After pressing play, you kick your feet back, dig into those pizza rolls and begin your journey towards Wrestlemania 23 as the
BACKLASH logo flashes across the screen…
You are at the very beginning your journey through
THE IMMORTAL TIMELINE! This Chapter will cover the first Pay-Per-View following Wrestlemania 22- Backlash! The ride may seem quiet for now, but that will all change, so buckle up!
We are welcomed by the Raw commentary team of Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler. The two are standing in front of a large television screen showing the Backlash logo. They are excited to get us caught up from the beginning, as the Backlash show kicked off the unofficial “New Year” of the WWE…
The following is narrated by both Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, with clips from the hype being shown throughout…
“The king grinned red as he walked from the place…”
Reigning
WWE Champion John Cena may won the battle against
“The King of Kings” Triple H at Wrestlemania 22, but he certainly did not win the war…at least, not quite yet. Following Wrestlemania 22, “The Game” made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t going anywhere, and was primed to take back his seat at the head of Monday Night RAW.
John Cena, known to be a fighting champion, quickly accepted Triple H’s challenge for a rematch at Backlash, and the blood feud that started before Wrestlemania 22 was far from over.
A No-DQ stipulation was added to the match, making sure that the carnage would end once and for all at Backlash!
John Cena took a different approach, by saying that he respected Triple H and out of respect to the legend, he would offer him a re-match at Backlash! However, on the go-home show, Triple H took things way too far…
Following a victory over Charie Haas, WWE Champion John Cena celebrated with his coveted WWE title until Triple H ran down, sledgehammer in tow. Cena had his back facing Triple H, and that was just the window Triple H needed to begin his beatdown.
Triple H knocked Cena off the ropes, and began ramming the sledgehammer into Cena’s ribs. “The Game” then brought the onslaught to a fever pitch when
HE SLAMMED THE SLEDGEHAMMER RIGHT INTO JOHN CENA’S FOREHEAD!!
Blood poured from Cena’s head as Triple H stood tall over him, reminding John Cena that he was “The King of Kings” and that John Cena was to expect a different outcome when the two squared off at Backlash!
In a
WWE.com exclusive, Triple H doubled down on his beating when he didn’t mince words about John Cena…
“John Cena! Let me remind you who has the keys to this castle. I’m not looking for a charity match. You can respect me all you want, but at the end of the day, your respect for me is as empty as your head is right now after I blasted my sledgehammer into it! Tonight was just a TASTE of what you should expect to walk into Sunday night at Backlash, as I come to re-claim my throne!”
Heading into Backlash, one thing was for certain, and that was Triple H was a very dangerous man at the current moment. Between his loss on the grandest stage of them all at Wrestlemania 22 and his actions of destroying John Cena with his sledgehammer made it apparent that “The King of Kings” was primed and ready to beat John Cena at Backlash!
“A bitter place, and a broken dream…”
“The Rated R Superstar” Edge enjoyed a very hard-fought victory over Mick Foley at Wrestlemania 22. However, Edge left Wrestlemania 22 with a bitter taste in his mouth watching John Cena hoist up the WWE Championship that was around his waist just a few short months earlier.
There was no doubt in anybody’s mind that the Hardcore Match Edge endured against Mick Foley changed him forever. It had brought out a darker, extreme, and more brutally honest side of Edge. This was very apparent following Wrestlemania 22 as Edge made it crystal clear that he still had intentions on taking down John Cena and winning back the WWE Championship…
In a scathing promo, Edge proclaimed that the only thing he needed right now was a title shot. If he couldn’t get a 1 on 1 match with John Cena, then he wanted the next best thing-
Rob Van Dam and his newly won Money in the Bank Briefcase!
“See, RVD, you don’t bring honor to the briefcase. You don’t bring respect to the briefcase. You don’t bring prestige to the briefcase…you bring absolutely nothing to that briefcase! You are simply a novelty act that in about three months will run its course and everybody will forget you even HAD the briefcase to begin with…You’re nothing like me…and right now, I am still THE guy on Monday Night RAW…no…I’m the best wrestler in the WWE….better yet, I’m the best wrestler in THE WORLD today! And I will do whatever it takes to regain the power I held…with MY briefcase in MY possession…”
The camera then zoomed in on “The Rated R Superstar’s” face…
“And mark my words. I’m saying this now, and I’m only saying this once. Somehow, some way, I WILL get MY briefcase back…and I WILL walk out of next year’s Wrestlemania 23 as the WWE CHAMPION!”
