Backlash 2006: Cena, Edge, and Triple H Deliver While Raw Gets Lost in the Weirdness

Carlito and Masters make a useful opener out of a rivalry that is more about personality than stakes. Masters controls with strength and keeps returning to the Master Lock threat, while Carlito uses speed, springboards, and opportunistic counters to keep the crowd engaged. The match is not especially deep, but both wrestlers understand the value of a fast first ten minutes. Carlito's Back Cracker creates the cleanest near fall before the finish shifts back toward character. He traps Masters in a pin and uses the ropes for leverage while the referee misses it. That is an odd choice for a newly positioned babyface, but it fits Carlito's established willingness to take shortcuts. The crowd stays with them throughout.

The match exists to establish Umaga as a monster, and almost every decision serves that purpose. Flair throws chops, tries to create movement, and gets enough veteran sympathy to make the beating feel meaningful. Umaga absorbs the offense, cuts him off with power, and never looks seriously threatened. The Samoan Spike ends the match after only a few minutes. As a television squash transferred to pay-per-view, the structure is understandable because Umaga needs credible victories before moving into larger programs. The problem is that WrestleMania fallout has created a premium-card expectation the bout never attempts to meet. Flair's presence gives the win name value, but the wrestling is too short and one-sided to offer much beyond the push itself.

Mickie and Trish enter with one of Raw's strongest long-term stories, which makes the abrupt ending especially unfortunate. The opening exchanges continue the character tension from WrestleMania, with Mickie trying to control Trish physically and psychologically while the challenger fights with more urgency. The match changes completely when Trish is thrown from the turnbuckle and lands awkwardly on her right arm. The shoulder injury forces both wrestlers to improvise. Mickie eventually chokes Trish with a wristband and gets disqualified, preserving the championship because it cannot change hands on that finish. The performers deserve credit for reaching a safe conclusion, but the match never gets the chance to become the feud payoff it might have been.

Van Dam and Benjamin give the show its cleanest wrestling match by leaning into athleticism without turning the bout into an exhibition. Benjamin repeatedly catches Van Dam's kicks and aerial attacks, forcing RVD to improvise instead of simply running through signature offense. The sunset-flip powerbomb and springboard counters create genuine danger, while Van Dam's crowd connection makes every comeback louder than the last. The stipulation matters because both men have something concrete to lose. Benjamin can take the briefcase, while Van Dam can leave with the Intercontinental Championship. The final stretch stays decisive. Van Dam creates separation, reaches the top rope, lands the Five Star Frog Splash, and gets the pin. He leaves with both the title and the contract.

Big Show and Kane struggle before the angle even arrives. The pace is slow, the arm work produces almost no crowd response, and the size of both men makes several transitions look awkward rather than forceful. The match briefly wakes up when Show looks for the chokeslam, but even that sequence never develops into a convincing finish. Then the arena turns red and voices begin repeating the “May 19” message that has been haunting Kane. Big Show eventually grows frustrated, hits Kane with a chair, and walks away, leaving the match without a result. The supernatural presentation completely replaces competitive logic. What was already a poor heavyweight match becomes an extended television angle in a pay-per-view slot.

Michaels carries the physical side of an angle that is intentionally bigger and stranger than the wrestling. He bumps for both McMahons, dives from the stage, bleeds, and repeatedly creates the impression that revenge is one spectacular move away. Vince's insistence that Michaels is teaming with “God” supplies the comedy and religious parody, while the actual match is essentially a prolonged handicap fight. Michaels eventually puts both McMahons on tables and climbs the ladder, giving the crowd the payoff it expects. The Spirit Squad interrupt before he can jump, swarm Michaels, and drive him through a table with the Sky Lift. Vince takes the pin. The interference protects Michaels, but it also extends a feud that already feels exhausted.

Cena, Edge, and Triple H work with the urgency missing from most of the card. Edge initially tries to let the other two fight, only for Cena and Triple H to turn on him together. From there, the match keeps all three men active through ringside brawling, blood, chair shots, submissions, and constant attempts to steal the championship without slowing into repetitive one-on-one stretches. The crowd is sharply divided, which makes every Cena comeback louder and every Triple H near fall more dangerous. The finish is deliberately sudden. Triple H blocks the FU with a low blow and looks for the Pedigree, but Cena counters into a jackknife cover for three. Triple H's post-match sledgehammer attack and DX gesture add one final historical note.