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The 2016 Backlash was the 12th
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
and
livestreaming Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...
produced by
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
brand division. The event took place on September 11, 2016, at the
Richmond Coliseum Richmond Coliseum is a defunct arena located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, with a capacity of 13,500 that was most often used for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and the region is looking to replace the aging facility with a la ...
in
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. It was the first Backlash held since the 2009 event, subsequently making it the first to air on WWE's online streaming service, the
WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American entertainment company WWE. It primarily distributes original professional wrestling events, films, television and ...
, which launched in 2014, and it was the only Backlash to be held in September. Following the reintroduction of the brand extension in July 2016, Backlash was the first brand-exclusive PPV of the second brand split and was the first brand-exclusive PPV held since No Way Out in 2007. Unlike previous editions of Backlash, the 2016 event was not held after
WrestleMania WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...
; it was instead held after that year's
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
. Seven professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card, and an additional one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event,
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
defeated
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wres ...
to win the
WWE World Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown's ...
, making him the first wrestler since
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
to hold world championships in WWE,
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
(now Impact Wrestling), and
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
. The event also determined the inaugural champions for SmackDown's
women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
and
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
divisions, which were won by
Becky Lynch Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987) is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE under the ring name Becky Lynch where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand. Lynch is one of WWE's most recognizable and ...
and the team of
Heath Slater and Rhyno Heath and Rhino are an American professional wrestling tag team currently signed to Impact Wrestling where they are former one-time Impact World Tag Team Champions. As a team, they are best known for their time in WWE, where they originally ...
, respectively. Unlike a large majority of WWE pay-per-view events, the 2016 Backlash did not see a DVD or Blu Ray release.


Production


Background

Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...
is a
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
(PPV) event that was established by
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
in 1999. It was held annually from 1999 to 2009, however, in 2010, Backlash was discontinued and replaced by Extreme Rules—in April 2011, the promotion ceased going by its full name of World Wrestling Entertainment, with "WWE" becoming an
orphaned initialism An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
. In August 2011, WWE ended the first
brand extension Brand extension or brand stretching is a marketing strategy in which a firm marketing a product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name in a different product category. The new product is called a spin-off. Organizations use this ...
, but in mid-2016, the brand split was revived and the roster was again divided between the
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
and
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
brands where the wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform. WWE also brought back brand-exclusive PPVs, and due to the need for more PPV events, Backlash was reinstated to be held exclusively for the SmackDown brand. As a result, it was WWE's first brand-exclusive PPV of the second brand split and was the 12th event in the Backlash chronology. The original concept of the pay-per-view was based around the backlash from WWE's flagship event,
WrestleMania WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...
. The 2016 Backlash, however, was scheduled to be held on September 11, 2016, at the
Richmond Coliseum Richmond Coliseum is a defunct arena located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, with a capacity of 13,500 that was most often used for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and the region is looking to replace the aging facility with a la ...
in
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, thus ending its previous tradition of being the post-WrestleMania PPV. The event was instead held after
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
that year. It was the first and so far only Backlash to be held in September. In addition to traditional PPV, the event also aired on the
WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American entertainment company WWE. It primarily distributes original professional wrestling events, films, television and ...
, which is WWE's online streaming service that launched in February 2014.


