performed the RKO
on his wife Stephanie McMahon. As a result, Triple H convinced Orton to challenge him for the WWE title at WrestleMania XXV
. At WrestleMania on April 5, 2009, Triple H defeated Orton to retain the championship. The following night on Raw, WWE chairman Vince McMahon
announced that a six-man tag team match would take place at Backlash between Triple H, Shane McMahon, and himself against The Legacy
(Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
) which was later turned into a WWE Championship match by new General Manager of Raw, Vickie Guerrero
. That same night, Shane and Triple H were attacked by The Legacy, but were saved by a returning Batista. Vince announced that Batista would be taking his place at Backlash. On the following week's edition of Raw, after returning to WWE the week before, Batista arrived on the night of the WWE Draft lottery. Batista made clear his desire to face Orton on Raw and take revenge for the punt that kept him from the ring for four months. He was later joined in the ring by both Shane McMahon and WWE Champion Triple H, who both wanted to get their hands on Orton for his attacks on Stephanie McMahon and the WWE Chairman himself, Mr. McMahon. As the three argued over who would get first dibs on Orton, they were interrupted by Vickie Guerrero, who announced that only one of them would get the opportunity to face Orton before Backlash, and that they would have to earn it. Guerrero then placed Triple H, Batista and Shane McMahon in a 3-on-2 Handicap match against The Legacy for later in the night. Whichever one of them would score the pinfall on either Rhodes or DiBiase will have earned themselves a match against Orton on the next Raw, but if The Legacy prevailed, then none of the three would be able to get their hands on him. Triple H pinned DiBiase. On the last edition of Raw, Orton defeated Triple H in a No disqualification match despite of their teammates interfering during the match. Then a few days later on SmackDown, Batista and Shane McMahon defeated DiBiase and Rhodes in a tag team match.
Another rivalry heading into Backlash brought together John Cena
and Edge over the World Heavyweight Championship
. At WWE's February pay-per-view event, No Way Out
on February 15, 2009, Edge attacked Kofi Kingston
, who was due to compete in an Elimination Chamber
match for Cena's World Heavyweight Championship. As a result, Edge took his spot in the match and won the title by last eliminating Rey Mysterio. At WrestleMania XXV
, Cena defeated the defending champion Edge and The Big Show
in a Triple Threat match to win the championship back. On the April 6 episode of Raw, Vickie Guerrero announced that Cena would defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Edge in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash.
Interim General manager Tiffany
announced on the April 7 episode of ECW on Sci Fi that Jack Swagger would defend his ECW Championship against the winner of the "elimination chase", which commenced on that night and featured Christian, Tommy Dreamer
, Finlay
, and Mark Henry
; the participants in the chase would have a four-way that night. Henry got pinned the same night and was eliminated from contention. The remaining three wrestlers competed in a Triple Threat match on the April 14 episode of ECW on Sci Fi with the person being pinned or forced to submit being eliminated from contention; Dreamer was pinned in this contest, leading to a singles match between Finlay and Christian on the April 16 episode of WWE Superstars, which saw Christian get the victory, thus allowing him to face Swagger for the title at Backlash.
After Matt Hardy
betrayed his brother, Jeff
, at Royal Rumble
— costing the latter the WWE Championship against Edge —the two embarked on a feud that saw Jeff initially reluctant to fight his brother; after much goading, they had a match at WrestleMania XXV, which saw Matt win; however, with Jeff not fully incapacitated after Matt had vowed to "erase Jeff from the WWE", a stretcher match took place between the two, which Matt also won. As a result of their feud, the SmackDown general manager, Theodore Long
, announced an "I Quit" match between the two at Backlash.
After the release of the film, The Wrestler, and the film's actor Mickey Rourke
backing out of a challenge that he had earlier issued to Chris Jericho
to a match at WrestleMania XXV, Jericho started targeting WWE's legends and Hall of Famers
by insulting and beating them over many weeks on Raw. (These legends included the likes of Ric Flair
, Roddy Piper
, Jimmy Snuka
and Ricky Steamboat
.) At WrestleMania XXV, Jericho defeated Piper, Snuka and Steamboat in a Handicap Elimination match. After winning, Jericho called Rourke out in the ring. During the confrontation between the two, Rourke knocked Jericho down with a punch. Then, on the April 20 episode of Raw, it was announced that Jericho would face Ricky Steamboat in a singles match at Backlash.
