Greatest WWE Backlash matches ever: Dave Meltzer Star Ratings

WWE Backlash Dave Meltzer Star Ratings Best Ever

WWE Backlash can be a really odd show. Considering that it has traditionally been the first PPV/PLE to take place following WrestleMania, there are sometimes a ton of rematches and re-hashed moments from the Mania that preceded it. Sometimes though, the company decides to give some talent more time in the ring and more of chance to have a genuine classic, with the pressures of not having to cater more to a ‘mainstream’ audience like they feel they need to for WrestleMania.

Here I’ll go through the top WWE Backlash matches in the history of the show, and I’ll include Dave Meltzer’s ratings and thoughts along the way.

Best Backlash Matches Ever

5. Triple H vs. The Rock – Backlash 2000

This was the match that should’ve headlined WrestleMania 2000, but at least we got it at Backlash. Although hampered by the crowd looking to the entranceway awaiting the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin, it’s still a great match that should’ve headlined a month prior.

Meltzer Rating: 3.75 stars

4. Scotty 2 Hotty vs Dean Malenko – Backlash 2000

A genuine hidden gem and a match that you might not expect to see here considering who was in it. That’s no dig on Scotty 2 Hotty, but he was known at the time as being a tag team guy. This Light Heavyweight title match is one of the best of the era and well worth going back to check out.

Meltzer Rating: 4 stars

3. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz – Backlash 2018

Backlash 2018 was not a good show by any stretch of the imagination. However, Rollins and Miz had a great IC title that helped to elevate the title further during a time that the company desperately needed to rehab the midcard title.

Meltzer Rating: 4.25 stars

2. Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack – Backlash 2004

In the same way that Cactus Jack made Triple H as a top-tier main eventer at Royal Rumble 2000, he did the same here for Randy Orton. The two stars went back and forth in a brutal Hardcore match that showed Randy could keep up with the best of them, and even three years after Foley ‘retired’ he proved that he could turn it on when it counted.

Meltzer Rating: 4.5 stars

1. Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles – Backlash 2024

Everything about this match fell just right. The performers, the crowd, the pacing of the match were spot on and these two men produced arguably one of the greatest WWE Championship matches in history, let alone in Backlash history.

Meltzer Rating: 5 stars

Jake Skudder
Jake Skudder

Jake is an SEO-minded Football, Combat Sports, Gaming and Pro Wrestling writer, successful Editor in Chief, Sports SEO Coordinator for NationalWorld and SEO Writer for F4Wonline.com. He has more than ten years of experience covering mixed martial arts, pro wrestling, football and gaming across a number of publications, starting at SEScoops in 2012 under the name Jake Jeremy. His work has also been featured on Wrestling Headlines, Wrestlingnewsco, HotNewHipHop, The Hard Times and Sportskeeda.

Previously, he worked as the Editor in Chief of 24Wrestling, building the site profile with a view to selling the domain, which was accomplished in 2019. Jake was previously the Editor in Chief for FightFans, a combat sports and pro wrestling site that was launched in January 2021 and broke into millions of pageviews within the first two years. He previously worked for Snack Media and their GiveMeSport site, creating Evergreen and Trending content that would deliver pageviews via Google as the UFC and MMA SEO Lead. Jake managed to take an area of GiveMeSport that had zero traction on Organic and push it to audiences across the globe. Jake also has a record of long-term video and written interview content with the likes of the Professional Fighters League, ONE and Cage Warriors, working directly with the brands to promote bouts, fighters and special events.

He previously worked for the (then) biggest independent wrestling company in the UK, PROGRESS Wrestling, as PR Head and Head of Media across the social channels of the company.