Storylines

The card included eight matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed
villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
,
heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches, with results predetermined by WWE's writers on the SmackDown brand. Storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television show ''
SmackDown Live ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
''. At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
,
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wres ...
retained the
WWE World Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown's ...
against
Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and stand-up comedian. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Dolph Ziggler, where he performs on the Raw brand. After a prolific career in amateur ...
, while
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
defeated
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...
. On the following ''SmackDown'', Styles taunted Ziggler about his loss, provoking him to attack Styles. Later, Styles was declared the no. 1 contender for the WWE World Championship at Backlash, which prompted Ziggler to come out to demand a shot at the title. Styles would defeat Ziggler in the main event of the August 23 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', to prevent the title match from being turned into a
triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
involving Ziggler. On the August 30 episode, a non-title match between Ambrose and
Baron Corbin Thomas Pestock (born September 13, 1984) is an American professional wrestler and former professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Baron Corbin. Pestock is a former offen ...
ended in disqualification when Styles, who was providing guest commentary for the match, interfered to attack Ambrose. An ensuing three-way brawl culminated in Styles straddling the top rope. A week later, Ambrose mocked Styles' end to the previous week's show, causing a confrontation between himself and Styles, leading Styles to hit Ambrose with a low blow. At the
2016 WWE draft Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * '' Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film ...
,
WWE Women's Champion WWE (formerly the WWF, WWWF, and its predecessor, Capitol Wrestling) has maintained several women's professional wrestling championships since acquiring The Fabulous Moolah's NWA World Women's Championship in 1984. Whenever brand division has ...
Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
was drafted to
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
, leaving SmackDown without a women's championship. On the August 23 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', the
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship The WWE SmackDown Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main rost ...
was unveiled, and a six-pack elimination challenge between
Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera (née Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was ass ...
,
Becky Lynch Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987) is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE under the ring name Becky Lynch where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand. Lynch is one of WWE's most recognizable and ...
,
Carmella Carmella is a female given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Carmella DeCesare Carmella Danielle DeCesare Garcia (born July 1, 1982) is an American model who was ''Playboy'' magazine's Miss April 2003 and Playmate of t ...
,
Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (bor ...
,
Natalya Natalya (russian: Наталья) is the Russian form of the female given name Natalia. The name Natasha (russian: link=no, Наташа), being originally a diminutive form of Natalya, became an independent name outside the Russian-speaking state ...
, and
Nikki Bella Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (born November 21, 1983), known professionally as Nikki Bella, is an American professional wrestler and television personality. She is currently signed to WWE as an ambassador. In 2007, Bella signed with WWE an ...
was slated for Backlash to crown the inaugural champion. Bella had returned from injury two nights before at SummerSlam, when she had joined Natalya and Alexa Bliss to replace the suspended
Eva Marie Natalie Eva Marie Nelson (born September 19, 1984) is an American actress, fashion designer, model, and professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in WWE, from 2013–2017 and 2020–2021, where she performed under the ring name ...
in a winning effort against Becky Lynch, Carmella, and Naomi. Nikki was set to face Carmella following the unveiling of the title, whom she had pinned at SummerSlam. Instead, however, Carmella turned villainous by attacking Nikki during a pre-match interview and again during ''Talking Smack'', SmackDown's
aftershow An aftershow or after-show is a genre of television talk show whose topic is another television program. An aftershow is typically broadcast immediately after a new episode of its corresponding program to help retain the audience, and to provide ad ...
. On the following episode of ''SmackDown Live'', the evil Carmella once again attacked Nikki, who provided guest commentary on a tag team match taking place between her other Backlash opponents. On the September 6 episode, the six women had a championship forum conducted by general manager Daniel Bryan, which ended in a brawl, causing a six-woman tag team match to be announced, with the team of Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch, and Naomi facing Natalya, Alexa Bliss, and Carmella. The match ended with Carmella making Nikki submit to the
Code of Silence A code of silence is a condition in effect when a person opts to withhold what is believed to be vital or important information voluntarily or involuntarily. The code of silence is usually followed because of threat of force or danger to onesel ...
. Also at the 2016 draft, WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day were drafted to Raw, which also left the SmackDown brand without tag team championships. On the August 23 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', the
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's ...
was unveiled, and a
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
to crown the inaugural champions was then set up, with the tournament's final scheduled for Backlash. Originally scheduled to be a six-team tournament between
American Alpha American Alpha was a professional wrestling tag team, composed of former amateur wrestlers Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. The team performed on WWE's developmental brand NXT before being moved up to the main roster on the SmackDown brand. The tea ...
, The Ascension, Breezango,
The Hype Bros The Hype Bros was an American professional wrestling tag team which performed in WWE on its SmackDown brand. The team, composed of Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley, was formed in June 2015 on the development territory, NXT. History NXT (2015–2016) ...
,
The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are ...
, and
The Vaudevillains The Vaudevillains were an American professional wrestling tag team in WWE, composed of Aiden English and Simon Gotch. Their gimmick was a pair of Vaudeville-era throwbacks. They also wrestled in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where they were ...
,
Heath Slater Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs mononymously as Heath, and is also active on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in W ...
, who was still trying to earn a SmackDown contract after being left out of the WWE draft, was granted entry into the tournament on the condition that he must find a partner and win the tournament to earn a contract.
Rhyno Terrance Guido Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Rhyno or Rhino. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is one-half of the Impact World Tag Team Champions in his second ...
, who had defeated Slater to win a contract weeks before, agreed to be his partner. In the quarter-finals, The Usos and American Alpha advanced with wins over The Ascension and Breezango, respectively. The following week, The Hype Bros, as well as Slater and Rhyno, would later advance with wins over The Vaudevillains and
The Headbangers The Headbangers are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh (Charles Warrington) and Thrasher (Glenn Ruth). As the name of the team implies, their gimmick is that they are a pair of metalheads, complete with heavy metal related T-sh ...
(who were added to the tournament), respectively. On the September 6 episode, American Alpha and the team of Slater and Rhyno advanced with wins over The Usos and The Hype Bros, respectively. However, The Usos would attack American Alpha after their match, causing
Chad Gable Charles Edward Betts (born March 8, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Chad Gable. He is a four-time tag team champion in ...
to suffer a leg injury. Due to this, American Alpha were ruled out of the tournament final, and a match between The Usos and The Hype Bros was then set for Backlash, with the winners replacing American Alpha in the final against Slater and Rhyno. On the August 23 episode of ''SmackDown'',
Bray Wyatt Windham Lawrence Rotunda (born May 23, 1987) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Bray Wyatt. Rotunda is ...
confronted
Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. H ...
. The following week, Wyatt challenged Orton to a match at Backlash, which Orton accepted. On the September 6 episode, Wyatt stated that Orton had become weak following his showing at SummerSlam, and would be the one to initiate change in Orton. Orton would later respond to Wyatt, mocking his messages, prompting a match between the two to be commissioned for Backlash. On the August 23 edition of ''Talking Smack'',
Intercontinental Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
went on a tirade on general manager Daniel Bryan, in response to Bryan's comments about him wrestling "like a coward" and "someone who's afraid to get hit". On the following week's episode of ''SmackDown'',
Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and stand-up comedian. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Dolph Ziggler, where he performs on the Raw brand. After a prolific career in amateur ...
confronted The Miz, agreeing with Bryan to goad The Miz into a match for the Intercontinental Championship. After also insulting The Miz for being "a soft, safe coward", Bryan scheduled The Miz to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Ziggler at Backlash. On the September 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', The Miz slapped Ziggler, who was providing guest commentary for The Miz's match against
Apollo Crews Sesugh Uhaa (born August 22, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Apollo Crews. He started his career in 2009, originally working under the ring name ...
, before fleeing.