Before the event began and aired live
on pay-per-view
, a dark match took place in which Kofi Kingston
defeated Dolph Ziggler
in a singles match.
es, and some heavy slams
. Christian managed to capitalize after dodging some of Swagger's attacks before the two both went down; leading to both men staggering into opposite corners, removing the padding on the top turnbuckle closest to their respective positions. As Swagger ran to attack his opponent, Christian dodged one last tackle, letting Swagger's head collide with the exposed steel. Christian then grabbed Swagger by the arms and connected with his finishing move, the killswitch, driving his head into the mat and pinning him to win the ECW Championship and his first world title in WWE.
The following contest involved Chris Jericho and Ricky Steamboat — the latter competing in his first singles match since 1994. The match centered around the idea of Jericho viciously attacking his adversary only to have Steamboat retaliate and compete with his younger opponent, executing his signature moves: arm drags, chops, and a diving crossbody, only to have Jericho counter the latter with a knee to the face called the Codebreaker. Following the attack, Jericho grabbed Steamboat's legs, and applied his signature submission hold the Walls of Jericho
, with Steamboat ultimately submitting. Following his loss, Steamboat was given a standing ovation from the crowd in attendance.
CM Punk wrestled Kane next, with Punk mainly attacking Kane's arm with kicks and arm bars to prevent him from performing his finishing maneuver, the chokeslam
, which requires Kane to lift his opponent with one arm. After Punk tried to incapacitate his opponent, Kane managed to get a hold of Punk's leg to execute a leg-trap chokeslam before pinning him.
The fourth match on the show, the "I Quit" match, featured Matt and Jeff Hardy. The two brothers brutally assaulted each other throughout the match, hitting each other with a number of heavy shots and submission holds, with neither man yielding to the other. After Jeff had gained an advantage with Matt incapacitated, he placed him onto a table, then taped his arms and legs together before strapping him onto the table. Jeff then went under the ring, and withdrew a ladder, and set it up in the corner of the ring closest to his prone opponent. When the referee asked Matt if he wanted to quit, he took the opportunity to talk down Jeff, bringing up the case of what his father and late mother would think of this before uttering the phrase, "I quit". Despite Jeff winning the match and coming down from the ladder onto the top turnbuckle, he still vaulted over the ladder, and performed a leg drop on his brother, going through the table.
Santina Marella — (really Santino Marella in drag
posing as his fictitious twin sister) came down to the ring after the match, and proclaimed her prowess before The Great Khali entered in the hopes of kissing Marella, only to have Marella refuse, claiming to love another man, SmackDown commentator, Jim Ross
, who sat at ringside with Jerry Lawler
and Michael Cole
. This led to Beth Phoenix
to come to the ring outraged by what is transpiring with Khali's obliviousness; she challenged Marella for her title of Miss WrestleMania. Before the match started, Khali hit Phoenix, leading to Marella pinning a capsized Phoenix to retain her title.
The first of two main event matches on the show involved the six-man tag-team match for the WWE Championship pitting Triple H (the champion), Batista, and Shane McMahon against The Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase). The match started out with Triple H and Orton brawling out of the ring to the backstage area while Batista and McMahon would continue to wrestle The Legacy. Once the two contenders fought their way back into the ring, the match centered around Legacy isolating every member of their opponents, preventing any way for them to make a tag. The tides turned once Batista managed to get into the match, and sent the action onto the outside, and Triple H managing to make the tag. Shortly thereafter, the legal man, Orton, applied his signature move, the RKO
, and drove him to the mat on his face. He went for the pin, but his opponent kicked out of it; this led to Orton standing up, and running into his downed opponent with his signature punt. This time, Orton pinned him, winning the title for the third time. Following the match, Triple H was taken out on a stretcher.
