Backlash 2001

Backlash 2001 Review


This show has the hardest job in the world of having to follow the greatest Wrestlemania of all time. I don't know much about this show aside from a couple of the matches I've seen before so I'm looking forward to this. Let's get started on Backlash.




The Dudley Boyz vs X Factor
X Factor seems like the most randomly put together team ever, featuring Albert, X-Pac and Justin Credible. I'm pretty sure that X-Pac wasn't relevant anymore anyway. Six man tags are usually a good way to fire up the crowd and this one did that well, although this crowd seemed to be obsessed with tables for some reason. It could have been longer and could have had a better finish that didn't deflate the crowd, but it was a fun tag match while it lasted and a good way to open the show. The crowd got their wish for tables in the end. **1/2



Rhyno vs Raven
The Hardcore Title is on the line. This is starting to feel like an ECW show. Well the Invasion was just around the corner. Kane lost this Title very quickly, but then again this is the Hardcore Title so it's probably changed hands hundreds of times over. This was actually a damn good match and better than I was expecting. I did like some of the spots like the involvement of the stacked up steel steps outside of the ring, and Rhyno goring the shopping cart looked cool as well. Hell there were even some nice nearfalls too. Good stuff from these guys. ***



Chris Jericho vs William Regal : Duchess of Queensbury Rules
Regal brings out the Duchess of Queensbury who has been shown backstage all night. Couldn't we just let these guys have a standard match? They performed fine in a normal match at Mania. The rules to this one aren't explained until the time limit for the first round apparently runs out when Jericho's about to win. Is this really needed here? Also apparently submissions do not count which seems strange since Regal tried them a couple of times. Regal didn't look too good here as he needed the Duchess to stop him losing three times. The match itself wasn't bad purely thanks to the talents of both athletes, but this really needed to be a different gimmick match. **1/4



Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit : Ultimate Submission Match
Benoit and Angle with a guaranteed thirty minutes against each other? Hell yeah! I'm gonna need some popcorn for this one. These guys had one of the best matches at Wrestlemania and Benoit wanted some revenge after Angle had to cheat for the win. This was very similar to their Mania match as it started off with some nice mat wrestling with Benoit constantly trying for the crossface but it didn't take long for the punches and the chops to be thrown. This was an awesome match and seeing these guys trying to outdo each other with their signature submissions (and even their opponent's submissions) was just a lot of fun. Any time these guys lock up it's a match worth talking about and this was no different. Easily the Match of the Night. ****



Shane McMahon vs The Big Show : Last Man Standing
I guess the McMahon vs McMahon storyline just had to continue. Show had decided to stay in the WWF with Vince instead of going to WCW. I guess this was before the Booker T vs Buff Bagwell match that stopped any chances of that happening. I did like the story here with Shane trying everything he could to keep the giant down, including a hell of a lot of weapon shots and even using chloroform to try and knock him out. I don't think the interference was really needed and it did disrupt the match quite a bit. The finish was awesome with Shane's death-defying drop from the top of the stage. Shane won but Show still looked strong in defeat. Pretty entertaining match overall. **3/4




Eddie Guerrero vs Matt Hardy vs Christian
The European Title is on the line. Matt only won the Title three days previously from Eddie. Don't know why Christian is involved then. Plus shouldn't Edge and Jeff be at ringside for their partners? Well they ended up doing the run ins at the end of the match so I guess that makes up for it. A short match but it was pretty good while it lasted and it even featured some innovative spots thanks to the athleticism of all three guys. Matt hits the Twist of Fate on Christian to retain the Title. **1/2



The Two Man Power Trip vs The Brothers of Destruction
This is a Winner Takes All match as the Power Trip is putting their IC and WWF Titles on the line and the BOD are putting their Tag Titles on the line. The winners will be ruling the WWF with all the major Titles unless it ends in a crappy DQ, but thankfully they didn't go down that path. This was a long match lasting around twenty-five minutes but surprisingly it never really became boring until some of HHH and Austin's heel heat segments but that was about it. It did get a bit overbooked at the end with some McMahons running interference but it was still a pretty fun match overall and a solid main event. ***1/4



6.5/10. A pretty good show here but it does feel like a bit of a letdown after a fantastic Wrestlemania. Still I'd say it's a show worth watching for a good main event and the Ultimate Submission match is definitely worth checking out although I'll admit it won't be to everyone's taste. There are no bad matches aside from a confusing Jericho/Regal match so it's a show worth wasting three hours with.