Event


Pre-show

During the Backlash Kickoff pre-show, Baron Corbin faced Apollo Crews. The end came when Corbin executed the "End of Days" on Crews to win the match.


Preliminary matches

The pay-per-view's main card opened with the six-pack elimination challenge to determine the inaugural SmackDown Women's Champion involving Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Naomi, Natalya, and Nikki Bella. Bliss was eliminated by Naomi after a Diving Neckbreaker/Powerbomb combination with Natalya. Natalya then eliminated Naomi by forcing her to submit to the "Sharpshooter". Nikki eliminated Natalya after a " Rack Attack 2.0", but was immediately eliminated by Carmella with a roll-up. Lynch forced Carmella to submit to the "Dis-arm-her" to win the title. Next, The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) faced The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder) to qualify for the finals of the SmackDown Tag Team Championship tournament. In the end, Jimmy forced Ryder to submit to the "Tequila Sunrise" to win the match and qualify for the tournament final against Heath Slater and Rhyno. After that, The Miz defended the Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler. During the match, Miz applied the "Figure Four Leglock", but Ziggler touched the rope. Ziggler executed a Superkick on Miz, who placed his foot on the rope at a two count. Whilst Miz distracted the referee,
Maryse Maryse is a given name. Notable persons with this name include: *Maryse Alberti, cinematographer *Maryse Condé, author *Maryse Dauvray, actress *Maryse Lassonde, neuropsychologist *Maryse Liburdi (formerly Maryse Thomas), CEO *Maryse Marpsat, soci ...
sprayed an unknown object at Ziggler, allowing Miz to execute a "Skull Crushing Finale" on Ziggler to retain the title. Randy Orton was scheduled to face Bray Wyatt, but Wyatt had attacked him earlier in the event. Orton was then rendered unable to compete, and Wyatt was declared the winner via forfeit. Instead, Wyatt faced Kane in a
No Holds Barred match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, to substitute for Orton. During the match, Wyatt executed a Running Senton through a broadcast table on Kane. Kane executed a Chokeslam on Wyatt for a near-fall. In the end, Orton interfered and attacked Wyatt with an "RKO", leading to Kane executing a second Chokeslam on Wyatt to win the match. Later, Heath Slater and Rhyno faced The Usos to determine the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Rhyno executed a Gore on Jimmy whilst the referee was distracted, with Slater gaining the pinfall, to win the titles.


