{"id":216272,"date":"2026-05-09T17:11:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T22:11:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=216272"},"modified":"2026-05-09T20:35:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T01:35:40","slug":"wwe-backlash-results-5-9-kellers-report-on-reigns-vs-jacob-fatu-seth-rollins-vs-bron-breakker-iyo-vs-asuka-trick-vs-sami-danhausen-mystery-partner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/05\/09\/wwe-backlash-results-5-9-kellers-report-on-reigns-vs-jacob-fatu-seth-rollins-vs-bron-breakker-iyo-vs-asuka-trick-vs-sami-danhausen-mystery-partner\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE BACKLASH RESULTS (5\/9): Keller&#8217;s report on Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu, Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker, Iyo vs. Asuka, Trick vs. Sami, Danhausen mystery partner"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1917797609\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>WWE BACKLASH PLE<br \/>\nMAY 9, 2026<br \/>\nTAMPA, FLA. AT BENCHMARK ARENA<br \/>\nSTREAMED LIVE ON ESPN+ IN THE U.S. &amp; NETFLIX INTERNATIONALLY<\/h3>\n<p><em>Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">PWTorch\u2019s Kelly Wells and Chris Lansdell review WWE Backlash LIVE on YouTube about an hour after the event ends. We\u2019ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!<\/p>\n<p>If you can\u2019t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching \u201cwade keller\u201d and \u201cpwtorch\u201d in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps. This show will be dropped in podcast format on the PWTorch Dailycast feed.<\/p>\n<h3>VIDEO CALLER CODE: <a href=\"https:\/\/streamyard.com\/c3iq52p3yk\">CLICK HERE<\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>LINK TO BE A CALLER: <\/strong>https:\/\/streamyard.com\/c3iq52p3yk<\/h3>\n<p><em>Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as \u201clive video caller\u201d (or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine).<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>OPEN TO EVERYONE \u2013 LINK TO WATCH LIVE RIGHT AFTER WWE BACKLASH SATURDAY TONIGHT: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/RGv06hOhNpA?si=xyTb8xU2GWonTbWd\">CLICK HERE<\/a><\/h3>\n<h2>IMPORTANT NOTE &#8211; SPECIAL START TIME: 10 ET \/ 9 CT \/ 7 PT<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PWTorch YouTube LIVE Post-show (5\/9) - WWE Backlash w\/Wells &amp; Lansdell\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RGv06hOhNpA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>[HOUR ONE \u2013 SIMULCAST ON ESPN2]<\/h3>\n<p>-They showed wrestlers arriving at the arena.<\/p>\n<p>-A Backlash preview video aired.<\/p>\n<p>-Michael Cole introduced the show as they showed the crowd in the arena. Cole announced a sellout crowd of over 15,000.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2315315614\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>(1) SETH ROLLINS vs. BRON BREAKKER (w\/Paul Heyman)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Seth Rollins made his ring entrance. They cut to Cole and Wade Barrett at ringside. Cole said Seth is trying to stop the ascension of Breakker. Barrett said that&#8217;s the theme of the night, with &#8220;young stars trying to take down some of the pillars of WWE for the last ten-plus years.&#8221; (That was the theme my cover story in <a href=\"https:\/\/vip.pwtorch.com\/2026\/05\/06\/vip-newsletter-pro-wrestling-torch-1968-may-6-2026-kellers-cover-story-on-impending-changes-in-main-event-scene-in-wwe-parks-on-wwe-roster-cuts-newswire-more\/\">this week&#8217;s Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorchvipinfo.com\/\">VIP member exclusive<\/a>), noting that WWE could be on the verge of shifting away from the latest generation of aging and expensive stars to a new generation, so it&#8217;s interesting to see WWE play that up as a theme of this event.) Breakker then made his entrance. Cole said Seth needs to end it early as the longer it goes, it favors Breakker. (I&#8217;d have thought they&#8217;d say the opposite since Breakker runs so hot but Seth is an experienced veteran with a history of longer matches.) The bell rang 6 minutes into the hour.