Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Dallas Allsopp, Bodeen Green and Ben Williams will be previewing the 2020 edition of WWE Backlash.

Backlash 2020 is the next pay-per-view offering from WWE, and yet again there will be no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led WWE to advertise the greatest wrestling match ever between Randy Orton and Edge. But will it live up to the hype? Will Drew McIntyre’s fledgling reign as WWE Champion continue? And just what is going on with Raw’s women’s division?


ALLSOPP: In an ideal world this would be a hard hitting encounter with a number of near falls for Bobby Lashley, only for him to come up short. Drew McIntyre is admittedly the future of WWE, at least for the next few years. Therefore, it is vital for McIntyre to remain WWE Champion until fans are allowed to sit in attendance and gaze in awe at him. Lashley is a competent wrestler, but despite the improvement in his standing from his association with MVP, he is not ready for a run with the top belt.

GREEN: No way is Bobby Lashley winning the WWE Championship at Backlash. Drew McIntyre is nowhere near done with the belt, especially as his performances have been amazing during the empty arena situation. Lashley on the other hand just hasn't clicked yet. If WWE want Lashley to look as strong as he has been in the past, they need a long term solution to achieve this. The match itself should be fine, with both men being easily capable of putting on a fun 10 to 15 minute slugfest.

WILLIAMS: I’d like to say that Bobby Lashley has a chance to win the WWE Championship at Backlash because WWE have done a pretty solid job of making him look credible for the first time in about 2 years, but we cannot forget that Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. I cannot see a future where McIntyre loses the title he waited many years to capture in front of NXT superstars on a mediocre pay-per-view. I do hope they carry on utilising Lashley though, as MVP has breathed some new life into him, and I’d like to see it continue.


GREEN: As much as WWE are trying to build Nia Jax as a massive challenge for Asuka, this honestly just feels like a filler feud until WWE can come up with something better. Personally, I'd go for two options for SummerSlam. Number one is we see Shayna Baszler face Asuka, with Baszler coming out on top. Number two is seeing a break between Asuka and Kairi Sane, with Sane turning on her best friend. This should lead to an emotional Asuka not wanting to take down her former friend at SummerSlam.

WILLIAMS: Why is Nia Jax receiving title opportunities when something has gone wrong in every single match she has had since returning from injury after WrestleMania 36? This match better be quick and better end with Asuka submitting her opponent, who incidentally isn’t at Dana Brooke’s level at this moment in time, never mind at Raw Women’s Championship level. In terms of SummerSlam, it seems the inevitable storyline of Asuka definitively defeating Charlotte Flair is going to take place, and whilst I’m sure the match will be great, seeing Flair in yet another title match just doesn’t do it for me anymore... not that it ever did much for me in the beginning, but I digress.

ALLSOPP: I hate everything about this match. I despise how clunky and unsafe Nia Jax is in the ring. And I detest the absolute lack of attention given to Raw’s women’s division as a whole. Jax is pushed because of her family ties, but someone like Liv Morgan is a more appropriate challenger to Asuka. Yes, Morgan would have no chance of winning the Raw Women’s Championship, but she deserves a reward for putting time and effort into her character and in ring work. That is why I believe Morgan should challenge Asuka at SummerSlam, and with a long build she could easily come out of that match as a much better and stronger wrestler.


WILLIAMS: Is this match a running joke backstage that we just aren’t getting? There is no physical way that a match between two veterans in their 40's is going to be the greatest wrestling match ever, yet WWE has proceeded to tell us that it absolutely will be the greatest wrestling match ever a solid 86 times on each episode of Raw. It’s a shame as this story was one of the best at the start of 2020, with both men poised to claim the feud of the year. Sadly though, WWE has pulled their usual stunt of over producing everything and pushed this match so far down the pecking order that it doesn’t belong anywhere near the main event spot. A spot it will probably get.

ALLSOPP: This feud has been booked in reverse, as they should have initially had a regular match before progressing to a stipulation match. Neither wrestler is known as a top calibre worker, but they are both capable of great matches through their charisma or ring psychology work. Unfortunately, saddling the match with the greatest match of all time banner is a bad move, as there is no way in hell that they can live up to that expectation. Will they surpass the heights of CM Punk vs John Cena from Money in the Bank 2011? No. Not in a million years. Will it be better than most Randy Orton and Edge matches? Probably. But I’m certainly not waiting on the edge of my seat for this match.

GREEN: This has been the most illogical booking for a match I've seen in quite some time. Both Randy Orton and Edge have delivered amazing promos to make the match feel highly personal, however WWE’s advertising and promotion is making it feel like a dream match for the ages, especially with the painful greatest wrestling match ever moniker. I am still looking forward to watching the match, mainly due to the status of both men and their amazing promo work in recent times. I do feel like Orton is going to beat Edge, although I'm not sure the match will have a clean finish.