Backlash (2007)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Backlash (2007) | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Details | ||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | |
| Brand (s) | Raw SmackDown! ECW |
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| Date | April 29, 2007 | |
| Venue | Philips Arena | |
| City | Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Attendance | 14,500[1] | |
| Pay-per-view chronology | ||
| WrestleMania 23 | Backlash (2007) | Judgment Day (2007) |
| Backlash chronology | ||
| Backlash (2006) | Backlash (2007) | Backlash (2008) |
Backlash (2007) was the ninth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on April 29, 2007 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.[2] The event was the first pay-per-view (other than WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble) since Judgment Day 2003 to feature more than one brand, as it featured talent from Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW.[3] The official theme song was "There and Back Again" by Daughtry.[4]
The main match on the Raw brand was a Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Championship involving champion John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, and Shawn Michaels, which Cena won by pinning Orton.[5] The featured match on the SmackDown! brand was a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship between The Undertaker and Batista, which ended in a no-contest after both men failed to answer the ten count.[6] The primary match on the ECW brand was Bobby Lashley versus Team McMahon (Umaga, Vince and Shane McMahon) in a Handicap match for the ECW World Championship. Vince won the title and the match for his team by pinning Lashley.[7]
Contents |
[edit] Report
[edit] Background
The main feud heading into Backlash on the Raw brand was between John Cena, Edge, Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton, with the four feuding over the WWE Championship. At the 2007 Royal Rumble in January, Michaels was one of the final two participants of the Royal Rumble match before getting eliminated by The Undertaker.[8][9] On the February 5, 2007 edition of Raw, Michaels defeated Edge and Randy Orton in a Triple Threat match to become the number one contender to the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 23.[10] At WrestleMania 23, Cena defeated Michaels to retain the WWE Championship, forcing him to submit to the STFU.[11] On the April 9 edition of Raw, a match between Michaels and Orton to determine the number one contender ended in a no-contest after both men's shoulders were on the mat while they were pinning one another. Later that night, during Edge's talk show, The Cutting Edge, Edge claimed that Jonathan Coachman had named him the number one contender. Honorary General Manager Michael Pena, from the Make-a-Wish Foundation, however, announced that Michaels, Orton, and Edge would face Cena for the title at Backlash in a Fatal Four-Way match.[12]
The predominant feud on the SmackDown! brand was between The Undertaker and Batista, with the two feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship. At the Royal Rumble, in January, The Undertaker won the 2007 Royal Rumble match by last eliminating Shawn Michaels. As a result, he was given the right to a title match at WrestleMania for any of WWE's three major championships (ECW World, World Heavyweight, or WWE).[8] After teasing all 3 then-World Champions (Bobby Lashley, Batista, and John Cena), on the February 5 edition of Raw, he chose World Heavyweight Champion Batista as his opponent for WrestleMania 23.[10] At WrestleMania, The Undertaker defeated Batista to win the World Heavyweight Championship.[13][14][15] Their feud, however, did not end, as Theodore Long booked them in a Last Man Standing match for the title at Backlash.[16]
The main feud on the ECW brand was between Bobby Lashley and Team McMahon (Umaga, Vince and Shane McMahon), with Lashley and Vince feuding over the ECW World Championship. The feud started on the February 26 edition of Raw, when Lashley was selected by Donald Trump to compete at WrestleMania 23. Lashley was selected to compete against Vince's representative, Umaga, in a Hair vs. Hair match.[17] At WrestleMania, Lashley defeated Umaga and after the match, Trump and Lashley shaved Vince bald.[18] On the April 9 edition of Raw, Shane challenged Lashley to a Hair vs. Title match for the ECW World Championship. Shane got himself intentionally disqualified, but did not shave his head. After the match, Umaga and Vince assisted Shane in attacking Lashley. After the beating, Vince booked a 3-on-1 Handicap match for the ECW World Championship between Lashley and Team McMahon.[12]
[edit] Event
Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, Carlito defeated Johnny Nitro in a dark match.[19] The first match of the event was The Hardys (Matt and Jeff) versus Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch for the World Tag Team Championship. Cade and Murdoch controlled a majority of the match; however, The Hardys won the bout after Matt pinned Murdoch following a Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb from Jeff.[20]
The match that followed was Melina versus Mickie James for the WWE Women's Championship. After an unsuccessful aerial maneuver, Melina executed a Reverse DDT on James and pinned her to retain the WWE Women's Championship.[21]
The third match was between Chris Benoit and Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) for the WWE United States Championship. Benoit and MVP struggled throughout the match, attempting to gain the upper hand. In the end, Benoit pinned MVP with an Inside Cradle to win the match and retain the WWE United States Championship.[22]
A 3-on-1 Handicap match for the ECW World Championship between champion Bobby Lashley and Team McMahon (Umaga, Vince and Shane McMahon) was next. Near the end of the match, Shane hit Lashley with the title belt, which was followed by a diving splash from Umaga. Umaga then tagged in Vince, who attempted to pin Lashley. Lashley, however, kicked out. Vince then tagged in Umaga, who once again executed a diving splash from Umaga. After being tagged in, Vince pinned Lashley to win the ECW World Championship and the match for his team.[7][23]
The following match was a Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship between The Undertaker and Batista. One spot in the match saw Undertaker perform a leg drop on Batista and through an announce table. Towards the end of the match, the two fought up the entrance ramp, where, from there, Batista delivered a spear to The Undertaker off the stage. Neither man was able to answer the referee's ten count. As a result, the match was declared a no-contest and The Undertaker retained the title.[6]
The main event was a Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Championship between champion John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels. During the opening minutes of the match, Michaels performed a moonsault onto Cena, Edge, and Orton outside the ring. Near the end of the match, Edge speared Orton after Cena reversed an RKO attempt by Orton. Cena then performed an FU on Edge, which was followed by Michaels executing Sweet Chin Music on Cena. When Cena fell, he landed on Orton and the referee counted the pinfall. Cena won the match and retained the WWE Championship.[5]
[edit] Aftermath
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch continued their rivalry with The Hardys until the two teams had a rematch at Judgment Day 2007 for the World Tag Team Championship, which Hardys won.[24] Chris Benoit and Montel Vontavious Porter also continued their rivalry for the WWE United States Championship, which led to a Two out of three falls match at Judgment Day, which Porter won.[25][26]
The Undertaker and Batista also continued their rivalry, which culminated in a Steel cage match that occurred on the May 11 edition of SmackDown!. Both men escaped the steel cage at the same time, and The Undertaker was therefore declared the champion. After the match, Mark Henry returned and attacked The Undertaker. Edge, who had defeated Mr. Kennedy on the May 7 edition of Raw to win the Money in the Bank contract,[27] cashed in his opportunity and speared The Undertaker to win the World Heavyweight Championship.[28][29] Team McMahon's feud with Bobby Lashley continued as Mr. McMahon gave Lashley a rematch at Judgment Day, which was another 3-on-1 handicap match for the ECW World Championship.[27] At Judgment Day, Lashley won the match, but Vince said that Lashley had not beaten him, as Lashley had pinned Shane instead, so Lashley was not awarded the belt.[30]
[edit] Results
Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- Dark match: Carlito defeated Johnny Nitro (6:21)[19]
- Carlito pinned Nitro after a Backcracker.
