John Cena & Randy Orton Set Backlash Main Event on WWE Smackdown

In sports and entertainment, there are moments when an individual raises the bar and exceeds expectations. If you’re alive and well, then you know of the Jordans, Ali, LeBron, Jeter, and Kobes of the world who defined themselves as GOATS of the era time and time again on their respective playing field.

Tonight, John Cena reminded everyone that he is that GOAT in the world of professional wrestling. After vowing to ruin wrestling, it ended up being The Rock who ‘ruined Mania’ with his no-show on night two. The backlash for that no-show was bad enough that Rocky felt obliged to make a post-Mania appearance on Pat McAfee’s podcast—friendly terrain.

The ‘damage control’ interview worsened things as Rock willfully tore down the fourth (and even 5^th) walls on the show to escape responsibility. The excuses he made somehow managed to hurt Mania days after it concluded.

So, when Cena came out tonight after his RAW After Mania promo ended in him being RKO’d ‘outta nowhere,’ fans were unsure how to feel about the remainder of Cena’s 25 dates. With his last Mania considered a flop by creative standards (and certainly not accountable metrics like views and sales on the weekend), how could these two old dogs make us care about a feud that was turned into a joke after years of repeat matchups and bookings?

Randy came out trying to be friendly, acknowledging his respect for Cena based on their shared history in and out of the ring. He said he knew Cena had to have felt something from each one of the kids he met on his ‘record-breaking’ meet and greets for the Make a Wish Foundation.

That is when Randy said he figured out how to give Cena the ‘purpose’ he is looking for by suggesting he finally have children. Cena has famously said he never wanted kids, a storyline that was used during his time on the show Total Divas starring his girlfriend at the time, Nikki Bella. After Cena announced his retirement tour, right-wing podcasts began running with the narrative that Cena is ‘selfish’ for choosing not to have children, and the story picked up steam with a very specific crowd.

The treatment of Cena over this issue is unfair, so it was as powerful as it was confusing for the face of the program to use that narrative. Still, it got the heat he wanted, and Cena took the bait by claiming that he never had kids because he was ‘too busy raising the fans’ children.’

Somewhere in the promo, Randy took issue with Cena, claiming he wanted to ruin the sport that has employed generations of his family and allowed him to take care of his entire family for life. Cena told Randy that he would erase three generations of his family, yet this was the extra stuff to the ‘clickbait’ theme.

Randy would eventually challenge for the title, and Cena would agree, but he said he wanted it settled at Backlash (Cena’s next scheduled PLE appearance). Backlash is in St. Louis, where Orton is from, and Cena said he ‘needs Randy Orton at his best’ so that there will be no excuses when he loses to the “last real champion,” according to Cena.

This storyline has started on a terrific foot and has plenty of options and routes it can take to tell a story of epic proportions. These guys deserve this spot, and there is no debating that, but at this stage in their career, and with all of their experience, this is the feud that matters more than the rest combined. Here are two men with nothing but experience in their respective roles as face or heel, and they have now switched roles in a meaningful way.

We Finally Got A Cena/R-Truth Backstage Segment

Social media has been screaming their desire to see R-Truth on TV with his ‘hero’ John Cena, ever since Cena’s heel turn at EC and subsequent title win at Mania. The backstage segment was out of nowhere, and there was no context to set it up. We just returned from a Rollins/Heyman/Breakker recap, and there was Cena walking with his title draped over his shoulder. Then, Truth ‘pulled up’ on Cena, which startled the 17-time champ.

Truth immediately let Cena know he was so happy for his record-breaking title win over Cody at WrestleMania. “You been my hero from the beginning,” Truth admitted to John. “I always root for you. If you need me at any time, give me a call.” Cena just stared back silently, allowing his startled face to speak for him.

Just like that, Cena was off-screen, and Jimmy Uso was on screen asking when ‘Cena got so wack,’ Truth wisely reminded Jimmy that there are always ‘two sides to every story’ before admitting he wants to be like the champ ‘when he grows up’ in what was the funniest line of 2025. Jimmy tried to yell at Truth, but he was already back in his own world—still, it was nice for him to grant us an appearance.

