Backlash 2009: The Night WWE Delivered the WrestleMania Follow-Up It Needed

Christian and Swagger open with a strong title match built around the challenger solving Swagger's size and amateur-wrestling advantages. Swagger controls with takedowns, suplexes, and heavy offense, while Christian keeps finding counters rather than trying to overpower him. The exposed-turnbuckle story gives the finish a useful callback because both wrestlers attempt to use the missing pad. Swagger ultimately charges into the steel after Christian moves, and Christian immediately hits the Killswitch for the championship. The crowd reacts like the title change matters, which gives the opener an emotional lift beyond the mechanics. Swagger loses through his own attempted shortcut rather than being made weak, while Christian receives the satisfying first major championship win of his return. It is compact, coherent, and one of ECW's better pay-per-view title matches from this period.

Jericho and Steamboat turn what could have been a nostalgia exhibition into a legitimately good singles match. Steamboat moves with remarkable speed for someone returning to sustained singles competition after many years, hitting arm drags, chops, a plancha, and a diving crossbody that makes the crowd progressively louder. Jericho deserves equal credit for structuring the match around Steamboat's strengths rather than mocking his age. The veteran gets enough offense to feel dangerous without making Jericho look foolish. Jericho eventually counters the diving crossbody with a Codebreaker and follows by forcing Steamboat to submit to the Walls of Jericho. The standing ovation afterward is completely earned. The match is not technically complex, but its pacing, crowd connection, and Steamboat's performance make it one of the most pleasant surprises on the entire card.

Kane and Punk wrestle a competent but oddly placed match that never develops enough urgency for a pay-per-view. Punk attacks the arm and uses kicks to prevent Kane from establishing the chokeslam, giving the bout a sensible tactical idea. Kane answers through size and repeatedly cuts off Punk's faster offense, but the middle section remains slow and the crowd never receives a strong reason to believe the Money in the Bank holder is in real danger beyond ordinary power spots. Punk's comeback produces several sharp kicks, yet Kane catches him and finishes with a leg-trap chokeslam. The execution is fine; the booking is harder to understand because Punk has recently won Money in the Bank and gains little from a clean loss. The match functions as a television-quality bridge between stronger attractions rather than a meaningful chapter in either man's year.

The Hardy brothers improve substantially on their WrestleMania match because the I Quit stipulation gives their rivalry a clearer emotional goal. Matt spends long stretches trying to force Jeff to surrender through submissions and punishment, while Jeff's offense becomes increasingly reckless as he refuses to give his brother the satisfaction. The final sequence uses their family history effectively. Jeff ties Matt to a table and climbs a ladder, prompting Matt to invoke their father and late mother while begging Jeff not to jump. Matt finally says he quits, ending the match before Jeff delivers the leap anyway and crashes through him. The finish makes Jeff's revenge feel complete without relying on a conventional pinfall. Nineteen minutes occasionally drag, but the personal stakes remain visible throughout, and the result gives the feud the catharsis WrestleMania lacked.

The six-man WWE Championship match is stronger than its convoluted stipulation suggests. Legacy isolate each opponent in turn, forcing the babyface team to manage the constant danger that any pin, submission, count-out, or disqualification will cost Triple H the title. Batista's hot tag supplies the largest burst of energy, while Triple H stopping Batista from using a chair makes the championship rules part of the match instead of background exposition. The late sequence is effective. Orton hits an RKO, Triple H survives, and a false bell distracts the referee long enough for Orton to land the punt and pin the champion. The title change gives Orton the decisive WrestleMania-season moment he lacked in Houston. Still, winning a singles championship through a six-man tag remains an unnecessarily indirect payoff to such a personal rivalry.

Cena and Edge close Backlash with a superb Last Man Standing match that feels like the culmination of years of rivalry. They begin with a heavy in-ring fight, then expand naturally to the steps, announce area, crowd, concourse, and stage without making the movement feel like sightseeing. Every major spot is built around the ten count, so the stipulation remains central rather than decorative. Cena's Attitude Adjustment from the announce table into the crowd creates one of the best survival teases, while Edge's Spear and repeated counters keep the champion vulnerable. The final interference is spectacular even if it prevents a fully clean conclusion. Big Show appears on the stage and chokeslams Cena through a spotlight structure, leaving him unable to answer ten. Edge regains the championship, and the explosive visual provides Backlash with a memorable final image.