|Date: May 1, 2005
|Venue: Verizon Wireless Arena |City: Manchester, New Hampshire
|Attendance: 14, 000 |Buys: 320,000

|tweet me: @BastionBlogger

Tonight Triple H has promised a Backlash as he looks to retain the World Heavyweight Championship from Batista. Triple H has decided to cash in his contracted re-match at Backlash against a man that has had the better of him over the past month. Triple H has been acting like he runs Raw despite not being champion and even went one on one with Jim Ross. This would backfire though as Batista would help cost Triple H the match, much to The Game’s embarrassment. Helmsley has promised Batista that the pedigree will be the move to end his title reign and on Raw last week he hit the champion with his finisher, leaving him laying. The other main event set for tonight came about when Muhammad Hassan and Daivari attacked Shawn Michaels, taking him out. Michaels demanded a handicap match against the two at Backlash but general manager Eric Bischoff told Shawn that he had to find a partner. Michaels begged fellow American Hulk Hogan to be his partner and Hogan accepted, setting up the tag team match for tonight.

The Intercontinental Championship is also set to be defended tonight as Shelton Benjamin puts his title on the line against Chris Jericho. These two men have had a war of words since Wrestlemania and tonight the title is on the line. Chris Benoit look to put an end to their rivalry tonight as the two meet in a last man standing match. The two have met in a couple of matches on Raw over the past few weeks. In the first, Benoit beat Edge with a roll-up and then after the bell Edge attacked Benoit with a chair. The second match between the two ended in a no-contest and so Bischoff made the big match for Backlash. Also tonight Kane takes on Viscera. Kane and his wife Lita have targeted Trish Stratus over the past few weeks, spooking her out and it was Viscera who came to the rescue of Stratus due to his infatuation with her. Trish has promised Viscera whatever he wants should he beat Kane at Backlash. Both Trish Stratus and Lita will be ringside for the match.

And they are the only five matches announced for this show. It’s a bit odd that the likes of Christian, Randy Orton and the World Tag Team Champions William Regal and Tajiri aren’t booked but maybe there’ll be a surprise match or two.

On Sunday Night Heat prior to the show Tyson Tomko defeated Val Venis.

A video package kicks off the show, starting with old pictures of Hulk Hogan and the crowd chanting “one more match”. We then move on to Batista and Triple H who meet in the World Heavyweight Championship match tonight. Jim Ross welcomes us to New Hampshire, he’s joined by Jerry “The King” Lawler. We also get a shot of Carlos and Hugo, the Spanish announcers.

Shelton Benjamin (c) vs. Chris Jericho – Intercontinental Championship Match

This is the second PPV match between these two men. Shelton Benjamin beat Chris Jericho at Taboo Tuesday 2004 to win the Intercontinental Championship. Chris Jericho has a 2-2 record at Backlash events whilst Benjamin has a 1-1 record. Both men won at last years event. Jericho takes Benjamin down in the early going and we get some chain wrestling between the two. Jericho gets the first near fall of the night. Benjamin hits a nice springboard off the top rope into an arm-drag. Jericho slaps Shelton to end the chain wrestling and that causes the champion to hit some big right hands. The two men slug it out and Jericho hits a few chops. Benjamin attempts a sunset flip into a powerbomb off the apron but Jericho counters it into a hurricanrana to the floor before. Back in the ring and Jericho lays in some boots and then hits a suplex. Shelton has defended his title twice on pay per view before this, successfully against Christian and Maven. Jericho applies a chinlock but then breaks it and gets hit by a flying forearm. Jericho hits a dropkick to take the advantage and then chokes Benjamin on the bottom rope.

Shelton hits a big Stinger splash and then a back suplex. These two men have now fought on four of the five PPV’s so far in 2005. Jericho still looking for his first PPV victory this year. He hits a bulldog and then attempts the lionsault but Shelton hits him with a clothesline onto the apron. The two men then fight up to the top rope where Jericho pushes Shelton down to the ring below but Benjamin leaps back up to the top and hits Jericho with a superplex for a near fall. Benjamin hits a flapjack for another near fall and then applies a chinlock. Jericho hits a suplex to get out of the chinlock and then nails Benjamin with a flying forearm and a drop toe hold on to the second rope. Benjamin gets back into it with a samoan drop but just for a two count. The crowd seem to be behind Jericho who hits a running enzeguri for a two count. Jericho throws Benjamin onto the apron but the Intercontinental Champion springboards back into the ring with a bulldog for a near fall.

