WWE Backlash 2025 Results & Winners: John Cena retains, Gunther puts Pat McAfee to sleep, Becky Lynch attacks Lyra Valkyria & more
(Courtesy : WWE)
The first PLE after WrestleMania featured four title clashes!
The 2025 edition of WWE Backlash delivered an action-packed night of wrestling as it marked its 20th edition. The PLE took place on Saturday, May 10, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
The show followed WrestleMania 41, which featured two nights of unforgettable moments and multiple title changes. WWE aimed to recreate that excitement for fans, and the main event of the show saw John Cena defend the Undisputed title for the first time against Randy Orton.
Get to know what happened on the 2025 edition of the PLE, as we have the complete summary, highlights, results, and winners’ list for WWE Backlash 2025.
WWE Backlash 2025 Summary and Highlights
Jacob Fatu (c) vs LA Knight vs Damian Priest vs Drew McIntyre – WWE United States Championship Fatal Four-Way match
In the first match of the show, Jacob Fatu defended the United States Championship in a fatal four-way match against LA Knight, Damain Priest, and Drew McIntyre. As expected, the WrestleMania 41 animosity was still in the air as Knight and Fatu collided while Priest and McIntyre battled ringside to start the match.
The four stars delivered an amazing match to start the PLE, however, chaos broke out as Priest once again shattered McIntyre’s dream as he pulled the referee out of the ring to break the cover. This angers McIntyre, who goes after Priest and the two stars brawling through the crowd stands, which ends in Priest landing the South of Heaven Chokeslam from the production crate through a table.
Back in the ring, Knight battered Fatu and was very close to a win until Solo Sikoa appeared, removing Fatu from the announce desk as Knight was going to land a flying elbow through the table. Knight confronted Solo Sikoa, but the moment was interrupted when Jeff Cobb, the newest addition to the WWE roster, who was in the crowd, assaulted Knight, slamming him into the ring post.
Cobb then tossed Knight back into the ring, where Jacob Fatu came face-to-face with both Cobb and Sikoa. Solo gave the signal, motioning for Cobb to enter the ring and finish the match. Still confused, Fatu went for a buckle bomb, followed by the moonsault from the top rope to retain the title in the fatal four-way.
Lyra Valkyria (c) vs Becky Lynch – WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship match
The Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria defended the title for the fifth time, this time against one of her idols and one greatest to ever do it, Becky Lynch. The veteran showcased her skills to get the better of the Champion, who refused to quit and continued to fight despite eating the manhandle slam.
In the final moments of the match, Lynch attempted to slam Lyra onto the exposed turnbuckle, but referee Jessica Carr paused the action to fix the padding. As Carr stepped in, Lyra took advantage and hit the Nightwing. Carr quickly returned to count the pin, but Lynch kicked out at two.
However, it all went downhill for Becky when a roll-up cover was countered by the Champion, who managed to get the three count to retain the title against Lynch. After the match, Lynch snapped and attacked Lyra, locking in the Dis-Arm-Her. Security, officials, and General Manager Adam Pearce rushed to the ring to break the hold. Becky eventually released it, while Pearce and the officials checked on the champion.
Dominik Mysterio (c) vs Penta – WWE Intercontinental Championship match
In a rematch from their first meeting on Raw after WrestleMania, Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio battled Penta. While initially, Dirty Dom’s Judgment Day members left him alone to battle the luchador, they quickly came around when things got tough for Misterio.
Carlito came around to distract the official as Finn Balor and JD McDonagh emerged through the crowd, with JD holding Penta in place as Balor lined up a shot, only to change his mind and grab a steel chair instead. Balor was prepared to strike, but it was too late as the referee caught him in the act and ejected all three men from the ringside.
While they argued on the ramp, Penta launched himself with a suicide dive, taking out the trio. Penta then went for the finish, but Balor returned to cause a distraction. Suddenly, El Grande Americano appeared out of nowhere and landed a brutal headbutt, likely using the metal plate in his mask, to knock out Penta. Dominik capitalized, hitting a top-rope frog splash to pin Penta again and retain the IC title.
Gunther vs Pat McAfee
From the moment the bell rang, the clash had a personal feel. Michael Cole, long known for keeping his commentary neutral, openly declared his bias, rallying behind his close friend Pat McAfee in what felt more like a battle of heart versus brutality than your average wrestling match.
However, it was all in vain as the Ring General shot down every offense from McAfee, who showcased his agility, ducking multiple shots but failing to land damaging shots of his own. Gunther made the match more personal as he pulled Michael Cole from the ringside.
McAfee came to life as he landed a vicious kick on the Champion, Cole even tried to help McAfee get the pin on Gunther, which failed as Gunther locked in the sleeper hold. McAfee tried to fight out of it, only for the Ring General to sink it in deeper, putting McAfee to sleep and getting back into the win column.
After the match, McAfee got back to his feet with Michael Cole by his side. In a show of respect, Gunther acknowledged McAfee before turning and leaving the ring.
John Cena (c) vs Randy Orton -Undisputed WWE Championship match
In the main event, John Cena defended the Undisputed title for the first time against his career-long rival Randy Orton, in what was dubbed as the ‘final battle’. The St. Louis was firmly behind the hometown hero as the Viper soaked in all the love from the fans.
Despite their age, the two legends put on an amazing show by pushing each other to the limit. While the match started with a slow pace, it gained momentum quickly, prompting Cena to walk out and take a count-out loss to retain his title, but Orton wasn’t about to let him escape that easily.
The match saw multiple RKOs and Attitude Adjutments, even by the opposing parties as Orton landed two AAs, one of which sent Cena crashing on the announce desk and the other one on the tables. The match also saw two officials getting injured as Cena pushed Orton twice onto the two officials and took out one who recovered with a title shot as Orton ducked.
General Manager Nick Aldis, along with officials, came in to check on the official and calm down Orton who fired back, taking down the GM with an RKO, the officials received the same treatment as Orton took everyone down with multiple RKOs. The Viper then went for the punt kick to finish the match but R-Truth came down to the ring to halt the offense, but ate an RKO for his troubles.
However, Cena capitalized on it to land a low blow followed by a vicious title shot to the face to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship in the main event of Backlash 2025.
After the match, Cena grabbed the mic and shouted at production to cut the music. Climbing the ropes, he declared that he didn’t need entrance music or the crowd; what he needed was real competition. Once again, he reminded everyone that this is what the last real Champion looks like. The crowd showered him with boos as the show came to an end.
WWE Backlash 2025 Results
- Jacob Fatu (c) defeated LA Knight, Damian Priest & Drew McIntyre – WWE United States Championship Fatal Four-Way match
- Lyra Valkyria (c) pinned Becky Lynch – WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship match
- Dominik Mysterio (c) defeated Penta – WWE Intercontinental Championship match
- Gunther defeated Pat McAfee
- John Cena (c) pinned Randy Orton -Undisputed WWE Championship match
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Abhijit Singh is a budding sports journalist with over three years of experience in the field, and a photographer capturing stories through his lens since 2018. With a background in philosophy and political science, he brings a thoughtful, analytical edge to his reporting where every word is guided by curiosity and intent. Whether he's capturing the emotion of a moment or unpacking the deeper narratives within the game, Abhijit’s work is rooted in insight and passion. When he’s not covering sports, he’s often exploring new ideas through reading, traveling or just procrastinating.
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