The main event saw World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena, defending his title against Edge in a Last Man Standing Match. The match started as a heavy brawl between the two, each trying to beat the other down to reach the ten-count fast, only to have each of them get to their feet in time. The match degenerated to the outside with Edge and Cena using the detachable steel steps connected to the ring as a weapon, as they threw each other into it, threw it at each other, and even have Edge tackle Cena with his finishing move, the Spear. The match continued with both men being only able to incapacitate their opponent for a nine-count until they both ended up on the announcers' table, leading to Cena hoisting Edge up onto his shoulders, and throwing him into the crowd with his finishing maneuver, the Attitude Adjustment. After the wrestlers reached to their feet, they fought around the arena, going into the surrounding lobby until they made their way to the stage, leading to an eventual interruption from their other WrestleMania triple threat match opponent, The Big Show (Paul Wight
), which had him lift up Cena, and chokeslam him through a nearby spotlight that exploded; Cena was unable to make the ten-count, thus having Edge win the title for the fifth time. In a case similar to Triple H, Cena was taken out of the arena on a stretcher, as the event came to a close.
, when Cena would be medically-cleared to compete in the match.
With Edge winning the World Heavyweight title, the title became exclusive to SmackDown!, with Jeff Hardy becoming the number-one contender to face Edge at Judgment Day by winning a fatal four-way match against Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, and Kane.
Not satisfied at how he lost the title (due to his collision with a turnbuckle exposed by Christian, which is technically illegal), Jack Swagger would invoke his rematch clause at Judgment Day, and before that match were to take place, he would make sure that no one would receive a title match before he did by interfering in Christian's matches.
, writer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, called the show solid, and gave the main event a score of four-and-a-half stars out of five.
Writing for The Sun
, The LilsBoys
rated the event a 9/10, stating that the event contained "great matches, solid storylines and well-written endings." They praised the match between Matt and Jeff Hardy, saying that "the ending that was truly something special, one of the best we’ve seen in ages." The LilsBoys also praised the World Heavyweight Championship match, touting it as the "match of the night", and stating the final spot with Big Show throwing Cena into the spotlight was "the year’s most memorable moment so far". The Baltimore Sun
's writer, Kevin Eck, also praised the World Heavyweight Championship match, calling it a "show-stealer" and praised the Jericho/Steamboat match, stating that "The booking here was well done, as Steamboat showed that he can still go".
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE). It took place on April 26, 2009 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center
Dunkin' Donuts Center
The Dunkin' Donuts Center , is an indoor arena, located in downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. The 11th and final event under the Backlash
WWE Backlash
Backlash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every April by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1999, with its inaugural event produced as an In Your House event in April of that year. The event in 2000 was rebranded as an...
banner, it featured talent from all three WWE brands
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
: Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, SmackDown, and ECW. The event's card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
featured seven matches.
The main event consisted of a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
, in which Edge defeated John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
to win. The other main match scheduled on the event's card was a Six-Man Tag Team match for the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
between Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
(champion), Batista and Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
, and The Legacy
The Legacy (professional wrestling)
The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
(Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
). Legacy won the match and Orton became the new WWE Champion. Other matches also appeared on the event's card. The first was an "I Quit" match between Jeff
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
and Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and three singles matches: Christian versus Jack Swagger for the ECW Championship, followed by CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
versus Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
, and Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
versus Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
.
The event had 182,000 buys, down on the Backlash (2008)
Backlash (2008)
Backlash was the tenth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 27, 2008 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland...
figure of 200,000 buys.
Background
Backlash featured professional wrestling matchesProfessional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
involving different wrestlers from pre-existing script
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
ed feuds, plots, and storyline
Narrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
s that played out on Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, Friday Night SmackDown, ECW on Sci Fi, and WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars is a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that originally aired on WGN America in the United States. It debuted on April 16, 2009 and ended its domestic broadcasting on April 7, 2011...
—World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's (WWE) primary television programs. Wrestlers portrayed either a villain
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or a hero
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. The event featured wrestlers from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands—a storyline division
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
in which WWE employees are assigned to the television program of the same name.