<\/p>\n<p>Breakker charged at Seth as soon as the bell rang. Seth leapfrogged him and kicked him to the floor. He hten dove through the ropes and tackled Breakker. He threw him into the ring and clotheslined him over the top rope to the other side of the ring. He dove over the top rope at Breakker again, then punched away at him near the announce desk. Breakker fought back at ringside and threw Seth into the crowd. Cole noted his interview with Seth on the countdown show where Seth talked about how, as he nears age 40, he doesn&#8217;t know how much he has left.<\/p>\n<p>Breakker settled into several minutes of offense and eventually grounded Seth with a chinlock. Breakker ran the ropes and knocked Seth down and scored a two count. Barrett talked about how top stars can slow the momentum of younger stars they feel threatened by. When Breakker complained to the ref about a two count, Seth slapped him from his back. Breakker smiled and went back on the attack. Breakker took Seth off the top turnbuckle with a Frankensteiner for a near fall.<\/p>\n<p>When Breakker charged toward Seth at ringside at 11:00, Seth kicked him. Back in the ring, Seth stayed on the attack until a Breaker comeback where he pressed Seth and dropped him onto his knees. Seth blocked a spear with a kick to the chest. They had a miscommunication mid-ring that led to Seth awkwardly tumbling to the mat. Barrett said Seth&#8217;s body gave out on him half way through that move, perhaps a sign of Seth fatigue. Cole said Seth having just one match in the last seven months means his stamina isn&#8217;t built up yet.<\/p>\n<p>Breakker mounted Seth in a corner and punched away at him. Seth powerbombed Breakker out of the corner and into the opposite corner with a bucklebomb. Breakker exploded out of the corner with a Steinerline. Both were down and slow to get up. Fans chanted, &#8220;This is awesome!&#8221; Cole asked whether they were watching the rise of Breakker or would Seth stay on top. Breakker rammed Seth into the announce desk. Breakker leaped off the ring apron and clotheslined Seth over the announce desk. They cut to Heyman who smiled at Breakker&#8217;s work.<\/p>\n<p>Breakker climbed to the top rope. Seth caught him up there and landed a superplex. Breakker popped up and landed a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. &#8220;Holy hell!&#8221; exclaimed Cole. Seth landed on his feet on a Frankensteiner and got fired up. Breakker looked up at him wide-eyed. Seth then landed two superkicks, but Breakker caught the third. Seth gave Breakker a sloppy Pedigree and then a stomp. Heyman fretted and leaped onto the ring apron. The ref turned to Heyman. Seth stared up at Heyman.<\/p>\n<p>Seth laughed, rolled to ringside, and then reached under the ring and pulled out a chair. He jabbed Austin Theory and Logan Paul as they ran out to try to take out Seth. He bashed Logan on the back with the chair and then stomped Theory. When Seth returned to the ring, Breakker had recovered enough to spear Seth for a dramatic, convincing near fall. (Glad it wasn&#8217;t, as that would have been a lame finish proving nothing given the context.) Breakker went for a spear, but Seth countered into a Pedigree. he followed with a leap off the top rope, presumably a stomp, but Breakker speared him out of mid-air. He followed by running the ropes and hitting the torpedo spear for the win.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4124506467\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>WINNER: Breakker in 22:00.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller&#8217;s Analysis: Really good match, along the lines of what you&#8217;d expect on the higher end out of these two, although a spot here and there didn&#8217;t go smoothly. Breakker&#8217;s win is tainted, but at least he hit a few moves after Heyman, Theory, and Logan got involved first. It&#8217;s interesting to hear WWE really lean into the theme of being at a period of WWE history where the influx of newer stars in their 20s or early 30s are looking to take top spots from wrestlers approaching 40 or in their 40s. We&#8217;ll see if they keep that theme going deeper into the show and in coming weeks, or it was something pretty exclusive to this match.) [c]<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(2) SAMI ZAYN vs. TRICK WILLIAMS &#8211; U.S. Title match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As Sami came out, Cole said he is a grizzled, bitter, and angry veteran due to the goal of becoming a World Champion has eluded him and he said many believe that pressure is getting to him. He said many of the fans who Sami considers his &#8220;ride or die&#8221; fans have &#8220;moved on.