- The Hardys (Matt and Jeff) defeated Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch to retain the World Tag Team Championship (15:18)[19][20]
- Matt pinned Murdoch after a Twist of Fate from Matt followed by a Swanton Bomb from Jeff.
- Melina defeated Mickie James to retain the WWE Women's Championship (9:02)[19][21]
- Melina pinned Mickie after a Reverse DDT.
- Chris Benoit defeated Montel Vontavious Porter to retain the WWE United States Championship (13:10)[19][22]
- Benoit pinned MVP with a Inside Cradle.
- Team McMahon (Umaga, Vince and Shane McMahon) defeated ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley in a Handicap match (15:45)[19][7]
- Vince pinned Lashley after a Samoan Splash from Umaga. As a result, Vince won the title.
- World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker fought Batista to a no-contest in a Last Man Standing match (20:23)[19][6]
- The match ended after both men were unable to answer the referee's ten count following a Spear from Batista off the entrance stage. As a result, The Undertaker retained the title.
- John Cena defeated Edge, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels in a Fatal Four-Way match to retain the WWE Championship (19:21)[19][5]
- Cena pinned Orton after a Spear from Edge.
[edit] References
- ^ Backlash 2007 results. Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ Elliott, Brian (2007-04-29). No filler makes for a consistent Backlash. SLAM! Sports. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
- ^ WWE Pay-Per-Views To Follow WrestleMania Formula. WWE Corporate (2007-03-14). Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
- ^ DiFino, Lennie (2007-05-17). Daughtry brings it to Backlash. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
- ^ a b c Dee, Louie (2007-04-29). Survive and conquer. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b c DiFino, Lennie (2007-04-29). Stand aside. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b c Robinson, Bryan (2007-04-29). Hell freezes over in ECW. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b Dee, Louie (2007-01-28). A Phenom-enal Rumble. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ Royal Rumble 2007 results. WWE (2007-01-28). Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b Hoffman, Brett (2007-02-05). Tickets punched for WrestleMania. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ Dee, Louie (2007-04-01). Detroit, Champ City. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b Starr, Noah (2007-10-28). Redemption. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ Hunt, Jen (2007-04-01). The Streak lives on for the Deadman. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ Undertaker's first World Heavyweight Championship reign. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ Undertaker's WrestleMania Legacy. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ Difino, Lennie (2007-04-13). Polar opposites. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ Starr, Noah (2007-02-26). Billionaire's brawlers. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ Tello, Craig (2007-04-01). The 'mane' event. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Backlash 2007 results. Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b Rote, Andrew (2007-04-29). The Hardys survive. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b Starr, Noah (2007-04-29). Melina on top. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b Difino, Lennie (2007-04-29). Rabid resiliency. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ Mr. McMahon's first ECW Championship reign. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ Clayton, Corey (2007-05-20). 'By the book' couldn't beat the Hardys. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ McAvennie, Mike (2007-05-20). Third time's the golden charm for MVP. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ Montel Vontavious Porter's first United States Championship reign. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ a b Difino, Lennie (2007-05-07). Gold digging. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ Starr, Noah (2007-05-11). In with the new. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ Edge's first World Heavyweight Championship reign. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-05-20). The ecstasy... and then the agony. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
[edit] External links
| Royal Rumble • No Way Out • WrestleMania • Backlash • Judgment Day • One Night Stand • Night of Champions |
| The Great American Bash • SummerSlam • Unforgiven • No Mercy • Cyber Sunday • Survivor Series • Armageddon |
| Backlash |
|---|
| Backlash: In Your House • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 |
| Former pay-per-view events |
| The Wrestling Classic (1985) • This Tuesday in Texas (1991) • King of the Ring (1993-2002) |
| In Your House (1995-1999) • Bad Blood (1997, 2003-2004) • Fully Loaded (1998-2000) • Over The Edge (1998-1999) |
| InVasion (2001) • December to Dismember (2006) • New Year's Revolution (2005-2007) |
| Former International pay-per-view events |
| One Night Only (1997) • Mayhem in Manchester (1998) • Capital Carnage (1998) |
| No Mercy (UK) (1999) • Rebellion (1999-2002) • Insurrextion (2000-2003) |