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
heading into Backlash 2009 pitted Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
against Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
over the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. The feud had started on the February 16 edition of Raw, when Orton punted Triple H's brother-in-law, Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
and then performed the RKO
Cutter (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a cutter is a common term that refers to the three-quarter facelock bulldog maneuver. The move is also described as an inverted neckbreaker, though it is not one, it only bears an inverted style to it...
on his wife Stephanie McMahon. As a result, Triple H convinced Orton to challenge him for the WWE title at WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXV was the twenty-fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 5, 2009 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas...
. At WrestleMania on April 5, 2009, Triple H defeated Orton to retain the championship. The following night on Raw, WWE chairman Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
announced that a six-man tag team match would take place at Backlash between Triple H, Shane McMahon, and himself against The Legacy
The Legacy (professional wrestling)
The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
(Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
) which was later turned into a WWE Championship match by new General Manager of Raw, Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Lynn Guerrero is an American professional wrestling personality, manager, shifting authority figure and occasional wrestler. She is the widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand...
. That same night, Shane and Triple H were attacked by The Legacy, but were saved by a returning Batista. Vince announced that Batista would be taking his place at Backlash. On the following week's edition of Raw, after returning to WWE the week before, Batista arrived on the night of the WWE Draft lottery. Batista made clear his desire to face Orton on Raw and take revenge for the punt that kept him from the ring for four months. He was later joined in the ring by both Shane McMahon and WWE Champion Triple H, who both wanted to get their hands on Orton for his attacks on Stephanie McMahon and the WWE Chairman himself, Mr. McMahon. As the three argued over who would get first dibs on Orton, they were interrupted by Vickie Guerrero, who announced that only one of them would get the opportunity to face Orton before Backlash, and that they would have to earn it. Guerrero then placed Triple H, Batista and Shane McMahon in a 3-on-2 Handicap match against The Legacy for later in the night. Whichever one of them would score the pinfall on either Rhodes or DiBiase will have earned themselves a match against Orton on the next Raw, but if The Legacy prevailed, then none of the three would be able to get their hands on him. Triple H pinned DiBiase. On the last edition of Raw, Orton defeated Triple H in a No disqualification match despite of their teammates interfering during the match. Then a few days later on SmackDown, Batista and Shane McMahon defeated DiBiase and Rhodes in a tag team match.
Another rivalry heading into Backlash brought together John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and Edge over the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. At WWE's February pay-per-view event, No Way Out
No Way Out (2009)
No Way Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on February 15, 2009 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. It was the 11th and final event under the No Way Out name and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
on February 15, 2009, Edge attacked Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
, who was due to compete in an Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE promotion. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure or "chamber" which encloses the ring. The chamber's floor is platformed over the ringside area which elevates it to ring level and within...
match for Cena's World Heavyweight Championship. As a result, Edge took his spot in the match and won the title by last eliminating Rey Mysterio. At WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXV was the twenty-fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 5, 2009 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas...
, Cena defeated the defending champion Edge and The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
in a Triple Threat match to win the championship back. On the April 6 episode of Raw, Vickie Guerrero announced that Cena would defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Edge in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash.
Taryn Terrell
Taryn Nicole Terrell , better known by her ring name Tiffany is an American model, professional wrestler and former general manager. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment . She also trained at WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling...
announced on the April 7 episode of ECW on Sci Fi that Jack Swagger would defend his ECW Championship against the winner of the "elimination chase", which commenced on that night and featured Christian, Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
, and Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
; the participants in the chase would have a four-way that night. Henry got pinned the same night and was eliminated from contention. The remaining three wrestlers competed in a Triple Threat match on the April 14 episode of ECW on Sci Fi with the person being pinned or forced to submit being eliminated from contention; Dreamer was pinned in this contest, leading to a singles match between Finlay and Christian on the April 16 episode of WWE Superstars, which saw Christian get the victory, thus allowing him to face Swagger for the title at Backlash.
After Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
betrayed his brother, Jeff
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
, at Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2009)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 25, 2009 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
— costing the latter the WWE Championship against Edge —the two embarked on a feud that saw Jeff initially reluctant to fight his brother; after much goading, they had a match at WrestleMania XXV, which saw Matt win; however, with Jeff not fully incapacitated after Matt had vowed to "erase Jeff from the WWE", a stretcher match took place between the two, which Matt also won. As a result of their feud, the SmackDown general manager, Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
, announced an "I Quit" match between the two at Backlash.
After the release of the film, The Wrestler, and the film's actor Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
backing out of a challenge that he had earlier issued to Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
to a match at WrestleMania XXV, Jericho started targeting WWE's legends and Hall of Famers
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
by insulting and beating them over many weeks on Raw. (These legends included the likes of Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
, Jimmy Snuka
Jimmy Snuka
James William "Jimmy" Reiher is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. Snuka is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having been a...
and Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
.) At WrestleMania XXV, Jericho defeated Piper, Snuka and Steamboat in a Handicap Elimination match. After winning, Jericho called Rourke out in the ring. During the confrontation between the two, Rourke knocked Jericho down with a punch. Then, on the April 20 episode of Raw, it was announced that Jericho would face Ricky Steamboat in a singles match at Backlash.
Event
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Michael Cole Michael Cole Michael Sean Coulthard , better known by his ring name Michael Cole, is an American professional wrestling commentator, currently signed to WWE on both its Rawand SmackDown brands. Coulthard is a former news journalist.... |
| Jerry Lawler Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional... |
|
| Jim Ross Jim Ross James William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator, former professional wrestling referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a commentator on the WWE Raw brand... |
|
| Interviewer | Todd Grisham Todd Grisham Todd Grisham is an American presenter/announcer who is best known for his time in the WWE as a backstage interviewer, play-by-play commentator and occasional ring announcer... |
| Ring announcer | Tony Chimel Tony Chimel Anthony "Tony" Chimel is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, currently employed by WWE working as the ring announcer for SmackDown brand.-WWE :... |
| Lilian Garcia Lilian Garcia Lilian Annette García , is a Spanish-American singer. She is best known as the former ring announcer for WWE's Raw brand. During her time in WWE, she became the first Diva to remain with the promotion for ten years.-Early life and career:... |
|
| Justin Roberts Justin Roberts Justin Jason Roberts is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, currently working for WWE appearing on its Raw brand.-Career:... |
|
| Referees | Scott Armstrong |
| Mike Chioda Mike Chioda Michael Joseph "Mike" Chioda, is a senior referee who is currently signed to WWE. While not refereeing, Chioda, as well as the other referees in WWE, help set up the arena before shows, constructing the ring and stage areas.-WWF:... |
|
| Jack Doan Jack Doan John Michael "Jack" Doan is a veteran professional wrestling referee currently signed with WWE.-Career:Doan joined WWE in October 1991 as a truck driver. From there, he took robes from Superstars at ringside, played music at shows, worked as part of the ring crew, and continued to drive the... |
|
| Marty Elias | |
| Chad Patton | |
| Charles Robinson Charles Robinson (referee) Charles Shane Robinson is an American professional wrestling referee currently signed to WWE.- Beginnings and World Championship Wrestling :... |
Before the event began and aired live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
on pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
, a dark match took place in which Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
defeated Dolph Ziggler
Nick Nemeth
Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. He is the reigning WWE United States Champion...
in a singles match.
Preliminary matches
The show commenced with ECW Champion, Jack Swagger, defending his title against Christian. Swagger dominated his opponent early in the match, succeeding in grounding him with takedowns, suplexSuplex
A suplex is an offensive move used in professional sport wrestling . The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down...
es, and some heavy slams
Powerslam
A powerslam is a professional wrestling body slam move in which the wrestler performing the slam falls face-down on top of his/her opponent. The use of the term "powerslam" usually refers to the front powerslam and the scoop powerslam.-Emerald Flowsion:...
