Latest Buzz Around: May 2007

Matches:
1.World Tag Team Champions The Hardys def. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

courtesy- http://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/photos/
The Hardys defeated Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch to open Backlash in a true contest of tag team specialists for the World Tag Team Championship. The high-flyers retained their titles, but they had their hands full in the process.

Cade & Murdoch gave Jeff & Matt all they could handle, withstanding an incredible high-risk offense from the World Tag Team Champions and controlling much of the match by hitting them with powerful blows to keep them grounded.

It took bending the rules on The Hardys’ part in order for them to retain the gold. When the referee was distracted by Matt and Cade outside of the ring, Jeff hit Murdoch with the Swanton Bomb despite not being tagged in. Matt climbed back into the squared circle for the cover, allowing The Hardys to escape with the victory.

"They're both tough and we knew we had our hands full tonight," Matt said. "We're happy with the results. The reign of Matt and Jeff continues to live on."
Source- www.wwe.com

2.Women's Champion Melina def. Mickie James
courtesy- http://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/photos/
When discussing the greatest rivalries, match ups like the Red Sox vs. Yankees and Coke vs. Pepsi inevitably come to mind. Now, the names of two of the Sexiest Women on Television can be added to the list: Melina and Mickie James.

Women’s Champion Melina has aggressively punished anyone who has attempted to take her coveted title, but that hasn’t deterred Mickie, who lost the Championship to Melina on Raw back in February. At Backlash, Mickie put up one heck of a fight, but couldn’t overcome Melina's relentless assault.

Throughout the match, Melina’s use of controversial techniques involving the ropes, pulling her challenger’s hair and even feigning an injury proved too much for fan-favorite Mickie. At one point in the highly athletic match, Mickie went to the top rope for a high-flying attack that thrilled the fans, but failed to stop Melina’s momentum. Moments later, a reverse DDT from Melina allowed the Women’s Champion to secure a pin and retain her title.

When WWE.com caught up with Melina after her match, she kept her statements short and to the point: “Like I’ve said before, to get this title you have to want it more than I do. Nobody wants it more than I do, so go ahead and try to take it away from me – you will fail.”
source- www.wwe.com

3.United States Champion Chris Benoit def. MVP
courtesy- http://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/photos/
Despite another excellent performance from the young and cocky Montel Vontavious Porter, United States Champion Chris Benoit was able to pull out a hard-earned victory to retain his title in front of his home crowd.
“It was a great feeling in my hometown. I got chills. The ovation our fans gave me was inspiring and heartfelt,” said Benoit. “I really want to thank our fans in Atlanta and all around the world for supporting me as United States Champion.”

MVP tried to take advantage by concentrating on Benoit’s surgically repaired neck, but the Rabid Wolverine had an answer for the offense in the end – even a submission maneuver applied by the ballin’ Superstar. Benoit pointed out, “MVP is improving on my game. It’s turned into a real chess match with him.”

Benoit said that “my confidence and experience brought me this victory.” It showed, as he was able to overcome the odds against the hungry MVP and get the victory via a small package – much to the delight of our fans at the sold-out Philips Arena in Atlanta.

While the rivalry between Porter and Benoit might be far from over, the Rabid Wolverine said he is ready for whatever comes his way.

“All comers, anyone who thinks he is man enough to beat me on the mat should step up to the plate.”
source- www.wwe.com

4.Mr. McMahon (pinfall), Shane McMahon & Umaga def. ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley (Handicap Match; new ECW World Champion)
courtesy- http://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/photos/
ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley thought he had the last laugh on Mr. McMahon when he defeated Umaga at WrestleMania 23 and was primarily responsible for the Chairman being shaved bald following the Battle of the Billionaires challenge. But tonight at Backlash, the maniacal boss laughed last and loudest when he – with the help of his son Shane McMahon and Umaga – took the ECW Championship away from Lashley in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match.

Lashley faced overwhelming odds – or as Mr. McMahon says, “no chance in hell” – in trying to retain his ECW Championship. Not only was he facing three men hell-bent on vengeance – the McMahons, who were trying to avenge their family name, and the Samoan Bulldozer, whose manager, Armando Estrada, was destroyed by Lashley and who lost his Intercontinental Championship to the unknown Santino Marella because of the Colorado powerhouse. But under the stipulations of the match, he could lose the championship if either of his opponents pinned him.

But while the evil trio shared a hatred for Lashley, there was a hint that there would be disagreement among the three on who would pin Lashley. Before the match, it appeared that Mr. McMahon and Shane wanted each other to have the championship, even though their eyes and smirks said otherwise.

But before the sold-out crowd at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, it became apparent that Mr. McMahon wanted to be the ECW World Champion. Shane McMahon and Umaga did all the work, systematically picking apart Lashley while the do rag-wearing Chairman barked encouragement from the corner. McMahon only tagged himself in when Lashley was most vulnerable or when it appeared that Shane would be pinned at one point.
Lashley nearly pulled out a miraculous victory. He showed the grit and heart that enabled him to stand up to Mr. McMahon for months and overcome so many opponents during his four-month championship reign.