Truth just laid the foundation for a potential heel turn/faction member storyline with Cena, or, maybe better, an in-ring segment where everyone’s favorite Truth is violently disposed of by his own hero. Either way, this is terrific, and if Trips knows what’s good for business, he will see this brief cameo all the way through.

New Season, Same Women’s Roster Bookings

Tiffany Stratton received her ‘time’ on the mic after retaining her women’s world title against the self-proclaimed ‘GOAT’ Charlotte Flair at WM41: Night Two. It was difficult to decern from Tiffy the heel and Tiffy the face, and that is a similar theme to her entire MITB briefcase run where she heeled it up with Nia Jax on weekly WWE TV but then would tease a ‘face-turning cash-in’ and too much fanfare, in nearly every 2024 PLE finale she was a part of while Nia held the title.

Jade Cargill, fresh off her own singles win at Mania over Naomi, came out to lay down the challenge, and a singles match was booked soon after—non-title, of course.

The match was complex, on one hand, not fluid enough for expected title challengers, and, on the other, better than expected. Jade looked strong in the early going with a sequence that ended with the champ on the bad end of a sit-down powerbomb. There was some clunkiness, but Jade is excelling in her role, even if it is still limited.

One interesting moment on commentary was hearing ‘Bad News’ Barrett acknowledge the ‘Jade being carried’ narrative. He admitted that there were questions about Jade’s ability and growth and whether she was being hidden behind an established star like Belair. They must have allowed the narrative on commentary because they like what they’re seeing from Jade, and so are the live audiences.

Naomi would interfere in the match, even though Jade claimed early in her promo that she ‘was done with Naomi business.’ After that program was clearly reestablished, WWE pulled the trigger on a very 2024 program as Nia Jax entered the ring to beat down the champ. This booking is uninspired, even if it is predictable. WWE needs to know that just seeing Jade mix it up with Tiffy got over for simply being new and different.

Jacob Fatu Steals The Show At Mania, Then Steals Solo’s Spot On SD

It was a fantastic Mania debut for the “Samoan Werewolf,” who picked up the U.S. title on night one against the now former champ LA Knight. Sure, Fatu was around for the biggest post-Mania storyline of last year, but he was a role-player amongst proven stars like Roman, Punk, and Sami Uce. That Survivor Series main event against the aforementioned superstars did not mean as much as his ‘solo Manai win’ because, throughout all that time, the storyline was focused on Solo.

The argument will be that any TV time shared with the likes of CM Punk and Roman Reigns, especially when booked to be dominant, is more valuable for the experience and eyeballs. And if Fatu’s future reminded me more of D-Lo Brown than it did Ron Simmons, then being booked as a perpetual faction soldier means matches like 10-men gimmick matches for the ‘other top PLEs’ is as good as it gets.

However, Fatu has real heat inside a room with ceilings so high that it is entirely possible that you’re staring at the open sky because he is a potential mega-star. Plus, being able to go into Mania night one and steal the show with a guy like LA Knight (because he has little Mania experience and NOT because he is unable ‘to go’) adds distinction to the win.

Where will Solo Go?

Tonight, Solo led the segment first on the mic, and instead of giving his family the flowers he deserved, he began taking credit for what Fatu was able to accomplish at Mania. Fatu could be seen in the frame staring daggers at Solo before straight up snatching the mic and making it clear that he simply did what he said he would.

The tensions have bubbled since their Survivor Series loss that led to the injury of two Bloodline members, and the faction has not been the same. Things have calmed while on the ‘road to Mania,’ but the Fatu title win might have been the final straw for Solo, who until now has mostly backed down when pressed by Jacob. Solo attempting to assert his authority at a point where Fatu’s confidence has grown—not to mention his ability to navigate the WWE waters on both sides of Gorilla—feels like bad timing, but the character would take irreparable damage without at least putting up a fight.

Fatu’s First Defense Against…

LA Knight made his way out during their promos, just in time to defuse a potentially implosive situation, and demanded his rematch. Later, Drew McIntyre made his way out to bury Cena and challenge ‘the baddest dogs in the yard.’ The Cena line was important because it gives importance to the mid-card title as a ‘tough guy’ belt, much like the IC title, which has traditionally functioned as the ‘workhorse’ title.