Main event

In the main event, Dean Ambrose defended the WWE World Championship against AJ Styles. During the match, Styles applied the "Calf Crusher" on Ambrose but Ambrose touched the ropes. Styles re-applied the "Calf Crusher", but Ambrose escaped. Styles executed a "Springboard 450 Splash" on Ambrose for a near-fall. Ambrose threw Styles over the barricade and dove onto him off a broadcast table. In the end, Ambrose attempted "Dirty Deeds", but Styles pushed Ambrose into Mike Chioda, the referee. Styles attacked Ambrose with a low blow and executed a "Styles Clash", to win the title.


Aftermath

On September 13 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', while AJ Styles was addressing the crowd of his title victory at the event,
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...
returned to challenge Styles to a match for the WWE World Championship, in an attempt to become a 16 time world champion. Dean Ambrose then appeared, demanding to have his rematch clause granted first. SmackDown commissioner
Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon (; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a wrestler, producer and minority owner. He is the founder and executive chairman of Idean ...
would then announce that Styles would defend his title against Cena and Ambrose in a triple threat match at No Mercy. Having become one-half of the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team Champions at the event, Heath Slater was granted his SmackDown contract that was signed on the September 13 episode of ''SmackDown Live''. This rendered him exclusive to the SmackDown brand, and was where Slater and Rhyno would be successful in their first titles defense against The Ascension. The Usos would defeat American Alpha later on to earn a rematch against Slater and Rhyno for the titles at No Mercy. Following his successful Intercontinental Championship defense against Dolph Ziggler, The Miz continued to berate general manager Daniel Bryan, and would vow not to defend his Intercontinental Championship on any show until he is granted a contract renegotiation. Bryan would later acquiesce to a contract renegotiation, while Ziggler would lose on back to back weeks against The Miz for the title. Ziggler would later put his career on the line for another chance at the title, at No Mercy. Alexa Bliss was later crowned the no. 1 contender for the SmackDown Women's Championship after beating four other competitors on the following episode of ''SmackDown Live''. The championship match was scheduled for No Mercy. The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' would report that Randy Orton was not cleared to wrestle at Backlash due to a
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
suffered from his main event match against
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
that occurred the previous month at SummerSlam. On September 24, 2016, at a
house show A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, Lesnar defeated Orton in a no disqualification rematch. Orton would later return to SmackDown in order to challenge Wyatt to a rematch at No Mercy, which Wyatt accepted.


Results


SmackDown Tag Team Championship tournament bracket

† When Chad Gable
suffered Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, may be an experience of unpleasantness or aversion, possibly associated with the perception of harm or threat of harm in an individual. Suffering is the basic element that makes up the negative valence of a ...
an injury after defeating
The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are ...
, American Alpha were removed from the final. The Usos then defeated
The Hype Bros The Hype Bros was an American professional wrestling tag team which performed in WWE on its SmackDown brand. The team, composed of Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley, was formed in June 2015 on the development territory, NXT. History NXT (2015–2016) ...
at Backlash in a second chance tag team match to replace American Alpha in the final.


SmackDown Women's Championship match


References


External links

* {{WWEPPV, Backlash 2016 in professional wrestling
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
2016 WWE Network events 2016 in Virginia Professional wrestling in Richmond, Virginia 2016 WWE pay-per-view events September 2016 events in the United States WWE SmackDown