But in the end, the former army sergeant learned a lesson that so many other foes of the Chairman have realized: Don’t cross the boss. The numbers game was too much for him. Our fans, Shane and even Umaga watched in shock after the Chairman tagged himself in and pinned Lashley after the champion endured a Samoan Spike, a shot to the head by Shane with the ECW World Championship, and two top rope splashes from the Samoan Bulldozer.

New ECW World Champion Mr. McMahon crowed with delight as he celebrated with Shane and Umaga and then ran across the ECW Originals, Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, and Sandman.

“How proud must you be of your new ECW World Champion?” the Chairman mocked the shocked quartet. “Because let me tell you something: no one is more extreme than Vincent Kennedy McMahon!”

With Mr. McMahon the new king of ECW, what does this mean to the Land of the Extreme? No one – especially ECW Originals – ever dreamed that Mr. McMahon would ever be the ECW World Champion. And everyone knows that the Chairman despises what the Originals – and the original incarnation of ECW – stand for and that he loves the New Breed.

These are dark days in ECW. Only the days and weeks to come will reveal what a McMahon championship reign will mean to the Land of the Extreme. But one thing is for sure – hell has indeed frozen over.
source- www.wwe.com

6.World Heavyweight Champion Undertaker vs. Batista (Draw; Last Man Standing Match)

courtesy- http://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/photos/

courtesy- http://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/photos/
World Heavyweight Champion Undertaker and Batista both walked into Philips Arena with plans of victory in the Last Man Standing Match, where the key to victory is to incapacitate your opponent to the point where they cannot answer a 10-count from the referee. However, both men were left battered and beaten, unable to answer referee Mickie Henson’s 10-count – resulting in a draw. (In the case of a draw, the championship leaves the same way it arrived, with the champion.)

In an incredibly brutal Last Man Standing Match, both The Phenom and The Animal pushed each other to the edge, and in the end, after numerous nail-biting nine-counts, neither was able to answer the count. A powerful spear from Batista sent both men flying off the Backlash stage and crashing to the ground below them causing the draw – and keeping the title with Undertaker.

The Deadman and The Animal have had a heated rivalry over the richest prize in the business, with each man pushing the other to the limit. After their WrestleMania 23 encounter, when Undertaker defeated Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship, Batista has been intense in his quest to regain the title. On this night, however, that intensity led to the draw and a missed opportunity for The Animal at regaining gold.
source- www.wwe.com

7.WWE Champion John Cena def. Edge, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels (Fatal Four Way Match)

courtesy- http://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/photos/

Backlash’s main event was a wild, chaotic brawl that featured four of the best Superstars in WWE; but in the end, John Cena once again overcame the odds, surviving the Fatal Four Way Match by pinning Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship.

The rules of a Fatal Four Way Match state that the first man to score a pinfall or submission is the winner, so Cena didn’t even have to be involved in the decision to lose the gold. Still, for the second year in a row, The Champ survived multiple opponents in Backlash’s main event to walk out as WWE Champion.

Alliances were made and broken several times during the bout, as Rated-RKO and Cena & HBK reunited at times to try to conquer the other two opponents. Of course, it ended up being every man for himself, as the lure of the WWE Championship was too much to make any alliance more than temporary. All four men had their individual time to shine during the match, but in a wild finish, it was actually an odd assist from HBK that helped Cena retain the gold.
In the waning moments, Cena had Orton set up for the FU, but The Legend Killer wriggled free. He then tried an RKO, but The Champ pushed him off, directly into the path of Edge’s spear. Cena then nailed Edge with the FU, but as he turned around, Michaels nailed The Champ with Sweet Chin Music. Cena fell backwards, but fortunately for him, he landed square on Orton’s still prone body. Michaels was unable to break up the pinfall in time, and Cena got the three-count to claim victory.
After the bout, HBK was livid, evidently feeling that the match was his and Cena once again stole the title back from his grasp. And while it was Michaels’ signature maneuver that led directly to the pinfall, it was more a case of unfortunate circumstances than an intentional action that ultimately sealed his demise.
Meanwhile, Cena was unapologetic after the match, reminding WWE.com that anything can and will happen in a WWE ring.
“These Fatal Four Ways are just that…it’s a car wreck. The rules clearly state that first pinfall or submission wins, and you have to be ready for that,” Cena confirmed. “You have to have eyes in the back of your head; you can’t just go out there and throw home runs and expect everything to hit.”
Cena added that even victory isn’t enough to change his stance on Fatal Four Way rules.
“Guys have snuck victories out of these things, and I hate these matches,” Cena admitted. “There’s people coming from every angle, you don’t have a friend in the world, and anyone can score a quick three-count at any time. I won the match knocked out; you have to know what you’re getting into. That’s the nature of the beast, and HBK knows better than that.”
Regardless of whether anyone likes it or not, one common phrase still rings true after Backlash: The Champ is still here.
source- www.wwe.com