. Christian managed to capitalize after dodging some of Swagger's attacks before the two both went down; leading to both men staggering into opposite corners, removing the padding on the top turnbuckle closest to their respective positions. As Swagger ran to attack his opponent, Christian dodged one last tackle, letting Swagger's head collide with the exposed steel. Christian then grabbed Swagger by the arms and connected with his finishing move, the killswitch, driving his head into the mat and pinning him to win the ECW Championship and his first world title in WWE.
Boston crab
The Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with the opponent lying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the opponent’s legs in one of his arms, and then turns the opponent face-down,...
, with Steamboat ultimately submitting. Following his loss, Steamboat was given a standing ovation from the crowd in attendance.
CM Punk wrestled Kane next, with Punk mainly attacking Kane's arm with kicks and arm bars to prevent him from performing his finishing maneuver, the chokeslam
Chokeslam
A chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
, which requires Kane to lift his opponent with one arm. After Punk tried to incapacitate his opponent, Kane managed to get a hold of Punk's leg to execute a leg-trap chokeslam before pinning him.
The fourth match on the show, the "I Quit" match, featured Matt and Jeff Hardy. The two brothers brutally assaulted each other throughout the match, hitting each other with a number of heavy shots and submission holds, with neither man yielding to the other. After Jeff had gained an advantage with Matt incapacitated, he placed him onto a table, then taped his arms and legs together before strapping him onto the table. Jeff then went under the ring, and withdrew a ladder, and set it up in the corner of the ring closest to his prone opponent. When the referee asked Matt if he wanted to quit, he took the opportunity to talk down Jeff, bringing up the case of what his father and late mother would think of this before uttering the phrase, "I quit". Despite Jeff winning the match and coming down from the ladder onto the top turnbuckle, he still vaulted over the ladder, and performed a leg drop on his brother, going through the table.
Santina Marella — (really Santino Marella in drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
posing as his fictitious twin sister) came down to the ring after the match, and proclaimed her prowess before The Great Khali entered in the hopes of kissing Marella, only to have Marella refuse, claiming to love another man, SmackDown commentator, Jim Ross
Jim Ross
James William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator, former professional wrestling referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a commentator on the WWE Raw brand...
, who sat at ringside with Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
and Michael Cole
Michael Cole
Michael Sean Coulthard , better known by his ring name Michael Cole, is an American professional wrestling commentator, currently signed to WWE on both its Rawand SmackDown brands. Coulthard is a former news journalist....
. This led to Beth Phoenix
Beth Phoenix
Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion....
to come to the ring outraged by what is transpiring with Khali's obliviousness; she challenged Marella for her title of Miss WrestleMania. Before the match started, Khali hit Phoenix, leading to Marella pinning a capsized Phoenix to retain her title.
Main event matches
Cutter (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a cutter is a common term that refers to the three-quarter facelock bulldog maneuver. The move is also described as an inverted neckbreaker, though it is not one, it only bears an inverted style to it...
, and drove him to the mat on his face. He went for the pin, but his opponent kicked out of it; this led to Orton standing up, and running into his downed opponent with his signature punt. This time, Orton pinned him, winning the title for the third time. Following the match, Triple H was taken out on a stretcher.
The main event saw World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena, defending his title against Edge in a Last Man Standing Match. The match started as a heavy brawl between the two, each trying to beat the other down to reach the ten-count fast, only to have each of them get to their feet in time. The match degenerated to the outside with Edge and Cena using the detachable steel steps connected to the ring as a weapon, as they threw each other into it, threw it at each other, and even have Edge tackle Cena with his finishing move, the Spear. The match continued with both men being only able to incapacitate their opponent for a nine-count until they both ended up on the announcers' table, leading to Cena hoisting Edge up onto his shoulders, and throwing him into the crowd with his finishing maneuver, the Attitude Adjustment. After the wrestlers reached to their feet, they fought around the arena, going into the surrounding lobby until they made their way to the stage, leading to an eventual interruption from their other WrestleMania triple threat match opponent, The Big Show (Paul Wight
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
), which had him lift up Cena, and chokeslam him through a nearby spotlight that exploded; Cena was unable to make the ten-count, thus having Edge win the title for the fifth time. In a case similar to Triple H, Cena was taken out of the arena on a stretcher, as the event came to a close.