Jericho takes Benjamin down by the legs and attempts to lock on the walls of Jericho but can’t get the champion round so instead slingshots Benjamin into the corner. Shelton manages to land on the middle rope and then nips down and hits Jericho with the t-bone suplex! Benjamin covers his opponent but Jericho gets his foot on the bottom rope. Benjamin tries for a spinning heel kick but Jericho grabs him and takes him down into the walls of Jericho! Shelton manages to get to the ropes to boo’s from the crowd. Jericho lays in some boots but Benjamin hits a kick of his own before covering Jericho for a two. Benjamin attempts a dropkick but Jericho puts on the brakes and attempts a lionsault but Benjamin gets his knees up! Jericho manages to grab Benjamins feet and attempts the walls of Jericho but Benjamin rolls Jericho up and gets the three! Shelton Benjamin wins the match and retains the Intercontinental Championship! Decent enough match between these two.

Rating: 6.5/10

Todd Grisham is at ringside and attempts to interview Jericho who just walks past him.

Coach is backstage with Edge who gloats about beating Chris Benoit to Money In The Bank. Edge says that Benoit won’t be standing at the end of the night, Edge will be. Bank on it.

Tag Team Turmoil for the World Tag Team Championships

The Heart Throbs (Romeo & Antonio) vs. William Regal & Tajiri (c)

The Heart Throbs are the first two men out, they are making their pay per view debut tonight. William Regal has wrestled at Backlash once before, beating Chris Jericho in 2001 whilst Tajiri has a 1-1 record having previously beaten Billy Kidman but lost to The Coach at last years event. William Regal starts the match against Romeo and it’s Romeo with the first knockdown. The Heart Throbs are a new tag team in the WWE having debuted a couple of weeks ago. Romeo tags in Antonio who applies a headlock and then an armbar. Regal tags Antonio down and tags in Tajiri. There’s some nice double teaming from the champions and then Tajiri lays in some kicks. Tajiri hits a butterfly suplex and a standing moonsault for a two count. The Heart Throbs take the advantage with some double teaming and Antonio tags in Romeo. Quick tags from the Heart Throbs now who are dressed in black and pink. Tajiri rolls up Antonio with a sunset flip and gets the three!

Willian Regal & Tajiri (c) vs. Simon Dean & Maven

It’s a Backlash debut for Simon Dean and a second Backlash match for Maven who are both looking for their first PPV victory. They get into it quickly and Simon Dean hits a legdrop on Tajiri. Dean tags in Maven and then hit a double hiptoss on Tajiri before dropping and hitting some press-ups. Maven hits some right hands on Tajiri and then tags in Simon Dean. Simon Dean has buckets of charisma and he applies a front facelock. Regal and Tajiri are going to have to run the gauntlet in order to retain their tag team championships. Regal hits a cheap shot on Simon Dean and Tajiri follows it up with a spinning heel kick. Tajiri tags in Regal who hits anyone that moves. Regal hits a big running knee on Simon Dean and that gets the 3!

William Regal & Tajiri (c) vs. La Resistance (Sylvain Grenier & Robert Conway)

La Resistance have wrestled once at Backlash before and that was ion a losing effort to The Hurricane and Rosey at last years event. Tajiri is down on the outside and La Resistance double team Regal on the outside. The four men take the battle inside the ring where La Resistance lay into Tajiri and Regal. Tajiri hits a springboard elbow on both men and then a spinning heel kick on Grenier. Tajiri tags in Regal and the champions double team Grenier. Regal hits a couple of uppercuts for a near fall and then tags in Tajiri. Tajiri hits a couple of big kicks and a legdrop for a two count. Tajiri tags in Regal who gets caught by Grenier. Grenier tags in Conway who hits some big right hands and forearms. Regal hits a knee and then applies the STF but Grenier breaks it up. All four men then get into it and Tajiri applies the tarantula to Grenier who quickly gets out of it. Regal then disposes of Grenier but Conway rolls up Regal and gets the 3! The champions have been eliminated!

