(WWE via Getty Images)

Backlash 2025, WWE’s first premium live event since WrestleMania 41, took place on Saturday night in St. Louis. Despite the five-match card delivering majorly in the way of in-ring action, none of the four championships that were on the line changed hands and there were several finishes that ultimately took away from the brilliance of the contests themselves.

The night started out in a big way as Jacob Fatu put his United States Championship on the line in a Fatal Four-Way against LA Knight, Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest. In addition to being a contender for the best PLE match of 2025 so far, Fatu’s successful title defense came thanks to the debut of Jeff Cobb, adding a new wrinkle to the seemingly never-ending Bloodline story.

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Elsewhere, Dominik Mysterio and Lyra Valkyria retained their respective Intercontinental Championships in matches that were very solid but had finishes that involved distracted referees. Lynch’s loss to Valkyria continues the multi-time women’s champion’s descent as a heel while Mysterio’s win quells any Judgement Day dissent and advances the El Grande Americano story.

In the lone non-title match of the night, Gunther demolished Pat McAfee in a program that was entertaining but should be a one-off.

In the main event of the night, John Cena renewed his rivalry with Randy Orton, the hometown hero. The nearly 30-minute match was entertaining, featuring plenty of finishers and a trio of referee bumps. Much like the Intercontinental Championship matches, some of the shine from this match was taken away by the chaotic ending, which somewhat inexplicably featured a run-in from R-Truth. After picking up the win, Cena cut a promo saying he needs competition in WWE.

Here are the full results from Backlash:

John Cena defeats Randy Orton in 27:49 to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.

• Best spot: Combination Attitude Adjustment and RKO
• Analysis: Even with it being relatively obvious that there was going to be a messy finish and Cena was going to retain, the 17-time champion and Orton managed to deliver a very strong main event. There were completely unique spots, excellent chemistry and ring psychology on display, and we continue to see Cena work remarkably well as a heel. Was three referee bumps a little much? Sure, but it got us that fun segment with Orton delivering RKOs to Nick Aldis as well as a series of other WWE officials, and the fans enjoyed it. Are Cena’s antics (low blows, using the title) getting a bit repetitive? Yes, but as I hinted in a “SmackDown” recap a few weeks ago, I do think that’s part of the point Cena is making when he says he wants to “ruin wrestling.” The biggest reason I didn’t give this main event an “A” grade is because of R-Truth’s involvement. I understand there’s history there and it’s a funny, ongoing joke within WWE, but did it enhance the match at all? In my opinion, no. You could have gotten the same exact outcome without Truth’s run-in, and segments like the one they did at the post-show press conference would have hit harder without it. This match being billed as perhaps the last time we see Cena vs. Orton combined with Cena’s promo afterward, saying that he “needs competition,” leaves the door somewhat wide open for his next challenger. With Money in the Bank less than a month away, we’ll know a lot more about the Undisputed WWE Championship picture then.

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Gunther defeats Pat McAfee in 14:02.

• Best spot: McAfee’s moonsault landing and German suplex reversal
• Analysis: Nothing more or nothing less than it needed to be, Gunther gets back in the win column and McAfee didn’t get pinned or submitted by the Austrian giant. Gunther likely throws his hat into the ring for Money in the Bank and McAfee returns to the announce desk next to Michael Cole.

Dominik Mysterio defeats Penta in 9:21 to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

• Best spot: Mysterio’s suicide dive into tornado DDT
• Analysis: Considering this match only went a shade over nine minutes, it was intense and Mysterio continues to impress every time he steps into the ring. He’s a future world champion and is fully living up to the lofty expectations he faces because of his legendary father and deep-rooted history in professional wrestling. A lot like the Valkyria vs. Lynch match that went on with the referee shenanigans and the involvement of the Judgment Day and El Grande Americano took away from the brilliance of Mysterio and Penta. It’s safe to say we’ll get Penta vs. El Grande Americano in the very near future and the Judgment Day looks as strong as ever, even with Mysterio’s next opponent being a bit of mystery.

Lyra Valkyria defeats Becky Lynch in 18:43 to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

• Best spot: Valkyria’s stalling superplex
• Analysis: I wish I could split the grade for the in-ring work and the finish for this match. Valkyria and Lynch are two of the best in-ring performers WWE has on its roster today. This match had everything you could have wanted after what felt like a bit of a rushed build post-WrestleMania. From a technical standpoint, it was fantastic. From a storytelling standpoint, it was remarkable. And even though I picked Lynch to win, there’s no gripes on this front with the ultimate outcome as Valkyria truly embodies the spirit of the Intercontinental Championship in the sense that she’s a true “worker” in the WWE women’s division. So, why did this only get a B? Well, I didn’t love that Lynch got caught cheating on three separate occasions but was never disqualified — we’re expected to suspend disbelief in professional wrestling, not throw it completely out the window — and the finish appeared to happen very abruptly, including Lynch’s attack afterward. It’s unlikely we’re done here, which is a good thing, but I suspect we may get a Bayley detour for the increasingly heel Lynch.

Jacob Fatu defeats LA Knight, Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre in 17:54 to retain the United States Championship.

• Best spot: Priest’s South of Heaven to McIntyre through the tables
• Analysis: Easily the best match of the night — and one of the best on any PLE so far in 2025 — the opener delivered in every aspect you could’ve imagined. The action was fast-paced and hard-hitting, with all four men getting an opportunity to look strong during the match, and — importantly — moving forward. McIntyre had the United States Championship won before Priest cost him yet again, and then had the spot of the match by choke-slamming the Scottish Psychopath from the top of road cases through tables below. We’ll get to see this feud continue, which no one should complain about considering the quality of matches Priest and McIntyre can put on. As far as LA Knight goes, the involvement of Solo Sikoa and debut of Jeff Cobb protects him even though he’s been pinned at two PLEs in a row. He’s likely heading into the Money in the Bank ladder match next month. The most interesting thing coming out of this match, though, is Fatu’s confusion and uncertainty surrounding Sikoa and Cobb’s involvement. This should be an accelerant into fully turning Fatu into a storyline babyface to match the crowd’s love for him.

For complete coverage of WWE Backlash, follow Uncrowned’s live blog below: