WWE Backlash goes down on Saturday from Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The event, which traditionally follows WrestleMania, is headlined by John Cena, who will be making the first defense of the undisputed WWE championship he won from Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41.
Cena will face Randy Orton in the main event, rekindling a rivalry that dates back to the late 2000s. Orton is looking to cut Cena’s retirement tour short, while Cena has claimed he will leave professional wrestling later this year still holding the title as the “last real champion” in WWE history.
The card will also feature three more title matches. Most notably, a fatal four-way for the United States championship is set when Jacob Fatu, who earned the title at WrestleMania 41, faces off against Drew McIntyre, L.A. Knight and Damian Priest. Fatu beat Knight for the title and McIntyre and Priest have continued their blood feud beyond WrestleMania as well.
Plus, women’s intercontinental champion Lyra Valkyria puts her title on the line against former friend turned rival Becky Lynch. “The Man” returned at WrestleMania to team with Valkyria to win the raw women’s tag team titles against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. But on the following episode of Raw, Morgan and Rodriguez won back their belts and Lynch turned on Valkyria, sparking an instant rivalry.
One of the weirder bookings of the night sees former world heavyweight champion Gunther take on announcer and sports personality Pat McAfee. The former NFL punter has not wrestled a singles match since WrestleMania 39 despite making a couple of comedic appearances in a pair of Royal Rumbles. McAfee will attempt to defend his and play-by-play man Michael Cole’s honor after Gunther viciously attacked both men on Raw after WrestleMania for their opinions leading up and after Gunther’s match with Jey Uso where he dropped the world title.
John Cena vs. Randy Orton: Looking back at the five best matches in their storied rivalry before WWE Backlash
Brent Brookhouse
With all the scheduled action, let’s take a look at who the CBS Sports experts are picking for all five matches at WWE Backlash.
WWE Backlash 2025 predictions
Undisputed WWE Championship — John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton: WWE ran the Cena vs. Orton rivalry into the ground when the two men were in their primes. Now, they meet again as two of the most accomplished men in wrestling history. It’s interesting to see the pairing in 2025, but there isn’t much drama to be found in considering a winner. Cena won the title at WrestleMania and isn’t going to drop the belt one month later on a hastily thrown-together match. It will be interesting to see if their familiarity will lead to a better match than Cena was able to produce against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania, but we all know who is getting the win on Saturday. Pick: John Cena retains the title — Brent Brookhouse (also Shakiel Mahjouri)
Women’s Intercontinental Championship — Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Becky Lynch: Valkyria vs. Lynch is a feud WWE can revisit for as long as Lynch is active. “The Man” should win this time. Having Lynch as women’s intercontinental champion immediately elevates the title and expands her legacy. Valkyria already has an NXT title win over Lynch. Losing on Saturday is the first step to a bigger underdog story for Valkyria. Pick: Becky Lynch wins the title — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
United States Championship — Jacob Fatu (c) vs. LA Knight vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre: Mark my words, Fatu will be a cornerstone of the promotion for years to come. “The Samoan Werewolf” is magnetic on the mic and ferocious in the ring. Fatu isn’t losing the title so soon after winning it. The fatal four-way is a great way to give him wins over major names without making the losers look weak. Pick: Jacob Fatu retains the title — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
Pat McAfee vs. Gunther: McAfee has done an admirable job with his mic work leading to the match, but it’s hard to feel like this isn’t a waste of Gunther’s time. Gunther has spent so much time as a champion in WWE that it’s strange to see him have any sort of time-killer program. Having McAfee get the win here would be an unbelievable misstep since Gunther is coming off a loss to Jey Uso at WrestleMania. He needs to get a win and be kept strong so he can be placed into whatever top spot comes along. Pick: Gunther wins — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
Intercontinental Championship — Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Penta: This is yet another match where it wouldn’t make sense to take a title off of a freshly-crowned champion. The title is also a valuable tool for the ongoing story within Judgment Day. So, unless Finn Balor costs Mysterio the title, it seems this is a clear win for Mysterio. Pick: Dominik Mysterio retains the title — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