La Resistance (Sylvain Grenier & Robert Conway) vs. The Hurricane & Rosey

This match comes down to a re-match of last years Backlash event in which The Hurricane and Rosey won. That was the super-heroes only previous Backlash match. The Hurricane flies into the ring with a flying cross body on Grenier. The crowd are behind ThE Hurricane who hits a blockbuster for a near fall. Grenier throws Hurricane out of the ring via the ringpost and Conway drops an elbow on the outside. Back in the ring and Grenier gets a near fall before tagging out to Conway. Quick tags between La Resistance now and some nice double teaming. Grenier applies a chinlock but The Hurricane gets out of it only to be hit with a slam. Sylvain hits a powerslam but then misses with an elbow off the middle rope. Both men make tags and Rosey takes down both members of La Resistance. Rosey misses with a splash in the corner but catches a cross-body attempt from Conway before dropping him with a powerslam. La Resistance double team Rosey, taking him down with a double spinebuster for a near fall. Rosey pushes Conway into Grenier and then tags in Hurricane who hits a splash off Rosey’s shoulders! Hurricane hooks the leg and gets the 3! The Hurricane and Rosey have won the World Tag Team Championships! What a night for them! A fun match between these 5 teams!

Rating: 7.25/10

There’s a video package for Chris Benoit and Edge.

Chris Benoit vs. Edge – Last Man Standing Match

This is actually a first time singles meeting between these two men on pay per view. Edge has a 2-2 record at Backlash PPV’s whilst Chris Benoit has a 3-0 record, previously defeating Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle and both Triple H and Shawn Michaels in last years triple threat main event. Edge has his money in the bank briefcase which means he can cash in his title shot whenever he likes. This match feels like it’s been a long time coming. Benoit goes right for Edge, laying in some big right hands and a knee. A “you screwed Matt” chant breaks out, aimed at Edge who has been having an affair with Matt Hardy’s girlfriend Lita. Benoit hits some chops which sound painful as hell. Edge reverses an Irish whip to take the advantage and a “we want Matt” chant breaks out. Edge chokes Benoit on the middle rope and then hits a powerslam. Edge motions for a spear but Benoit takes him down with a drop toe hold. Benoit then attempts to apply the crippler crossface but Edge rolls out onto the apron.

Edge pulls a trash can out from under the ring but Benoit hits him with a baseball slide. The two men slug it out on the outside until Edge throws Benoit into the barricade. Benoit then back body drops Edge into the crowd where the two men slug it out. They battle back into the ring where Benoit locks on the sharpshooter! Edge gets to the ropes but Benoit takes him right back down with five consecutive German suplexes. Edge rolls to the outside where the referee counts him down. Edge is up at the count of 8 and Benoit hits him with a running forearm. Benoit then flies to the outside with a suicide dive but Edge sees him coming and smashes him in the face with a trash can lid. Edge hits Benoit with the trash can lid once again for good measure. Benoit beats the ten count and so Edge throws him back into the ring along with a trash can. Edge pops Benoit on the top rope and then hits a superplex right into the trash can. Benoit beats the count but Edge beats him right back down again.

Edge pulls a ladder out from underneath the ring and sets it up in one corner. Benoit hits Edge with some chops but Edge slams Chris down to the canvas. Edge climbs the ladder but Benoit is up and goes up with him before German suplexing him down to the mat below! Both men are up but Benoit hits another German suplex. Benoit then climbs up to the top of the ladder and dives off with a headbutt but Edge moves out of the way! Edge grabs his money in the bank briefcase and swings it at Benoit but Benoit takes Edge down with a crippler crossface! Edge taps out but you can’t win this match by submission! Both men get to their feet and it’s Benoit who hits two German suplexes before Edge blocks a third and hits him with an impaler DDT into the briefcase! The referee counts to 9 and Benoit is up! But edge spears Benoit right back down to the mat. The referee counts Benoit slowly and Benoit is up at 9. Edge hits another spear! Benoit is up at 8. Edge opens up his briefcase and inside is a brick! Edge smashes the brick into the back of Benoits head and this time he is down for the ten count. Edge wins the match within the rules of the match and it’s a good win for Edge. Great match between these two.

Rating: 8/10

Lita is backstage with Kane. Lita is ready for Kane to take out both Viscera and Trish. Lita is starting to show signs of a heel turn.

Jerry Lawler is in the ring talking about having the best job in the world. That means the divas are about to get involved. He holds up the divas magazine and then calls out the ladies. Christy Hemme, Maria, Candice Michelle, Victoria and Stacy Keibler all come out from the back and then Lawler invites Lilian Garcia into the ring too. Victoria can’t be happy with this. King goes through all of the divas favourite pictures in the magazine. Lawler is about to go down the line to ask all of the girls a personal question but he is interrupted by Chris Masters. The divas escape the ring and leave.

Chris Masters gets on the mic and offers $3000 to anybody that can break the masterlock. A stacked girl is invited into the ring and introduces herself as Melissa Coates. Chris applies the masterlock and shakes her around and the referee calls for the bell.