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Before he made his entrance, Cathy Kelley interviewed Trick Williams with Little Yachty backstage. He said he is the puppet master now and it&#8217;s his world, so the games are over and he&#8217;s going to see that. He them made his entrance to a loud ovation. Cole said Trick wants to prove what happened in Las Vegas last month wasn&#8217;t a fluke. Sami took a swing at Trick before the bell. The backed him away and Yachty bailed out to ringside. Barrett said Sami has been rattled since Trick&#8217;s arrival. The bell rang 42 minutes into the hour.<\/p>\n<p>Cole said Sami has been stubborn to change the way he does things and the business is evolving. Sami made a comeback at ringside after some early Trick offense. He backed away Yachty and then returned to the ring and punched away at Trick.<\/p>\n<p>Trick made a comeback at 4:00 and landed a boot to the face. Trick waited for Sami to stand and then charged. Sami side-stepped a Trick Kick. Trick blocked a Blue Thunder Bomb and then landed a Book End for a near fall. Sami blocked a Trick move in the corner and landed a sunset bomb for a near fall. Sami played to the crowd, who booed. Cole pointed that out, saying there weren&#8217;t many &#8220;ride of die&#8221; fans tonight. Trick caught a charging Sami with a boot, but Sami ducked his Cyclone Boot and then landed a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Fans chanted, &#8220;Whoop that Trick!&#8221; Sami leapfrogged Trick and clutched his knee in pain and collapsed. The ref checked on him. Trick moved in, so Sami small packaged him for a two count. Yachty lectured the referee on Sami&#8217;s tactics. Sami bashed Trick with a kendo stick for a near fall. (This too closely resembled the sequence in the previous match with Heyman distracting the ref in the same place leading to a near fall.)<\/p>\n<p>Sami put his hands on his hips and moved toward Trick. He stomped on him. Fans booed. A &#8220;Yachty!&#8221; chant broke out. Yachty hit Sami with a kendo stick as Sami was setting up a Helluva Kick. Trick then managed a Cyclone Boot for a believable near fall. Both were slow to get up. When Sami went after Trick at ringside, Yachty got too close to Sami pushed him away and battered him with forearms and then the kendo stick. Trick recovered and clotheslined Sami into the ringside steps. He then set up a Book End on the steps. Sami blocked it and landed a DDT. Sami rolled Trick into the ring, but then eyed Yachty who had his back turned at ringside. Sami gave him a Helluva kick. He followed with a Helluva Kick attempt in the ring, but Trick avoided it and hit a Trick Shot for the win.<\/p>\n<p>Cole said Trick proved WrestleMania&#8217;s win was no fluke. Yachty threw cash in the air as Trick celebrated.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Trick in 13:00 to retain the U.S. Title.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller&#8217;s Analysis: Well-executed match, but it hit some of the similar framework beats as the opener. The story of Sami&#8217;s frustration was well told and matched the way the match played out.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Cole and Barrett signed off on the ESPN2 simulcast as he hyped what was still to come. [c]<\/p>\n<h3>[HOUR TWO &#8211; ESPN UNLIMITED]<\/h3>\n<p><strong>(3) THE MIZ &amp; KIT WILSON vs. DANHAUSEN &amp; MINIHAUSEN<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kit Wilson and The Miz made their entrance. They aired a video package on the history that led to this match with an old pulp horror movie vibe.Miz&#8217;s t-shirt said, &#8220;Not cursed.&#8221; Wilson&#8217;s t-shirt said, &#8220;Not toxic.&#8221; Danhausen then made his entrance on his special vehicle. He then pointed at his cloning machine crate and out came a mini version of Danhausen. (There go people&#8217;s dreams of a Punkhausen or an Eltonhausen or a Boogiehausen.) Danhausen drove Littlehausen around ringside in his vehicle. Barrett said this was making a mockery of the Hall of Fame career of Miz and &#8220;the future Hall of Fame career&#8221; of Kit Wilson. Cole talked about Danhausen cursing ESPN hosts during the week.