From there, Rob Van Dam responded by telling Edge that he had never backed down from a fight in his life, and a fight from a second-rate wannabe hardcore wrestler would certainly not turn him away. RVD was so confident in his ability to beat Edge that he even put his Money in the Bank Briefcase on the line in a match at Backlash!
Rob Van Dam was one of the hottest superstars in the WWE during April of 2006, and the confidence he brought with him was sky high. But, was RVD possibly a bit over-zealous in putting his freshly won Money in the Bank Briefcase on the line just weeks after winning it? Edge had proven that he had what it took to carry the WWE, and whether you loved him or hated him, he had proven that he can be THE guy once the bell rings.
“You’re gonna wish that GOD was your tag team partner!”
“The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels and the owner of the WWE,
Vince McMahon went to WAR at Wrestlemania 22, with Michaels outlasting not only Vince, but also all five members of The Spirit Squad, and Shane McMahon. However, HBK may have won the battle, but the war waged by the billionaire Vince McMahon still brewed on. Vince McMahon had made it abundantly clear numerous times that he wanted to destroy Shawn Michaels once and for all, put him on the shelf indefinitely and end his WWE career. However, Shawn Michaels had proven time and time again during his war with Vince McMahon that he was still in peak shape, at the top of his game, and not going anywhere any time soon.
HBK, starting to show his playful D-Generation X side a little more with each passing week on RAW, continued having fun at Vince and Shane’s expense. Vince responded by sticking The Sprit Squad on Shawn at every possible chance he could get. The games continued until finally McMahon took things a step further when he decided to make a match for Backlash- A 2 on 1 Handicap Match pitting Vince and his son Shane up against Shawn Michaels!
“Shawn Michaels, we’re gonna stack the odds against you in ways that you couldn’t even imagine! Come Backlash, you’re gonna wish that GOD was your tag team partner, because you’re gonna need all the prayers in the world to make it out of Backlash on your own two feet!”
Shawn Michaels found himself in familiar territory heading into Backlash. Seven men gunning for his head simultaneously, while somehow figuring out a way to stave them all off. Could Shawn Michaels walk out of Backlash with another win over The Chairman? Or would the power of Vince, Shane AND The Spirit Squad be too much for HBK to overcome?
“Going for it all, I’m just trying to be the best!”
Reigning
Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin defeated
“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair back in February to regain the Intercontinental title. Following an unsuccessful run for both men in the Money in the Bank match at Wrestlemania 22, they were back entangled in a feud over Benjamin’s title.
Shelton Benjamin had turned over a new leaf since Wrestlemania 22, ditching his mama in the process. Shelton was keen on proving to the world that he doesn’t need his mother to help him win matches, and was looking to take the Intercontinental title to new heights, and ultimately parlay the reign into an eventual WWE Championship opportunity.
Ric Flair, still kicking as well as ever, had his sights set on taking back the title he lost to Shelton Benjamin, and even tried to persuade Shelton on an episode of Monday Night RAW.
With both men inside the ring, Shelton Benjamin put over Ric Flair and even said that Flair was hands down the best wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots. Flair thanked Shelton for the compliment…
“Shelton, look here, pal. I’ve been in the ring with EVERYBODY…and nobody has the gift you have. You are a future WORLD CHAMPION! Your ascent to the top of the WWE should begin now. Not me. No, see, I’m an old dog, Shelton. I don’t have many years left inside this ring. You’re the next big thing! So, why don’t you let me get one more spin with that Intercontinental title while you climb up to your rightful spot at the top of the WWE?”
Shelton Benjamin nodded his head before responding…
“You’re right, Ric. I do have a gift. But, it isn’t quite my time right now to chase after the WWE Championship. That time will come, but not right now. No, right now I’m focused on restoring this title back to the way it once was, because from September to February it was nothing more than a PROP and a JOKE!”
Shelton’s fighting words quickly flipped the script from an exchange of pleasantries to a vicious verbal beating. From there, the match was officially signed-Shelton Benjamin putting his Intercontinental Championship on the line against Ric Flair at Backlash! Ric Flair was out to prove that his reign as IC Champion wasn’t a fluke, rather Shelton’s win over Flair was, in fact, a fluke!
“The Tag Team Division comes to a boiling point!”
Kane and The Big Show had reigned supreme in the Tag Team division since winning the titles back in November of 2005. Since then, they had been the gold standard in the division, picking up impressive wins over the likes of Batista and Rey Mysterio, and more recently
Carlito and Chris Masters at Wrestlemania 22.
Following their victory over Carlito and Chris Masters, which featured miscommunication between the two, it seemed as if the honeymoon phase of Carlito and Masters’ team was now over. The duo argued all the way to the back, and the future looked bleak for the pairing.