Viscera is backstage when Trish walks out of her locker room. Viscera is ready to take out Kane and get down to business with Trish. Viscera has some underwear for Trish and has booked them a room with bed and breakfast. Trish is totally uncomfortable with this and is quite funny as a result. Her work with Viscera has been some of her best promo work ever.

Kane vs. Viscera

This is a first singles match on PPV between these two monsters. Kane has a 1-2 record at Backlash whilst Viscera makes his Backlash debut tonight. Kane is joined by Lita whilst Viscera has Trish Stratus by his side. Kane tries to take Viscera down early but it’s Vis that takes Kane down. Viscera misses with a splash in the corner and Kane hits him with a clothesline and a boot, knocking him out of the ring. Kane then goes to the top and dives to the outside with a clothesline. Another “we want Matt” chant breaks out as Lita is at ringside. Back in the ring and Kane drops a couple of elbows and a legdrop for a two count. Kane hits some big right hands but as he bounces off the ropes Viscera hits him with a spinning heel kick. Vis hits a powerslam but misses with an elbow drop. Kane then goes for Lita, pulling her up on to the apron but Viscera hits him with a splash in the corner. Viscera then hits a Samoan drop for a near fall. Vis is a former Tag Team Champion and King Of The Ring. He takes Kane down with a sidewalk slam for a two count.

Kane gets back into the match with a DDT and then heads to the top where he flies off with a clothesline. Kane motions for a chokeslam but Viscera fights out of it and clotheslines Kane out of the ring. Kane lands on his feet and Viscera follows him out and smashes him into the apron. Lita gets involved and Viscera shoves her out of the way before missing with a splash. Trish grabs a steel chair and runs at Kane but Lita swings her crutch into the chair, taking Trish out. Kane rolls Viscera back into the ring and comes off the top again but this time Viscera catches him and hits him with a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall. I thought it was over there. Viscera pulls Lita into the ring and tries to kiss her but Kane takes him down with a running boot and then a chokeslam which is enough for the three! Kane wins the match. Not a terrible match between these two.

Rating: 4.25/10

Trish gets in the microphone after the bell and tells viscera that he’s pathetic. Viscera apologises but Trish says she would never lower herself to sleeping with a lower like him. Trish says she’s going to get a real men and give him lots of loving when he takes out Viscera. Vis picks up Trish and shakes her around before hitting her with a splash much to the enjoyment of the crowd. A face turn for big Vis? Trish is taken off on a stretcher.

There’s a video package next for Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels against Muhammad Hassan and Daivari.

Shawn Michaels & Hulk Hogan vs. Muhammad Hassan & Daivari

It’s obviously a first time match between these four men. It’s Hulk Hogans first PPV match in the WWE for a good two years. Hulk Hogan is 1-0 at Backlash PPV’s having beaten Triple H for the WWE Championship back in 2002. Shawn Michaels is 0-2 down having lost at the 2003 and 2004 events. Hassan and Daivari make their Backlash debuts tonight and it’s actually an in-ring PPV debut for Daivari. Hulk Hogan gets one hell of an ovation as he comes out. Thankfully he’s back out to Real American. He milks his entrance like there’s no tomorrow. Good luck Hassan and Daivari. This match takes quite a long time to get going. It’s Hulk Hogan and Muhammad Hassan that start the match. You forget how much of a big bloke Hogan is. He throws Hassan right back into the corner. Hassan forces Hogan into his corner and then tags out to Daivari. Hulk takes both men down with a clothesline and then takes Hassan down with another clothesline. Apparently Hassan is still the legal man. Hogan tags out to Michaels and they hit a double big boot.

Michaels hits a chop and a boot before taking Hassan down with another chop and a powerslam. Michaels misses with an elbow drop and Hassan tags out. Daivari hits some right hands and chops and then Michaels hits some chops of his own. HBK hits a back body drop and then tags out to Hogan. The two men hit a double elbow and then Hogan throws Daivari out of the ring. Hulk throws Daivari into the barrier and then the ringpost before putting a Hulkamania cap on him and taking Daivari down with a right hand. Back in the ring and Hulk hits a powerslam and a couple of elbow drops before tagging out. Daivari catches Michaels with a kick but Michaels takes the advantage with a chop. Michaels hits a big flying forearm and then nips up and hits an inverted atomic drop before taking Hassan off the apron with a cheap shot. Shawn hits a powerslam on Daivari and then goes up top and hits an elbow drop. Michaels motions for sweet chin music but Hassan gets up on the apron. Hogan deals with Hassan and then the referee tries to get Hogan out of the ring allowing Hassan to get back in the ring and smash Michaels with a pipe! Daivari covers Michaels but Hogan breaks up the pinfall attempt!