<\/p>\n<p>The bell rang 11 minutes into the hour. Kit smiled and kicked Minihausen in the head. Cole criticized Barrett for calling Minihausen a &#8220;thing.&#8221; Barrett asked if it&#8217;s a child, because that would get WWE in trouble. Mini drove Kit&#8217;s head into the head with a leg scissors. Miz tagged in and Mini took Miz down with a head scissors. Mini walked the top rope Undertaker-style and leaped onto Kit&#8217;s shoulders and then set him to ringside with a leg scissors. He climbed onto Danhausen&#8217;s shoulders and then launched onto Miz and Kit with a body press. Miz hit Mini with a cheapshot from ringside as Kit distracted the ref.<\/p>\n<p>Miz pressed and slammed Mini and then flexed. Cole said Mini is roughly 60 pounds. Miz tagged out to Kit who scored a couple of sequential two counts. He then applied a chinlock in frustration. Mini leaped off the top rope with a moonsault press to take Kit down.<\/p>\n<p>Mini leaped and hot-tagged in Danhausen at 5:00. He went after Kit and Miz with clotheslines in opposite corners. He acted tired, but then fired up. He gave Kit a released German suplex. Miz tried to slam Danhausen, but Miz gave him a tornado DDT. Barrett said losing here would be the biggest humiliation of the careers of Miz and Kit if they were to lose.<\/p>\n<p>Mini knocked Miz off the second rope and then head scissored Kit to the floor. Mini dove onto Kit and Miz at ringside. Kit beat up Mini at ringside and then threw him back into the &#8220;cloning machine.&#8221; It began smoking and flashing lights. Cole said, &#8220;It&#8217;s restarted.&#8221; Barrett said, &#8220;Hopefully it blows up.&#8221; The door fell open and six more Minihausens ran out and chased Kit to the ring. Minihausen then gave Kit an airplane spin. Miz came up behind Mini and delivered a Skull Crushing Finale for a near fall.<\/p>\n<p>Danhausen tagged in and went after Miz. Miz slapped Danhausen. Danhausen took Miz down with a Thesz Press. Miz clotheslined Danhausen over the top rope. Miz tried to spray the clones with a fire extinguisher, but it malfunctioned and then he sprayed himself. Mini leaped off the top rope onto Kit at ringside as Danhausen landed a pump kick for the win. Cole said a buddy just texted him and said, &#8220;This is wrestling!&#8221; (He missed the nine question marks and frowning face that followed.) Barrett asked, &#8220;What happened to the industry I loved so much?!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As Danhausen and his clones celebrated, the lights went out. When they came back on, they were all still there and Hanhausen directed them to scatter.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Danhausen &amp; Minihausen in 12:00.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller&#8217;s Analysis: There were some cute moments in there if you&#8217;re into this story. I think it went on too long, though, even if this is your thing. Everyone played their parks well enough.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-An announcement aired for TripleMania on Sept. 11 and 13, the first-ever two day version of it. The Sept. 1 date will be in Mexico City while the Sept. 11 event is at a location to be announced &#8220;soon.&#8221; [c]<\/p>\n<p><strong>(4) IYO SKY vs. ASUKA<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Barrett said Sky has been hurt by the breakdown in the relationship with Asuka, while Asuka looked relaxed. The bell rang 35 minutes into the second hour. Fans chanted, &#8220;We want Kairi!&#8221; in the opening minute. Asuka got in early offense. Sky made a comeback a few minutes in, but Asuka knocked her off balance and sent her into the ringpost. Asuka took it to Sky at ringside.<\/p>\n<p>Asuka threw kicks to Sky&#8217;s chest at 6:00. Sky made a comeback and stomped on Asuka&#8217;s chest. Both were down and slow to get up. They went to a wide shot of the crowd as Cole again touted a crowd of over 15,000. Sky yanked Asuka&#8217;s arm over the top rope. She then leaped off the top rope and landed a missile dropkick. She handspringed to her feet and smiled and played to cheering fans. She charged at Asuka in the corner with double-knees for a two count. Barrett questioned Kairi&#8217;s pause afterward. Asuka made a comeback and scored a near fall on a leverage cover.