Backlash needed to set the tone for WWE following WrestleMania. How’d it go?
WWE’s first premium live event of its new year took place Saturday, May 9 with Backlash 2026, and it was necessary to put on a successful show after the up-and-down reviews of WrestleMania 42. Consider the job done, as the night had some great matches put on, from Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins starting the event to it ending with the title match between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu.
The five matches were solid. Which ones were the best?
Here are the USA TODAY Sports match rankings and grades for Backlash 2026:
1. Iyo Sky vs. Asuka
There was no way these two would let their match be anything less than spectacular. Two of the best at their game seemingly had the freedom to do whatever they wanted. They let their emotions into it and you could tell how much this meant to them. They each got to display their art in beautiful fashion. Of course, everyone wishes Kairi Sane was part of this, but when you consider this match by itself, it was another classic by Sky and Asuka, and if this is the end of their time together in WWE, they went out with a bang.
Grade: A
2. Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
What a way to set the bar right out of the gate. Rollins and Breakker both put everything on the table and the pace was high from beginning to end. There was one minor botch that kept it from being a perfectly run match, but credit to both for thinking on the fly to make it less awkward. Minimal interference didn’t taint the result, and the ending sequence was executed to a tee, a beautiful bow on an excellent match.
Grade: A
3. World Heavyweight Championship match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
Reigns has been on a heater recently, and he continued to deliver while Fatu again displayed his insane level of talent to match his intensity. The energy was great from start to end, and credit Reigns for making sure to prop up Fatu to keep his allure up. The only ding would be it featured some of the same moves being consistently used, but they didn’t get boring.
Grade: A-
4. United States Championship match: Trick Williams (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Rematches always need to elevate the feud, not dampen it. This one did have a rather funky start and took some time to really get going. Williams and Zayn played heavily on the crowd reactions, and both stars got pretty desperate in wanting to win, whether it was the challenger getting dirty, or Lil’ Yachty not letting his friend lose the title. This one was better than the first match at WrestleMania, but not by a large amount.
Grade: B
5. Danhausen and Minihausen vs. The Miz and Kit Wilson
This one was a friendly reminder that not all wrestling needs to be that serious. It was pure comedy all the way, and it paid off to dive fully into the shenanigans. For as ridiculous as it was, there was some good wrestling here, with Minihausen stealing the show and Danhausen reminding people he’s not all just comedy work. This was far from an amazing wrestling match, but at least you can say you were entertained.
Grade: C+
Backlash 2026 overall grade
Backlash did a great job of keeping the interest going as we roll into summer. Most of the matches were great, and it’s noticeable how WWE will give more time to them when there aren’t as many on the card, which is a frustrating aspect fans are dealing with. It shows how much it helps when you let matches develop instead of feeling rushed. While it was a successful night, it’s tough to say if these are matches that you’ll remember by the end of the year. Don’t let that take away from what was a great start to the next year of wresting.
Grade: B+
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WWE Backlash 2026 match rankings, grades for all five fights