Muhammad Hassan tags himself in and takes Michaels down with a reverse elbow. Hassan hits a hard Irish whip and then drops a couple of elbows. Hassan tags in Daivari and the two men double team Michaels. Daivari chokes Michaels and then applies a surfboard type move. Michaels gets out of it but Daivari takes him right back down. Daivari tags in Hassan who applies a sleeper and then a chinlock. Michaels manages to counter it into a sleeper of his own but Hassan quickly gets out of it with a backbreaker. Hassan then applies the camel clutch but Michaels gets out of it by lifting Hassan onto his shoulders and taking him down with an electric chair drop. Hassan tags in Daivari and Michaels makes the hot tag to Hogan! Hogan hits both opponents with right hands and a good old noggin knocker! Hogan hits Daivari with a big boot and then looks to finish it with a legdrop but Hassan nails Hogan from behind with the lead pipe! Daivari covers Hogan but Hulk kicks out with authority! Hogan “Hulks up”! Three big right hands from Hogan and another big boot. Hulk then attempts the legdrop again but Hassan grabs his legs.

Hogan drops Hassan off the apron and Michaels then hits Daivari with sweet chin music! Hulk makes the cover and gets the three! Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels win the match! I would’ve liked to have seen the legdrop after sweet chin music but it’s not a big deal. Michaels and Hogan get the win tonight in a decent enough match. Michaels throws Daivari out of the ring and the two men celebrate. They even pull a guy into the ring from the crowd, rip off his shirt to reveal a huge Hulk Hogan tattoo on his back.

Rating: 6.75/10

Todd Grisham is backstage with Triple H who is extremely confident about winning back the World Heavyweight title tonight.

Christian is out with his problem solver Tyson Tomko. Christian gets a decent pop but he’s not dressed to wrestle. Christian says that this may be the last time you see Christian on a Raw PPV because later this month is a draft. Christian says he is a main eventer and is taking this time to address his other main eventers in the form of a rap. Christian raps about Batista, Triple H, JBL and John Cena.

Batista (c) vs. Triple H – World Heavyweight Championship Match

This is a re-match from Wrestlemania XXI where Batista won the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H. Triple H is the only man in history to have wrestled on all 7 Backlash PPV’s and up to now he has a 3-3 record. This will be the 5th time Triple H has main evented a Backlash event. It’s a Backlash debut for Batista. Ric Flair is out first to his own music and he is the man to introduce Triple H. The bell rings and Ric Flair grabs Batista’s foot distracting him long enough for Triple H to get the first few blows in and set up for a pedigree but Batista gets out of that. Batista then attempts the Batista bomb but Triple H escapes. Batista hits an Irish whip and a back body drop as these two men look to have a better match than they did at Wrestlemania. Triple H tries for a pedigree again but Batista back body drops him out of the ring. Batista follows but Triple H sees him coming and spinebusters him into the barricade. Triple H clotheslines Batista over the barricade and into the crowd before suplexing him back over the barricade.

Back in the ring and Batista attempts the Batista bomb again but Triple H hits a low blow and shoves the champion into the corner. There were three babyface champions going into this pay per view and we could leave with three sets of babyface champions. Triple H hits a hard Irish whip into the corner. Batista falls to the outside where Flair rams him into the apron. Back in the ring and Helmsley hits a spinebuster for a near fall. Triple H hits another Irish whip but Batista explodes out of the corner with a clothesline. Batista hits a sidewalk slam and then clotheslines Triple H out of the ring. There are a few boo’s aimed at Batista, similar to what john Cena has been getting as of late. Batista throws Triple H into the ring steps. Back in the ring and Batista hits shoulder charges in the corner and then a powerslam. Batista has the momentum now and hammers Ric Flair who is stood on the apron. Flair then has the referee distracted and somehow Triple H has managed to get his hands on the World Heavyweight championship belt. Batista sets up Triple H for the Batista bomb but Triple H smashes the title belt into the champions face. That earns Triple H a near fall.

