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Roman Reigns is atop the WWE world again after beating CM Punk at WrestleMania 42 to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but he'll put his title on the line Saturday night at Backlash against Jacob Fatu.
Here's everything you need to know about Backlash, including our match-by-match predictions.
Backlash will start at 6 p.m. ET at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.
In just a few short months since his polarizing reveal at Elimination Chamber, Danhausen has become a legitimate fan favorite - and a must-follow on Twitter for his regular backstage skits.
Given Danhausen's rising star power, there's no good reason why he should be losing on Saturday. The biggest question is who he'll have in his corner. Late rumors around X point to a possibility of Jelly Roll, which given the.... backlash surrounding celebrity involvement at WrestleMania 42 would be a bit of a disappointment. Alternatively, CM Punk is free on Saturday night, and his inclusion would make for a much better match.
Winner: Danhausen and his mystery partner.
The feud that likely should have been settled at WrestleMania 42 moves to Backlash, and we've seen some great cinematic segments in recent weeks featuring two of WWE's best in the women's division. The only issue? Kairi Sane, a pivotal part of this storyline as the abused underling of Asuka, was reportedly released as a part of WWE's annual post-WrestleMania cuts and hasn't been on WWE programming since.
The best-case scenario here is that Kairi Sane makes a surprise return in Tampa to settle the story. The "worst-case" scenario is that Iyo Sky and Asuka have an excellent match between themselves, which could easily steal the show. We'll see what happens.
Winner: Iyo Sky
The go-home edition of SmackDown on Friday night ended with a funeral for a gingerbread man, complete with a full-size casket in the ring. The gingerbread man, who was actually Lil Yachty, sat up Undertaker-style and proceeded to destroy Zayn with a candy cane-themed kendo stick.
This has been a weird story, but surprisingly more fun that it sounds on paper.
Winner: Trick Williams
This is the biggest toss-up match of the night, and you can make solid cases for each man to win. Breakker has been pegged as WWE's next big thing for a while now, and we should expect a brutal match that sets up further clashes down the road.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Here's where WWE could make things really interesting. Conventional wisdom says that Roman Reigns wins this match 100 percent of the time. He's the biggest star of his generation, he just recaptured the title at WrestleMania less than a month ago, and while Fatu has been brilliant since his arrival in 2024, he's not yet a proven entity as "the top guy."
Yet a Fatu win on Saturday opens up a wide range of storytelling opportunities and makes every PLE the rest of the summer that much more interesting as Reigns tries to get his title back. All that said, Reigns wins.
Winner: Roman Reigns
The first hour of WrestleMania 42 – the first two matches – will air on ESPN2 and ESPN's streaming service.
Afterward, Backlash will stream exclusively on ESPN's streaming service. Viewers can sign up for a subscription to the site here, which starts at $29.99 a month.
ESPN's service is available through select cable and TV packages, including:
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Backlash 2026 predictions for every match
Continue reading...
Here's everything you need to know about Backlash, including our match-by-match predictions.
What time does Backlash start?
Backlash will start at 6 p.m. ET at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Backlash full match card
- Danhausen and a mystery partner vs. The Miz and Kit Wilson
- Iyo Sky vs. Asuka
- Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
- Trick Williams (c) vs. Sami Zayn for the WWE United States Championship
- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
Backlash predictions: Danhausen (and mystery partner) vs. The Miz and Kit Wilson
In just a few short months since his polarizing reveal at Elimination Chamber, Danhausen has become a legitimate fan favorite - and a must-follow on Twitter for his regular backstage skits.
Given Danhausen's rising star power, there's no good reason why he should be losing on Saturday. The biggest question is who he'll have in his corner. Late rumors around X point to a possibility of Jelly Roll, which given the.... backlash surrounding celebrity involvement at WrestleMania 42 would be a bit of a disappointment. Alternatively, CM Punk is free on Saturday night, and his inclusion would make for a much better match.
Winner: Danhausen and his mystery partner.
Iyo Sky vs. Asuka
The feud that likely should have been settled at WrestleMania 42 moves to Backlash, and we've seen some great cinematic segments in recent weeks featuring two of WWE's best in the women's division. The only issue? Kairi Sane, a pivotal part of this storyline as the abused underling of Asuka, was reportedly released as a part of WWE's annual post-WrestleMania cuts and hasn't been on WWE programming since.
What I can say is I know there’s been a lot of speculation,
but I truly love this work, my teammates, and my fans.
I’ve never walked away, and I’ve given my all in everything I do.
I hope you’re all doing well
— Kairi Sane (@KAIRI_official) April 28, 2026
The best-case scenario here is that Kairi Sane makes a surprise return in Tampa to settle the story. The "worst-case" scenario is that Iyo Sky and Asuka have an excellent match between themselves, which could easily steal the show. We'll see what happens.
Winner: Iyo Sky
Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn
The go-home edition of SmackDown on Friday night ended with a funeral for a gingerbread man, complete with a full-size casket in the ring. The gingerbread man, who was actually Lil Yachty, sat up Undertaker-style and proceeded to destroy Zayn with a candy cane-themed kendo stick.
This has been a weird story, but surprisingly more fun that it sounds on paper.
Winner: Trick Williams
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
This is the biggest toss-up match of the night, and you can make solid cases for each man to win. Breakker has been pegged as WWE's next big thing for a while now, and we should expect a brutal match that sets up further clashes down the road.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu
Here's where WWE could make things really interesting. Conventional wisdom says that Roman Reigns wins this match 100 percent of the time. He's the biggest star of his generation, he just recaptured the title at WrestleMania less than a month ago, and while Fatu has been brilliant since his arrival in 2024, he's not yet a proven entity as "the top guy."
Yet a Fatu win on Saturday opens up a wide range of storytelling opportunities and makes every PLE the rest of the summer that much more interesting as Reigns tries to get his title back. All that said, Reigns wins.
Winner: Roman Reigns
How to watch WWE Backlash:
The first hour of WrestleMania 42 – the first two matches – will air on ESPN2 and ESPN's streaming service.
Afterward, Backlash will stream exclusively on ESPN's streaming service. Viewers can sign up for a subscription to the site here, which starts at $29.99 a month.
ESPN's service is available through select cable and TV packages, including:
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Backlash 2026 predictions for every match
Continue reading...