<\/p>\n<p>Asuka eventually applied an Asuka Lock at 10:00. Sky back elbowed herself free, but Asuka applied an extended armbar on the mat. Sky leveraged Asuka into an Asukalock of her own. Asuka reached the bottom rope to force a break. She scored a near fall. She followed with a hip attack, but Sky moved and then knocked Asuka to ringside. Sky held her right arm in pain and then leaped through the ropes. Asuka recovered and hit her mid-air and then threw her onto the announce desk. Asuka brought Sky onto the announce desk. She blew mist, but Sky held up Barrett notepad to block it. Sky smiled as the ref told them to bring it back to the ring. Sky swept Asuka off her feet and then leaped onto her at ringside with a crossbody. Sky springboarded toward Asuka at ringside, but barely grazed her. The commentators just ignored the move since it didn&#8217;t do anything, but Asuka bumped anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Back in the ring, Asuka avoided a top rope moonsault by Sky and shifted into an Asukalock. Sky flailed her arm in a way that looked like a tapout. Sky faded but then she leveraged Asuka&#8217;s shoulders down, forcing a break. Fans chanted, &#8220;This is awesome!&#8221; Sky then went on a flurry of offense and landed a Over the Moonsault for the win. &#8220;Iyo Sky slays her demon,&#8221; Cole said, sounding like he was reciting a planned line.<\/p>\n<p>Asuka stood afterward and cried and then hugged Sky. Sky hugged her back. Asuka kissed Sky on the cheek and blew her kisses.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Sky in 18:00.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller&#8217;s Analysis: I get the story they were telling that Sky earned Asuka respect as an equal, but the crowd didn&#8217;t really know how to take it since Asuka&#8217;s been such a jerk for so long to Sky and Sky seemed too willing to just forgive everything because Asuka softened her previous nasty, domineering disposition toward her for months.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-They showed four memvers of the Tampa Bay Lighting, who apparently don&#8217;t have individual names. They showed Dan Spivey and Steve Keirn at ringside. Cole noted Keirn trained Barrett.<\/p>\n<p>-Cole plugged a UFC fight.<\/p>\n<p>-John Cena was introduced as &#8220;the greatest of all time.&#8221; He made his entrance for a huge, life-changing announcement for fans and the industry. Cena talked to cameraman Stu at ringside. He smiled and said this is so cool. He said it&#8217;s nice to get cheered while knowing nobody is coming to the ring to kick his teeth in. Fans chanted, &#8220;Cena! Cena!&#8221; He said, &#8220;A sold out house with gratitude and energy.&#8221; He said now that he&#8217;s done wrestling, he&#8217;s wondered what the next phase of his career is going to be. Fans chanted, &#8220;One more match!&#8221; He said, &#8220;You don&#8217;t know how good that makes me feel.&#8221; He said he thinks a lot about that last evening.<\/p>\n<p>He said some people were upset, but he was happy. He said what was most important about that night was they all made it something bigger. He said it was an evening of opportunity. He said whoever he faced had to earn their spot. He said that night was about NXT stars getting to perform in front of a crowd &#8220;like this&#8221; to show what they&#8217;ve got. He said they saw Sol Ruca, Je&#8217;Von Evans, and Oba Femi. He said Oba debuted in December, and then four months later he was strutting and kicking Brock Lesnar&#8217;s ass at WrestleMania. He said he thought they needed to do that again, so they are. He announced, &#8220;The John Cena Classic.&#8221; He said it&#8217;ll be the best of today against the best of tomorrow where WWE Superstars and NXT Superstars give all they have in hopes of being crowned a champion.<\/p>\n<p>He said they have a brand new event and a brand new championship in WWE. He said he is personally putting his name on the event, so he will strive for a certain level of excellence and he will work to make it special. He said the biggest Superstar in WWE is the WWE Universe. He said on top of the new event and new championship, for the first time in history, the voice of the fans will be heard louder than ever. He said fans will vote to crown the champion of the John Cena Classic.