Aftermath
Following the results of the main event, The Big Show appeared in a match against Batista the following night on Raw to determine who would challenge Randy Orton next for the WWE title. During the match, John Cena came down to the ring, distracting the Big Show, which led to Batista winning the match. Vickie Guerrero would subsequently announce The Big Show would wrestle Cena at Judgment DayJudgment Day (2009)
Judgment Day , a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , took place on May 17, 2009 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was the eleventh and final show under the Judgment Day name and the tenth show held annually; it...
, when Cena would be medically-cleared to compete in the match.
With Edge winning the World Heavyweight title, the title became exclusive to SmackDown!, with Jeff Hardy becoming the number-one contender to face Edge at Judgment Day by winning a fatal four-way match against Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, and Kane.
Not satisfied at how he lost the title (due to his collision with a turnbuckle exposed by Christian, which is technically illegal), Jack Swagger would invoke his rematch clause at Judgment Day, and before that match were to take place, he would make sure that no one would receive a title match before he did by interfering in Christian's matches.
Reception
The show received positive feedback from many viewers. Canadian sportswriter, Matt Bishop, gave the show an overall score of 7/10; most of his praise for the show concentrated on the World Heavyweight title match, which he awarded 9/10. In addition, Dave MeltzerDave Meltzer
David A. Meltzer is the editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Sports Illustrated senior writer Frank Deford has praised Meltzer's work, saying that "Meltzer, I believe, is the most accomplished reporter in sports journalism." Meltzer has written for the Oakland Tribune, the Los Angeles...
, writer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, called the show solid, and gave the main event a score of four-and-a-half stars out of five.
Writing for The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, The LilsBoys
The LilsBoys
The LilsBoys, Simon and Richard, are online wrestling columnists for The Sun newspaper in the UK since June 2001.It is not known where their ring name comes from, but the close friends used it in E-Feds in the late 1990s and decided to take it with them to The Sun as their real names made them...
rated the event a 9/10, stating that the event contained "great matches, solid storylines and well-written endings." They praised the match between Matt and Jeff Hardy, saying that "the ending that was truly something special, one of the best we’ve seen in ages." The LilsBoys also praised the World Heavyweight Championship match, touting it as the "match of the night", and stating the final spot with Big Show throwing Cena into the spotlight was "the year’s most memorable moment so far". The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
's writer, Kevin Eck, also praised the World Heavyweight Championship match, calling it a "show-stealer" and praised the Jericho/Steamboat match, stating that "The booking here was well done, as Steamboat showed that he can still go".
Results
| # | Matches | Stipulations | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark | Kofi Kingston Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom... defeated Dolph Ziggler Nick Nemeth Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. He is the reigning WWE United States Champion... |
Singles match | 8:42 | |
| 1 | Christian defeated Jack Swagger (c) | Singles match for the ECW Championship | 11:00 | |
| 2 | Chris Jericho Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer... defeated Ricky Steamboat Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career... |
Singles match | 12:30 | |
| 3 | Kane Kane (wrestler) Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury.... defeated CM Punk CM Punk Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion.... |
Singles match | 09:25 | |
| 4 | Jeff Hardy Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion... defeated Matt Hardy Matt Hardy Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... |
"I Quit" match | 19:05 | |
| 5 | Santina Marella (c) defeated Beth Phoenix Beth Phoenix Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion.... (with Rosa Mendes) |
Singles match for the title of "Miss WrestleMania" | 00:03 | |
| 6 | The Legacy The Legacy (professional wrestling) The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.... (Randy Orton Randy Orton Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand... , Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Ted DiBiase, Jr. Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand... ) defeated Triple H Triple H Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley... (c), Batista and Shane McMahon Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda... |
Six-man tag team match for the WWE Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... |
22:50 | |
| 7 | Edge defeated John Cena John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand.... (c) |
Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand... |
28:25 | |
See also
- WWE BacklashWWE BacklashBacklash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every April by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1999, with its inaugural event produced as an In Your House event in April of that year. The event in 2000 was rebranded as an...
- List of WWE pay-per-view events