BackLash 2016 - Full Results

Baron Corbin def. Apollo Crews



RICHMOND, Va. — After mocking Apollo Crews backstage earlier in the evening, Baron Corbin backed up his words by beating the talented Superstar one-two-three in the middle of the ring on Backlash Kickoff.

The two New Era standouts both came out with something to prove and clearly wanting to establish themselves on the SmackDown LIVE depth chart.

Crews’ athletic ability and explosive offensive proved to be a fascinating clash of styles against Corbin’s brute strength and ground-and-pound preferences.

Crews withstood a ton of punishment from The Lone Wolf, including a huge clothesline that turned him inside out, but he fired back with several major maneuvers including a running knee strike and his patented standing moonsault.

Crews appeared to be in firm control after hitting a big Samoan Drop on the outside.
But Corbin was able to recover and surged in the match’s final moments, first kneeing Crews in the face and then connecting flush with End of Days to secure the victory in an incredibly hard-fought contest.

Becky Lynch won the Six-Pack Challenge to become the first SmackDown Women’s Champion



RICHMOND, Va. — In the opening contest of SmackDown LIVE’s first solo pay-per-view, Becky Lynch made history by overcoming five other competitors in a Six-Pack Elimination Challenge to become the first SmackDown Women’s Champion!

The rules of the Six-Pack Challenge were a recipe for chaos from the start, as all six women had to battle until five were eliminated and one Superstar was left standing.

In the complete free-for-all that followed, Naomi pinned Alexa Bliss, Natalya made Naomi tap out to the Sharpshooter and Nikki Bella eliminated Natalya.

In addition to Becky, this left Nikki and Carmella in the running — two Superstars who clearly have had no love lost for each other in recent weeks.

Although Carmella ultimately found a way to score a quick win over her adversary, the Fearless Superstar continued to tangle with her after the bell.

When Nikki exited, a determined Irish Lass Kicker went to war against The Princess of Staten Island and ultimately reigned supreme with a series of suplexes and the Dis-arm-her.

With Becky’s monumental victory, SmackDown LIVE finally has the Women’s Champion it has been waiting for.
How long she will stand at the front of the pack remains to be seen.

The Usos def. The Hype Bros in a Second Chance Challenge



RICHMOND, Va. — The Usos seized their opportunity in the Second Chance Challenge, defeating The Hype Bros to advance to the final of the SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament.

Jimmy and Jey Uso’s savage attack on Chad Gable’s knee on SmackDown LIVE eliminated American Alpha from the tournament and forced the creation of the contest five days earlier.
The Usos proceeded to make the most of the opportunity they had made for themselves.

The new-attitude (and new-look) Usos continued their aggressive ways, wearing Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley down with a barrage of strikes and using everything from the ringpost and the barricade outside as tools to gain an edge.

Ryder and Rawley would not quit, however, firing back with all the heart they could muster.
The ultimate difference-maker in the match? One team was willing to resort to underhanded tactics.
That team was The Usos.

Following a chop block by Jey Uso that destroyed Zack Ryder’s knee, the two continued their assault until Jimmy Uso finally forced Long Island Iced-Z to tap out with the Tequila Sunrise submission hold.

After seizing a second chance and beginning a trophy case of shattered patellas, The Usos were now only one win away from becoming the first ever SmackDown Tag Team Champions.

Intercontinental Champion The Miz def. Dolph Ziggler




RICHMOND, Va. — Intercontinental Champion The Miz reigned supreme over Dolph Ziggler at Backlash in a showdown that was as much about these Superstars proving themselves as it was about the title.

For weeks leading up to this pay-per-view confrontation, the outspoken Miz complained that SmackDown LIVE wasn’t showing him the respect he deserved as champion, which was highlighted by his now-infamous war of words with SmackDown LIVE General Manager Daniel Bryan on Talking Smack.

For Ziggler, the contest against The A-Lister was about winning the “big match” when so many were questioning if he had what it took to stand at the top of the mountain.

Their collective need to win instantly transformed into an intense back-and-forth contest, with Miz’s shoulder and Ziggler’s leg getting maimed in the process.