<\/p>\n<p>He said every participant qualifies, so for the first time in history, a Superstar might not win a match, but their hustle might win their heart and fans can crown them the John Cena Classic Champion. He said it&#8217;s a single event that embodies everything he stands for. He promised to give fans everything he has to give them an experience for years to come. He said Tampa is special to them and he thanked them for their energy and noise.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller&#8217;s Analysis: It&#8217;s so John Cena to have a championship named after him be determined by whether fans were entertained rather than winning a simulated fight. Beyond that, I&#8217;ll wait to see how it&#8217;s presented before being too high or low on the idea, as it could go in wildly different directions depending on how it&#8217;s presented. The idea that wrestlers will be out to entertain fans more than convey trying to win a match is just weird, though. This continues to play into the emerging theme that WWE realizes their top stars of recent years are high on mileage &#8211; and expensive &#8211; and a shift is on storyline-wise in canon to really emphasize a younger generation striving to &#8220;take their spots.&#8221;)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Cole and Barrett swigged root beer at ringside from a sponsor with a mascot standing behind them. [c]<\/p>\n<p><strong>(5) ROMAN REIGNS vs. JACOB FATU &#8211; World Heavyweight Title match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fatu got a somewhat salty, minimal response during formal ring introductions. Then Reigns got kinda cheered, followed by the communal &#8220;OTC!&#8221; chant which also wasn&#8217;t all that intense or sustained. The bell rang 26 minutes into the hour. Fans sang &#8220;Roman, Roman Reigns!&#8221; in the opening minute.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller&#8217;s Analysis: I really do think WWE fans, whether they realize it or not, are really craving wrestlers they like not being in storylines that make them question why they should like them, and then matching them in storylines against wrestlers framed in a way that motivates them to boo them and cheer their opponent. The communal chants are a distant secondary experience to being emotionally invested in an outcome, and WWE fandom is just becoming a series of communal chants and songs instead of that immersive sports-like experience rooting for the &#8220;home team&#8221; to win.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Fatu locked on a side headlock a minute in. Fatu applied a Tongan Death Grip early at ringside and shoved Reigns into the ringpost. Fatu headbutted Reigns in the ring. Reigns fired back with an uppercut. Cole wondered if Fatu would acknowledge The Tribal Chief if Reigns won. Barrett said he didn&#8217;t see it happening. Fatu eventually landed a hip attack in the corner. Reigns came back with a Superman Punch for a near fall at 8:00.<\/p>\n<p>Reigns then hit a spear for a near fall that popped the crowd. The communal &#8220;This is awesome!&#8221; chant predictably broke out next, but also faded a few seconds later and was replaced by an &#8220;OTC!&#8221; chant as he struggled to get to his feet. Fans let out a yell with Reigns, but Fatu blocked his spear and landed a quick pop-up Samoan Drop. He landed a Mighty Moonsault for a dramatic near fall. &#8220;You have to be kidding me!&#8221; said Cole (in the expected spot where he&#8217;s overselling the notion that it felt like an inevitability that would end the match even those WWE lore indicates the chances were actually quite low at that stage of the match.)<\/p>\n<p>Fatu did a heelish crotch chop toward fans and then went for a Swanton. Reigns lifted his knees. Barrett said Fatu got distracted by fans yelling at him. Cole said that was the second time Fatu got preoccupied with the crowd. The &#8220;OTC!&#8221; chants broke out again. Fatu and Reigns stared at each other on the mat and exchanged strikes as they worked their way to their feet. Fatu landed a running corner hip attack. He then signaled for the Tongan Death Grip.<\/p>\n<p>As Reigns stood, Fatu locked it on. Reigns thumbed Fatu&#8217;s eyes and shoved him into the corner to break the hold. Reigns hit Superman Punches. Reigns charged, but Fatu kicked him. Reigns then avoied a pop-up Samoan Drop with a Superman Punch and a spear for a near fall at 16:00. A &#8220;Ref, you suck!