2025 WWE Backlash: St. Louis Predictions

Tonight is WWE’s Backlash in St. Louis, where we may see Randy Orton win another world championship in his hometown or be greatly disappointed. I know I have been slacking with the weekly reviews recently, but here are my predictions for the first PPV/PLE since Wrestlemania 41.

Intercontinental Championship Match: Dominik Mysterio (Champion) vs. Penta

Dirty Dom has his first PPV/PLE title defense tonight, putting the IC title up against Penta. Hopefully, this will be a good match, and as much as we want Penta to leave Backlash as the new champion, I am going with Dirty Dom with some help from the Judgement Day to steal a win and retain his championship.

Winner: Dominik Mysterio retains

WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Lyra Valkyria (Champion) vs. Becky Lynch

Lyra Valkyria will have a chance to make a splash tonight as she defends the still-new women’s IC title against one of the original four horsewomen and mentor Becky Lynch. Lynch’s surprise turn since her return finally got this inevitable match-up to happen now. At the same time, Valkyria is a good wrestler; her reign as the first women’s IC champ has not been as revered as Chelsea Green’s and her women’s US title reign, making this match pivotal. I want this rivalry to be throughout the summer because it can be a good one, so I am going with “Back in Business” Bex to win the match and become the new women’s IC champion until a returning Bayley attacks Lynch for taking Bayley during WrestleMania weekend.

Winner:Becky Lynch wins #AndNew

Gunther vs. Pat McAfee

Pat McAfee returns to the ring tonight to face an angry Gunther. Gunther has been unhinged since his loss at Wrestlemania to Jey Uso, where he tried to choke out Michael Cole until McAfee jumped in to defend his friend, only to be choked out. McAfee challenged the Ring General to a match. This match may not be what some fans wanted or expected, but I hope it will be a fun match because McAfee’s in-ring performances have been good.

As much as McAfee is popular with fans, the only outcome I see is Gunther brutally beating Pat McAfee into submission. But could we see Goldberg tonight to finally give us the potential dream match with Gunther? Personally, I doubt that, but it wouldn’t be a bad thing if he showed up to defend McAfee and Cole.

Winner: Gunther

Fatal 4-Way United States Championship Match: Jacob Fatu (Champion) vs. LA Knight vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre

The US title post Wrestlemania has been awesome! The Samoan Werewolf with gold just looks right but the challengers have made the US title feel like the main event thing on  Friday nights. Fatu with help from his “tribal chief” Solo Sikoa has been able to keep the title, but tonight Fatu could lose it. Knight, Priest, and McIntyre would all be great US champions certainly elevating the championship, but I will not bet against Jacon Fatu who will win and retain the US title in the match of night for Backlash.

Wimmer: Jacob Fatu retains #YADDDDAMEANNNN

Undisputed WWE Championship Match: John Cena (Champion) vs. Randy Orton

Our main event will also be the last time we these two legends face off, John Cena the last real champion defends his newly won undisputed WWE championship against Randy Orton in Orton’s hometown of St. Louis. The response or backlash (I had to do it folks) to Cena’s win over Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania has been polarizing which shouldn’t be shocking since it involves the now 17x World Champion. Orton has gotten the last laugh against Cena going into tonight where an RKO and pin would make Orton the new champ.

However, I do not think that will happen tonight. I hope we get a callback to one of their earlier matches in this rivalry (No Way Out 2008) where a once evil Orton got himself disqualified to lose the match to John Cena but retain the title. A big part of me wants that situation to occur again with this time Cena on his quest to ruin wrestling for everyone, takes away the big moment and opportunity away from Orton and the hometown crowd as finds a way to get himself DQ’d losing the match but not the championship like Orton did to him so many years ago. The night ends with the last real champion walking out of Backlash victorious, ruining the night for everyone but him.

Winner: Randy Orton by DQ, but Cena retains the title