The two men slug it out and Triple H then attempts a pedigree again but Batista back drops him. Batista looks to hit a clothesline but Triple H ducks and Batista wipes out the referee! Triple H then hits the pedigree on Batista! Flair throws the referee out of the ring but the ref is out. Triple H wakes him up but Mike Chioda hits the deck. Another referee then comes out and Triple H tries for another pedigree on Batista but the world heavyweight champion counters it and hits a spinebuster for a near fall. Triple H hits a facebuster for a two count. Flair can’t believe it. Triple H tries for another pedigree but Batista counters it and then hits Triple H with three clotheslines in the corner. Triple H then hits the referee with a low blow! Flair gets back in the ring and Batista hits him with another clothesline. Triple H tries to taker advantage with another pedigree but Batista counters it, slingshotting Triple H into the corner. Batista then tries for a Batista bomb but Triple H hits him with a low blow.

Triple H hits Batista with 5 big right hands in the corner but Batista walks out of the corner and Batista bombs The Game! Batista hooks the leg and gets the 3! A disappointing finish to this match but it is Batista with the win following a Batista bomb! Slightly better than their match at Wrestlemania but not a classic. After the match Triple H shoves Ric Flair and then hits the referee with a pedigree.

Rating: 6.25/10

Well, that was Backlash 2005. This felt like a good show for the most part. There was only 6 matches but you felt like they were going big on the matches they had rather than squeezing more matches onto the show just for the sake of it. The show opened with Chris Jericho and Shelton Benjamin and there is no denying that these are two of the most innovative and athletic wrestlers on the roster but once again I feel they could’ve had a better match than they did. I mean, they had a good match, there wasn’t anything wrong with their match but I feel that these guys could have a real classic together and they haven’t quite achieved that yet. Shelton Benjamin won the match and he is having a long reign as champion which I think has really established him as an upper card guy. Benjamin is the perfect guy for the championship and the title has definitely elevated him. Jericho just seems to be floating at the moment and he’s wrestled four PPV matches this year and won none of them. He needs a decent programme over the summer.

The world Tag Team Championship gauntlet match was a nice surprise added to the card. The division isn’t the strongest at the moment but I’m hoping this is where they can turn a corner. The Heart Throbs are pretty hilarious but they’re not a serious threat to the titles at the moment, much like Simon Dean and Maven. La Resistance seem to be past their best and if they’re not going to do anything with them then they may as well be split up. So it must have been a toss-up between William Regal and Tajiri and The Hurricane and Rosey. They decided to go in a slightly different direction and put the belts on the superheroes which is fine. Hurricane and Rosey definitely deserve it. They have plenty of teams to feud with going forward and I wouldn’t mind seeing Muhammad Hassan and Daivari getting involved in the division. Entertaining enough match between these five teams. It’s nice to have a bit of comedy and all five of the teams in this match provide that.

Edge beat Chris Benoit in the match of the night. Edge was definitely the right winner for this one and it looks as though he’ll get a push now until he cashes in his money in the bank contract. The ending doesn’t hurt Benoit either following two spears and a hit to the back of the head with a brick. Very smart booking if you ask me. Edge is pretty much there as a main eventer but he is just missing one thing. I can’t quite put my finger on what that is though. Kane then beat Viscera in a match with plenty going on. I quite like how this storyline came from nowhere and I think there is more going on that meets the eye, especially with Lita and Kane. Trish has been great recently too. And Viscera looks to be turning face which is pretty hilarious. All good fun here.

In the first of the two main events, Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan were comfortable winners over Muhammad Hassan and Daivari. This was the right result of course and the match was fairly entertaining. The crowd was hot for the return of Hulk Hogan and with a decent crowd, the match always seems better. No problems with this though. Will be interesting to see if Hogan sticks around this time. Michaels and Hogan for the tag team titles? Maybe if they’d put the belts on La Resistance earlier. Would seem weird to have them beat Hurricane and Rosey. Batista then retained his World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H. This match was slightly better than their disappointing Wrestlemania bout but I wasn’t a big fan of the finish. Triple H’s feud with Batista with following the same pattern as his feud with Benoit at this time last year. I hope Batista gets a decent run though. Overall, the quality of the matches was high on this show and it’s definitely a show I would recommend you to go and see. Lots of time spent on big matches rather than less time on more matches could be a good structure going forward. The best Backlash PPV up to now.

Overall Rating: 65/100 (ranked joint 27th out of 178)

Match Of The Night: Chris Benoit vs. Edge
Worst Match Of The Night: Kane vs. Viscera
Surprise Of The Night: New Tag Team Champions in The Hurricane & Rosey
Worst Booking Of The Night: The finish to Batista/Triple H
Superstar Of The Night: Batista
Backlash 2005 Will Be Remembered For: The return of Hulk Hogan and Batista establishing himself as World Heavyweight champion