Instead of turning their backs on each other, Carlito and Chris Masters decided to start fresh. They teased a break up on RAW, but only to drag Kane and The Big Show into their trap. After it was evident that the duo planned the fake break up all along, they issued a challenge to Kane and The Big Show for a rematch at Backlash.
Carlito and Chris Masters were firing on all cylinders leading up to Backlash, until a real miscommunication in a Tag match on RAW which saw Carlito drill Masters with an errant elbow off the apron and into the barricade cast a shadow of doubt over their team. Masters, lip busted open from the elbow, stormed to the back, leaving Carlito to fend for himself.
So, the question still remained the same for Backlash- was there really trouble brewing in paradise between Carlito and Chris Masters? Or was their latest theatrics just that- theatrics?
Kane and The Big Show also had their own fair share of issue heading into Backlash. Some may say it was just two veterans working out their problems, while others knew it was Vince McMahon looking to drive a wedge in between the two so that he could recruit The Big Show to be his muscle.
On an episode of RAW, Vince cornered The Big Show right after a hard fought title defense. McMahon made it perfectly clear that he needed backup when it came to Shawn Michaels, and there wasn’t anybody better than The Big Show to fill that spot. Big Show told him to hit the road, but Vince was persistent, continually recruiting Big Show openly. Kane took exception to this when Big Show said he was pondering the decision.
Things came to a head on the following edition of RAW when the Tag Team Champions needed to be pulled apart backstage. Kane and Big Show began with a shouting match, which quickly turned into an all out brawl. Following the brawl, which neither man got the better of, the two reconciled and vowed to not let McMahon get in the middle of their title reign.
Two teams, each with their own set of personal problems were set to square off at Backlash, and the burning question that was being asked was quite simple- Were both sides playing their hand close to the vest in order to come out victorious at Backlash?
Mickie James shocked the world when she beat
Trish Stratus at Wrestlemania 22 to win the Women’s title. Mickie, who has openly stalked Trish for months, finally got what she wanted...or did she? Mickie didn’t seem content with just the Women’s title, because it was clearly evident that she would still rather have Trish Stratus instead.
Things boiled over backstage on the April 17 edition of Monday Night RAW! Trish, realizing Mickie’s desire for her was still as strong as ever, decided to play into Mickie James and invited her to join her in the shower. Mickie quickly jumped at the chance, but Trish was waiting, fully clothed, and the two brawled in the shower. Trish then invoked her rematch clause-giving her another shot at Mickie and the chance to regain the Women’s title at Backlash!
“The Samoan Bulldozer” Umaga crashed on the scene the night after Wrestlemania 22, and quickly turned heads. The 350 pound beast, led to the ring by his manager- Armando Alejandro Estrada, would quickly shoot up the rankings on RAW in short order.
Two other monsters on the RAW roster didn’t like the spotlight being put on Umaga-
Snitsky and his pal Heidenreich. The two attempted to jump Umaga on RAW, but quickly found out why this man was the real deal.
Snitsky would get his chance to knock Umaga back down the ladder, as the stipulation was if Umaga could get past Snitsky at Backlash, he would immediately face Heidenreich. A Handicap match of sorts, with the caveat being that Heidenreich must stay backstage.
Would Umaga continue his rampage through the RAW roster and take out two of the biggest men in the WWE? Or would Snitsky show why he and Heidenreich were still the top two monsters on RAW?
We head back to the studio where JR and King are waiting for us. They wrap up The Backlash hype before telling us to continue by pressing play on our remote for the Backlash results. For now, you are fighting sleep, so you hit pause as you digest the Backlash hype-knowing full well that tomorrow night it will be more pizza rolls while you dig into the Backlash results!
Backlash Card
April 30, 2006
WWE Championship- No Holds Barred Match
©John Cena vs. Triple H
RVD’s MITB Briefcase on the Line
Rob Van Dam vs. Edge w/Lita
2-on-1 Handicap Match
Vince & Shane McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels
Intercontinental Championship
©Shelton Benjamin vs. Ric Flair
RAW Tag Team Championship
©Kane & The Big Show vs. Carlito & Chris Masters
Women’s Championship
©Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus
Gauntlet Match
Umaga vs. Heidenreich & Snitsky
BT Note: Really just spruced up the original Road To, put it in past tense and cleaned it up a bit. This bit will serve as the template as to what to expect from “The Hype” as we get deep into this project. Predictions if you’d like, even though the show results are already out there. Backlash results will be up sometime during the week. Enjoy!