WWE Championship (No Disqualification) -- AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura ends in a draw

For the second straight week, WWE presented a PPV in which the WWE championship wasn't contested in the main event. Even worse, both times it ended without a clean finish. Styles and Nakamura, whose WWE feud was received as nothing short of a dream for fans who watched them compete in Japan, certainly deserved better by both the placement and unsatisfying finish. At the very least, WWE appears to be building toward what one can only hope is a strong conclusion as Styles and Nakamura bested their initial WrestleMania clash for the second straight week in a physical and intense match.
    The in-ring styles of both were properly represented in this one as an angry Styles dominated the early going by moving at a quick pace. Nakamura then showcased his "strong style" with a long and deliberate beating. Yet despite the no-DQ stipulation, the only foreign object used was a chair, which Styles used to accidentally cut open his left cheek after he threw it at Nakamura's knee to block a Kinsasha (causing it to deflect into his face). The theme of Nakamura constantly targeting low blows on Styles was once again the centerpiece. Depending upon your viewpoint, it came across as either comedic or disrespectful for the skills and standing of both. Nakamura countered a Pele kick late with a punch to the groin, but Styles gained instant retribution by landing one of his own. After a count was administered, both reached their feet. The finish came shortly after when both landed kicks to the crotch simultaneously and neither was able to beat the 10 count by getting off the canvas. Considering the double countout finish one week earlier, the ending fell flat in what had been a strong match. 

SmackDown Women's Championship -- Carmella (c) def. Charlotte Flair to retain the title

This felt like anything but a title match as the dead crowd was never given much of a reason to heat up. Carmella and Flair largely worked in front of absolute silence, trading long rest holds for far too long in the first half. The finish fell equally flat as Flair missed a moonsault from the top rope and landed on her feet, selling a left knee injury after he legs buckled. Carmella kicked her in the knee from behind and stole the pinfall. For all of the goodwill Carmella earned in recent weeks for her microphone work on SmackDown Live, this performance was a step back for the believability of her title reign. The match also did Charlotte zero favors, less than a month after she ended Asuka's vaunted unbeaten streak at WrestleMania

Daniel Bryan def. Big Cass via submission

For all of the talk delivered from Big Cass after working his way within the storyline into Bryan's first feud after WrestleMania, the way in which he succumbed to defeat was rather weak. Luckily for Cass, in terms of his longterm chances of succeeding as a viable heel, his post match response was anything but. Cass tapped out to the Yes Lock following a brief and rather pedestrian match. But after Bryan celebrated the victory on the second turnbuckle, Cass viciously attacked from behind by flipping him over the top rope and onto the floor. Cass followed by tossing Bryan around by his hair before laying him out with a big boot inside the ring. Cass, who maniacally punched himself in the face during the melee, stood over Bryan with his fist held high amid a showering of boos. While Cass hasn't yet proved he's worthy of an elite push after his tag team breakup from Enzo Amore, it's hard to disregard just how angry he makes the crowd as a pure heel. 

United States Championship -- Jeff Hardy (c) def. Randy Orton via pinfall to retain the title

The lack of a compelling storyline coming in robbed from what could've been a good piece of business between babyfaces and future Hall of Famers. Instead, the crowd never truly connected with this relatively short match until the finish. The action picked up when Orton hit his DDT from the second rope and began to set up for the RKO. But Hardy countered the finishing move with a roll up attempt and then hit his Twist of Fame. He followed with a Swanton Bomb for the pin in what felt like an abrupt finish considering Orton's reputation and the fact that Hardy went over so clean.

Raw Women's Championship -- Nia Jax (c) def. Alexa Bliss via pinfall to retain the title

Jax made the first defense of the title she won at WrestleMania in a match that continued to play up the story of Bliss' bullying against her former friend. The match was a physical affair with Bliss landing stiff head kicks and a DDT into the ring steps outside as Jax was unable to convert multiple second-rope Samoan Drops. But coming off the hot opener, the match also failed to truly connect with the crowd. The finish came when Jax caught a Twisted Bliss attempt and turned it into a Samoan Drop for the 1-2-3. During a post-match interview, Jax dedicated the victory to anyone who has ever been bullied, telling fans they are not alone and it's OK to be different. "Who wants to be ordinary?" Jax said. "Be extraordinary. Your uniqueness is what makes you special and that is beautiful." Jax closed by reminding everyone that "in the end, a bully always gets her ass kicked." While Jax's message was certainly positive, WWE used the moment to gratuitously flaunt the company's anti-bullying efforts

Intercontinental Championship -- Seth Rollins (c) def. The Miz via pinfall to retain the title

Good luck to anyone trying to follow this one. This was main event quality in the opening match as Rollins continued his incredible streak of recent matches as the hottest superstar in the company. The crowd also provided an incredible soundtrack of explosive pops as Rollins and Miz showcased their strong chemistry to produce a number of dramatic near falls over the second half. The Miz was denied a ninth IC title reign, which would've put him into a tie with Chris Jericho for the most in company history. But what both superstars proved in this match is that they are worthy for runs at the top title in their respective brands.
  While Rollins was the typical workhorse with an array of suicide dives and an incredible frog splash across three quarters of the ring, Miz was no slouch when it came to psychology. Rollins perfectly sold a left knee injury over the final quarter of the match, which opened up doors in the storyline for Miz to rally. The biggest pops came when Miz twice took advantage of that knee by reversing Rollins into his Skull-Crushing Finale finisher, only for The Architect to somehow kick out. After twice missing his Stomp (including once from the second rope), Rollins finally hit it late to defend his title

Shinsuke Nakamura launches another vicious attack on AJ Styles

Shinsuke Nakamura demanded a public apology from AJ Styles for the assault during the Greatest Royal Rumble Event in Saudi Arabia last week.

       The rivalry between WWE Champion AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura saw a new chapter unfolding after Smackdown Live General Manager Paige announced that the two will clash for the title in a no-disqualification match at the pay-per-view Backlash. The Phenomenal One launched an assault on Nakamura at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia last week after the match between the two ended in a no-contest due to double count-out. The King of Strong Style demanded a “public apology” from the Champion for the attack.

             

    

But coming in to be interviewed by Renee Young in this week’s Smackdown Live, Styles refused to apologise to Nakamura after the barrage of low blows he has received from the No. 1 contender in the past few weeks. The two-time Champion further added that he will deliver the beating of a lifetime to Nakamura in the title match at Backlash and will retain his championship belt.

But before Styles could call out his opponent to the ring, he was interrupted by Samoa Joe, who came out to say that everyone is focusing on the wrong match at the pay-per-view. Joe said that the WWE Universe should talk about his fight against Roman Reigns, and he further said he will prove that the Big Dog is a complete failure on Sunday. He further added that after he gets rid of Reigns, he will be coming to challenge Styles for the WWE title.

   

Styles asked Joe to step up to the ring and take his shot but before anything could come to blows, Nakamura came out of nowhere to deliver yet another low blow to AJ Styles. He then went on to taunt the WWE Champion as he slithered in pain inside the ring. Before leaving the ring, the Japanese wrestler delivered a vicious Kinshasa knee strike to Styles, making a statement before the all-important clash on Sunday