BACKLASH (2008)

I have been a wrestling fan since 1996 and have watched all kinds of wrestling. I have a wrestling DVD/VHS collection spanning over 50 all together. This is the most complete and accurate review of this DVD you will find. I hope you find this review helpful; remember to vote helpful or not helpful. (Note-Each DVD I review has a "Match of the DVD" award somewhere in it.)

WWE Backlash 2008
Backlash has always been a weak PPV. This is largely due to it being after the epic Wrestlemania. However, this year's Backlash was actually a solid show. It is nothing I would throw in your shopping cart right now and buy, but it is a show worth having. The extras are weak, consisting only of an interview with Triple H and the infamous Regal show shut down from the next night on Raw. This is a good show, but not memorable at all.

United States Championship
MVP(c) VS Matt Hardy
This is a perfect choice for opener. The crowd is 100% behind Hardy and his pursuit of the United States Championship. There is some good wrestling 101 tactics used by each. Hardy pulls some highflying action out of his arsenal as well. MVP shifts from the knee of Hardy to the stomach. I thought him shifting between the injuries was smart of him and showed why MVP is one of the top talents in WWE today. You can see the ending coming, but this is still a good match.
RATING- 7.5/10

ECW Championship
Kane(c) VS Chavo Guerrero
At WrestleMania 24, the ECW title was defended for the first time. The match was only eight seconds of Kane sneak attacking Chavo and picking up the victory. This match made up for it though, right? Nope. Chavo tries to attack Kane's damaged knee, but ultimately is dominated. The ending is a little off as well.
RATING- 5/10

Big Show VS Great Khali
What a huge surprise these two gave us. The line "they gave the best match you could expect from these two" is what many use to describe this match. I agree with that line completely. There is a nice power battle, with Khali getting the advantage eventually. Khali even pulls out some submission moves. This is not the best match you have ever seen, but it is better than what you usually get.
RATING- 6.5/10

Special Referee- Chris Jericho
Shawn Michaels VS Batista
Shawn defeated, and retired, Ric Flair at Wrestlemania. Batista misses his pal and wants to punish Shawn. Michaels works over Batista's arm with some extremely unique submissions. The match is almost perfect. Jericho works well as a ref because he does not get involved in the match much. The problem with this match is that it is a little on the short side.
RATING- 9/10

12- Diva Tag Team Match
Mickie James/Maria/Ashley/Michelle McCool/Cherry/Kelly Kelly VS Beth Phoenix/Melina/Jillian/Layla/Victoria/Natalya
With twelve people in one match, you cannot expect there to be much of anything here. The Divas have a nice little brawl near the end. They all hit their signature moves at one point or another. Still, this is just a cluster match.
RATING- 5/10

World Heavyweight Championship (Match of the DVD)
Undertaker(c) VS Edge
This is the second match in the epic series these two would go on to have. The match begins with some back and forth action. Undertaker controls the initial portion of the match. Edge eventually gains control by assaulting the lower back of Taker. There is some interference, but it actually benefits the match. This is the type of match that you have to sit down and tell yourself it is not going to get you off within the opening minutes. You have to start slow and enjoy the pacing until the wonderful climax.
RATING- 9/10

Fatal-Four Way Elimination Match
WWE Championship
Randy Orton(c) VS John Cena VS Triple H VS JBL
Elimination rules create some of the more interesting battles. I have always loved them, this match however worked better once that equation had been thrown out. The match begins with each man getting a few shots in before moving on to the next person. There are some double team tactics, but nothing too complex. Once the first two men are eliminated, which is simultaneously around the eleven-minute mark, the match picks up. The final go on to put on a good show.
RATING- 8/10

Following a successful Wrestlemania, WWE provides the epilogue with "Backlash". Many of the matches are extensions or rematches from the previous month's Wrestlemania pay-per-view. This DVD contains the show, in full, and has two small extras.

