WWE Backlash 2026 – Predictions
WrestleMania is barely in the review, and yet here we are just three weeks later heading into the next WWE Premium Live Event, Backlash. It’s an apropos title, when you consider the company has been receiving some as of late. Between high ticket prices, shows that are 60% ads, and a decline in booking quality, it’s safe to say many fans are becoming frustrated. That’s not even factoring in the never-ending Saudi situation and the company asking wrestlers to pay cuts while TKO continues to make money hand over fist. Still, if they nail this show and come out of it with fresh, intriguing stories, people will go back to overlooking all that other stuff.
Backlash officially kicks off a new calendar year in the world of professional wrestling, and thus, it kicks off year three of the Super Omega Talent Alone Wrestling Predictions Competition…of Awesomeness. The person writing this intro is none other than myself, Mike “The Wrasslin Genius” Regan, who reigned victorious in last year’s contest. Can I go back to back, or will Adam rain down some vengeance and reclaim the title? It’s time to start the year-long journey to find out.
WWE BACKLASH - PREDICTIONS
Danhausen & TBA vs The Miz & Kit Wilson
ADAM: This feels like a big return spot for a wrestler who has been held up with an injury for a while. I will say, I’m surprised by the Danhausen pop carrying as long as it has because well… he kind of has one beat. It won’t last forever but for now I’d be surprised if this was anything other than a short, early squash.
DANHAUSEN & TBA
MIKE: Anybody else see Danuhausen show up on SportsCenter this week?? That was a choice. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a little Danhausen, we all do. However, imagine the intent of putting him on ESPN was to help sell Backlash AKA ESPN Unlimited. Is he really the guy to do that? Anybody who knows who Danahausen is will already be watching the show, and people who don’t are just wondering when Papa Shango got so skinny and white. Either way, I would be surprised if he loses here, especially with the tease of the legendary wrestler TBA. Absolutely zero idea who it will be but, if they could get Damien Sandow back for one right to reprise his role as Mizdow, I would pop big for that. (What the hell was that sentence that I just typed? This is why I’m single.)
DANHAUSEN & TBA
WWE United State Championship:
Trick Williams(c) (w/Lil Yachty) vs Sami Zayn
MIKE: This Gingerbread man is channel-turning nonsense to the point that I could care less about a match involving such a top tier wrestler as Sami Zayn. It’s something that could only come out of either AI or Tripe H secretly calling his alleged POS father in law for booking ideas. At this point, I’m just hoping Trick is wins to put and end to it
TRICK WILLIAMS
ADAM: This match feels like such a holding pattern for the eventual Trick Williams/Carmello Hayes feud we’re waiting for. It’s beyond obvious that Williams retains and if he doesn’t, it’s WWE trying to just Swerve Bro. Lil Yachty seems like a good enough dude but going to WWE to chase the high of putting out one good album in 2023 ain’t it.
TRICK WILLIAMS
Iyo Sky vs Auska
ADAM: Iyo Sky, who has kind of turned into the forgotten top Woman, getting her revenge on Auska. Seems like an obvious storyline and also hasn’t inspired much. This match will be excellent and probably a bit short. Seems like you should have cut this one after giving Kari Sane her pink slip.
IYO SKY
MIKE: It definitely feels like there is a missing piece to this puzzle after the release of Kairi Sane. Fans have been vocal about wanting her back, but after the company caved last year with R-Truth, I don’t know if they want to set the precedent that any time the internet gets upset and a couple chants break out, they go back on their decisions to release talent. With that said,
F YOU NICK KHAN AND ARI EMANUEL AND MARK SHAPIRO!!
Bring back Kairi, even if for just this one night. Have her make the run in, accidentally cost Iyo Sky the match, and then Asuka beats the living hell out of her to send her out of the territory the way they would do it in the old days.
ASUKA
Seth Rollins vs Bron Breakker(w/Paul Heyman)
MIKE: This is somewhat a tough one to call. Reason being, that it makes sense for Rollins to get his revenge, but the Vision also feels flatter than a pancake right now, so they could use the win. I’m going to go against what is probably the conventional idea and say Rollins loses somehow. Maybe they have someone make a run in to introduce a new member of the Vision. After all, Survivor Series is only six months away, and WWE still shackles itself by having to book certain gimmick matches at the same show every year
BRON BREAKKER
ADAM: I think there is still a segment of the audience that thinks Breakker is a future world champion, and while he probably will be because, like Kofi got hot for 2 months and won the belt, it won’t be because he’s a top-tier guy. I know he’s coming back from injury, but I don’t think there is any gain to be made by stretching out this feud to Summerslam. Just put Rollins over, have Paul Heyman move on to being the mouthpiece for IShowSpeed or whatever, and let’s all move on with our lives.
SETH ROLLINS
MIKE: Brother, that man is a year away from a world title, and WWE is going to shove him down your throat like Joey Chestnut hammering glizzies on the 4th of July.
World Heavyweight Championship:
Roman Reigns (c) vs Jacob Fatu
ADAM: You know how they brought back Scrubs and went like, “Well, people loved Scrubs, so of course they’ll come back to watch this again.” But no one did because it feels like a soulless cash grab for a dying network TV industry after no one set up their DVR for “DMV”? Anyway, they just won’t give up on doing anything except the Bloodline.
ROMAN REIGNS
MIKE: Who the hell are fans supposed to get behind in this match? Despite what Cody and others tell you, wrestling is better when the crowd clearly wants one guy to win and the other to lose. It’s not about telling the crowd who to root for or to hate, it is about being good at your job at telling a story that gets the audience to that point without them realizing you even steered them that way. Instead, WWE just fuels the “this is awesome culture”, where the crowd doesn’t care about the outcome, instead all they want is to see a good match so they can chant things that have nothing to do with either wrestlers involved. This company has been incapable of creating a story about the high of victory and the agony of defeat since Cody toppled Roman to end the Bloodlines reign. Now we are doing a weak retread of the Bloodline not centered around the simple aspect of who’s the better man with the onus being set on who wins and who loses. All stories have to add in some meta semi shoot aspect that screams, “NONE OF THIS IS REAL YOU STUPID MARK”. It’s even more maddening when you consider that the man allegedly calling the creative shots, Triple H, considers himself a student of the game that holds an older school approach in high regard,
You can lie to yourself and say that there is some angle coming out of this match, Fatu turning heel etc. Unfortunately, let me give you a spoiler, you’re going to get a match where Fatu puts up a good fight, but eventually loses to reigns, coming up just short. After which, Fatu goes back to being an upper midcarder, and Roman takes the next month off because he doesn’t want to get in a plane that’s dodging air strikes en route to Saudi Arabia. If WWE wants to book a weak undercard, fine, I’ve watched all of mid 90’s WWF, but if they are going to book shit stories in their main event, for one of the biggest titles in their company, then i’m going to call them out.
ROMAN REIGNS
ADAM: As always, Talent Alone’s advice is just to watch mid-90’s WWF.
MIKE: You joke, but Mankind vs Shawn Michaels at In Your House Mind Games is a banger, and you know that. We watched it together. Shout out to the now defunct Number 2 Contenders Podcast.
5 Matches, 2 Disagreements, 1 Whole New Year of Wrestling Predictions.
Thank you for reading and keep an eye out as we will predict EVERY PPV AND PLE for the major brands this year and keep score all year long. Somehow Kalshi has odds on it.