&#8221; chant broke out. (If the Lighting players were still at ringside watching, they likely got a kick out of that.) Fatu applied the Tongan Death Grip. Reigns flailed his arms and nearly hit the ref, then yanked off a top turnbuckle pad. He shoved Fatu&#8217;s head into the exposed turnbuckle and hit a spear for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Reigns in 17:00 to retain the World Heavyweight Title.<\/p>\n<p>-Afterward, Barrett asked who looked like the loser there since Fatu was on his feet and Reigns was on his back. Fatu attacked Reigns and strangled him briefy as the ref protested. Fatu then gave the ref a pop-up Samoan Drop. Of course, fans wanted to cheer that. Producers ran out to try to get Fatu to stop his attack. He tossed G.M. Adam Pearce to the floor. Cole said he was unhinged and &#8220;a devil has been awakened tonight.&#8221; Fatu loooked at the camera and said, &#8220;I told him! I told him! I told him!&#8221; Cole said, &#8220;This is the Jacob Fatu we were all warned about.&#8221; He said he was pushed to this tonight. Cole said this is the version of Fatu they wanted to keep far away from his family. Fatu began to leave, but then returned and stood over Reigns, holding the belt over his head.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller&#8217;s Analysis: Good match and, even accounting for communal chants throughout, the fans saw this match as a high stakes big deal. No Usos, no involvement of Solo and his crew. This heel turn by Fatu gives them that post-Backlash clarity that the build necessarily couldn&#8217;t have in order to tell this story of Fatu being frustrated by coming up short in his quest to improve life for his family. Does WWE&#8217;s culture of presentation consistently, though, shame wrestlers who take the approach Fatu took or will this be seen as giving him back an edge that he had lost?)<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">PWTorch\u2019s Kelly Wells and Chris Lansdell review WWE Backlash LIVE on YouTube about an hour after the event ends. We\u2019ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!<\/p>\n<p>If you can\u2019t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching \u201cwade keller\u201d and \u201cpwtorch\u201d in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps. This show will be dropped in podcast format on the PWTorch Dailycast feed.<\/p>\n<h3>VIDEO CALLER CODE: <a href=\"https:\/\/streamyard.com\/c3iq52p3yk\">CLICK HERE<\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>LINK TO BE A CALLER: <\/strong>https:\/\/streamyard.com\/c3iq52p3yk<\/h3>\n<p><em>Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as \u201clive video caller\u201d (or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine).<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>OPEN TO EVERYONE \u2013 LINK TO WATCH LIVE RIGHT AFTER WWE BACKLASH SATURDAY TONIGHT: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/RGv06hOhNpA?si=xyTb8xU2GWonTbWd\">CLICK HERE<\/a><\/h3>\n<h2>IMPORTANT NOTE &#8211; SPECIAL START TIME: 10 ET \/ 9 CT \/ 7 PT<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PWTorch YouTube LIVE Post-show (5\/9) - WWE Backlash w\/Wells &amp; Lansdell\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RGv06hOhNpA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1227261692\"><div id=\"pwtor-1035869702\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>WWE BACKLASH PLE MAY 9, 2026 TAMPA, FLA. AT BENCHMARK ARENA STREAMED LIVE ON ESPN+ IN THE U.S. &amp; NETFLIX INTERNATIONALLY Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/05\/09\/wwe-backlash-results-5-9-kellers-report-on-reigns-vs-jacob-fatu-seth-rollins-vs-bron-breakker-iyo-vs-asuka-trick-vs-sami-danhausen-mystery-partner\/\" title=\"WWE BACKLASH RESULTS (5\/9): Keller&#8217;s report on Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu, Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker, Iyo vs. Asuka, Trick vs. Sami, Danhausen mystery partner\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":216273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-216272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-09-at-4.56.36-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216272"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":216295,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216272\/revisions\/216295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}