Still, both Superstars fought through the pain and threw every weapon they had in their arsenals at each other.

But in the height of the action, The Miz’s wife Maryse proved to be the deciding factor, as she sprayed an unidentified substance in The Showoff’s face, paving the way for The A-Lister to steal the victory with the Skull-Crushing Finale.

The Miz is the longest-reigning singles champion currently in WWE, but will his victory over The Showoff finally give him the respect he seeks? Find out on SmackDown LIVE this Tuesday at 8/7 C on USA Network.

Kane def. Bray Wyatt in a No Holds Barred Match



RICHMOND, Va. — The scheduled match between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton was called off after Wyatt viciously attacked Orton backstage earlier in the night and injured his leg.
But that didn’t mean The Eater of Worlds’ night was over.

Wyatt still entered for the match as planned, asking the referee to count The Apex Predator out.
The official complied and awarded the match to Wyatt via forfeit.

Before Wyatt could exit, though, it was announced that he would now be competing in a No Holds Barred Match … against Kane!

The two men quickly adjusted to the no rules stipulation, fighting both in and out of the ring.
The frenzied brawl hit a fever pitch when Wyatt laid Kane out on an announcer’s table and forcefully Senton Bombed him through it.

The mood changed when Randy Orton appeared, however.
After walking slowly to the ring, Orton found enough strength to hit an RKO outta nowhere on Wyatt.

Kane followed that up with the second Chokeslam of the match, which was enough to put the sadistic Superstar down for a three-count.

That was where the night left off for these three men, yet the safe bet would seem to be that it is far from the final destination.

Heath Slater & Rhyno def. The Usos to become the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions




RICHMOND, Va. — Do you believe in miracles? Heath Slater & Rhyno do.
At Backlash, the mismatched duo overcame The Usos to become the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions, while earning a SmackDown LIVE contract for Slater in the process.

Earlier in the night, Jimmy and Jey Uso followed up Tuesday night’s unsportsmanlike beatdown of American Alpha by besting The Hype Bros in a Second Chance Challenge.

This earned them the right to compete for the titles in the final of the SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament.

Unfortunately for the brothers, the self-proclaimed “Beauty and the Manbeast” were destined to stand in their way.

Although The Usos sported a newfound, ruthless attitude that allowed them to dominate a good portion of the match, the sheer adrenaline of The One Man Band and a Gore from Rhyno paved the way for Slater to pick up the biggest win of his life.

In an emotional post-match celebration, Slater went on to thank one and all, and promised his wife Beulah a double-wide trailer!

Now that Slater & Rhyno have officially become Team Blue’s top tandem, which combination will be the first to step up to oppose them?

And now that Slater has earned a spot on the SmackDown LIVE roster, will he once again do something to mess it all up before he can get his name on the contract?

AJ Styles def. Dean Ambrose to win the WWE World Championship




RICHMOND, Va. — AJ Styles beat Dean Ambrose at Backlash to become WWE World Champion.
There’s no question about that.

It’s how Styles beat Ambrose, however, that will be questioned for a long time to come.

The two Superstars may have checked all the boxes of an instant classic in this heart-pounding title showdown.

Styles couldn’t help but resort to a low-blow to put the champion down and take his title, though.

Before that unfortunate ending, this wild melee saw Styles topple over both the announcer’s table and the barricade, and both men came literally less than a second away from snatching the victory.

The Lunatic Fringe connected with Dirty Deeds and The Phenomenal One locked in the Calf Crusher, but neither was able to secure the win.

It was not until Styles snuck in a low-blow — while the referee was temporarily down — and then hit the Styles Clash that was he able to capture his first WWE World Championship.

As Styles celebrated with the championship — his first since arriving at Royal Rumble earlier this year — the feeling in the air seemed different than past champions’ crownings.

Styles was as phenomenal as always and his spot atop the mountain was well-earned, but the manner in which he won the most prestigious championship in all of WWE certainly may prove to be, pardon the pun, a low-blow to his legacy.