Aldis came out to book a number one contender match for later in the evening to determine Fatu’s first defense, so it appears as though the build to a potential Fatu-Solo match will have to wait—smart considering creative will feel the need to turn one of them for the program to work. It just doesn’t feel like either of them is better off as a face now.

LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre

The match was great when there was a chance that the most consistent talent on the roster, McIntyre, still had a chance to enter into a program with Fatu and Co. But the match was null in void after Priest interfered and caused the DQ. Priest, who lost a very physical match to McIntyre at Mania, returned to establish his feud.

BackLash is typically used to ‘settle Mania scores,’ but WWE has to realize that running back every single program is a nonsensical way of booking, lazy even. In what could have been two separate amazing first-title feuds for Fatu, we are left with the very likely LA Knight rematch. Knight does not deserve a ‘title rematch’ because Fatu was a mandatory, and you do not get a rematch just because you lost a match you’re supposed to have.

The Street Profits(c) vs. DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Three of the best tag teams currently active put on one of the best post-Mania show main events in company history. Nothing is as ever good as the original, or so they say, but holding these teams to the classics produced by the TLC originators is unfair anyway. The match was set up last week, and many fans wondered why a match like this would not land on ‘The Show of Shows.’

It was wise for WWE to save something for the shows after Mania, and these teams went out to prove how foolish it would be to leave them out next year. After incredible single matches since December/January, the culmination of this feud was filled with spots while still achieving a meaningful match story.

You always think you have seen it all when it comes to TLC matches, but the climax of this match proved that wrong. We saw a frog splash from the ladder through the table and even a skull and bones through the table, but the midair spear from Dawkins created the momentum for their win.

Montez Ford was stuck between ladder rungs as Johnny Gargano super kicked him as an open target, but he rallied and managed to climb the ladder through the middle as both Gargano and Alex Shelly climbed each of the ‘traditional’ sides. The Street Profits retained, but each team raised its profile in a match that rivaled NXT’s glory days.

Chelsea Green vs. Zelina Vega—United States Title

The match was set up last week as a teaser for the Smackdown after Mania, and it really felt like the momentum was with Vega heading into the title bout. The storyline for Green has been her having to ‘get on’ without the help of her ‘She-Cret Service.’ The ladies did not get a tone of time, but it worked well for the story when Green was beaten almost immediately after her crew was booted from ringside. The U.S. title win is the first title on Vega’s WWE resume, but it will be difficult to outdo Chelsea’s incredible work with the inaugural title run. (Editor’s Note: Zelina Vega wins the U.S. title on the same night her real-life husband, Alister Black, makes his return to WWE)

Post-Mania Debuts Continue

The Miz was upset on SmackDown after being left off the Mania card even though his tag partner won the “Andre the Giant” Battle Royal. Miz came out to ‘get his moment’ and started by crapping on John Cena, again, before running down the various programs that he could have been used like Orton being left opponent less the week before Mania and still not getting the nod.

The Orton match went to the ‘mystery opponent’ that was Joe Hendry, and The Miz got his wish granted in reverse order as, tonight, he played the role of Orton and got a ‘mystery opponent’ of sorts. Alister Black returned to a frenzied reaction, rising from under the stage like he did in his first run for the company. The entrance was five times longer than the actual ‘in-ring segment’ as Black delivered one of his signature strikes to Miz.

Fraxiom vs. Los Garza (of Legado Del Fantasma)

After both Axiom and Nathan Frazer received critical acclaim for their debut matches in singles action on WWE TV, they made an official ‘callup’ debut as a tag team. They faced off against Los Garza, the members of the Santos Escobar-led faction. Escobar has been tearing into his team for the past several weeks, especially following Humberto’s loss to another debuting superstar, Rey Fenix. Fraxiom got the win and looked great in a perfectly matched showcase, but like the Fenix win, it seems like the losers of the match are receiving the direction as Escobar continues to diminish his faction, building to a possible split that leaves Los Garza face.

Other Tidbits/In-Ring Action

• Bianca Belair set the stage for a potential comeback feud with Rhea Ripley in a backstage interview with Byron.