THE SHOW
* United States Championship: MVP (c) vs. Matt Hardy. These two have been building a feud for about 8 months. Ever since their first match at The Great American Bash in 2007, MVP and Matt have dominated the Smackdown mid-card. Their feud even won "Feud of the Year" in '07. Now, Matt has returned from his appendicitis and finally gets his US title match against MVP. The match is very enjoyable. Both wrestlers have improved a great deal in the past year. It helps that Mick Foley has replaced Jonathan Coachman as the new Smackdown color commentator. *SPOILER* One of the things that will be remembered about this show in the years to come, is that this is where Matt won his first major singles title. Matt's genuine joy with winning the US title is a wonderful moment. It is a long overdue and he greatly deserves it. *END SPOILER*

* Eve Torres interviews Matt Hardy. Following a long, solid match, Matt is interviewed. I know he's exhausted, but the pause Matt takes before answering feels way too awkward. Mic skills, Matt! Take an acting class or a public speaking class!

* ECW Championship: Kane (c) vs. Chavo Guerrero. Last month, Kane squashed Chavo at Wrestlemania to win the ECW title. After that, its a bit hard to accept Chavo as a threat to Kane's reign. Despite that, both men put on an enjoyable performance. Nothing in particular stands out from the match, but it doesn't feel slow and dragged out.

* Todd Grisham interviews Randy Orton. I know that Orton is certainly not the Rock or Cena when it comes to speaking, but he is better than most people give him credit for. He delivers a decent speech, building anticipation for the main event.

* Big Show vs. Great Khali. As a large athlete, Big Show is amazingly impressive. However, Khali remains completely void of talent. This match is booked as a freak show: two monsters fighting each other. It is not expected to be a technical masterpiece, and it doesn't try. It is a slow and rather, uneventful match. Show does what he can, but he's carrying Khali's dead weight.

* Randy Orton taunts John Cena. Orton begins going around to his opponents tonight and telling them about how great he is. Cena comes off much more relaxed and natural that Orton here.

* Shawn Michaels vs. Batista w/ guest referee Chris Jericho. These two built up a decent storyline, arguing over the retirement of Ric Flair at Wrestlemania. The last time Shawn & Batista wrestled each other on ppv, was at Armageddon in December 2003. Since then, Batista has learned a great deal. The two put on a much better performance that in the past, but it is not a show-stealer.

* Randy Orton taunts Triple H. This is an odd backstage segment. Orton talks to Triple H about how his reign won't end tonight. However, Orton never looks at Triple H during the confrontation. The odd directing takes away from what the two are saying.

* 12-Diva Tag Team Match: Mickie James, Maria, Ashley, Michelle McCool, Cherry, & Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix, Melina, Jillian, Victoria, Natalya, & Layla. This match feels too much like the WWE just wanted to get as many girls on the show as possible. Considering how successful TNA's womens division has been, its amazing that WWE continues to provide these fluff matches. This match marks the ppv debut of Natalya, the daughter of Jim Niedhart from the legendary Hart Foundation. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much to do here.

* World Championship: Undertaker (c) vs. Edge. In a rematch from Wrestlemania, Undertaker defends his newly won belt against the former champion. This match feels just as good as their Wrestlemania match, and has a much faster start. If you enjoyed their previous bouts, then you'll definitely enjoy this one.

* CM Punk wishes Randy Orton good luck. This seems like a waste of good talent. Punk has roughly 5 seconds to wish Orton luck while holding up the Money in the Bank briefcase he won at Wrestlemania.

* WWE Championship Fatal Four-Way Match: Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H vs. John Cena vs. JBL. This match is fought under Elimination rules. This match is very similar to the Wrestlemania triple threat match, but with JBL added to the mix. The crowd cheers for Triple H, boos Orton, and gives a loud mixed response to Cena. *SPOILER* The match comes down to Orton and Triple H, with Triple H finally ending Orton's reign as champion. Now a 12-time champion, Triple H holds a world title for the first time in 3 years. *END SPOILER*

SPECIAL FEATURES
* Todd Grisham interviews Triple H. Following the main event, Triple H talks about what this victory means to him.

* Raw 4/28/08 - Aftermath of WWE Championship Match between Triple H and Randy Orton. This is the match where Regal ended the show in the middle of the match. Its a decent bout between Orton & Triple H, which is interrupted by Regal. Worth a watch.

Overall, Backlash is another good show by the WWE. Backlash feels a bit more important because of the two title changes, and provides some decent matches overall.

United States Champion MVP vs. Matt Hardy - What many concider to be the most entertaining feud on SmackDown continues here as they go back & forth with MVP working on Hardy's previous injuries that kept him out for the longest time. However, Matt Hardy proved he was better than MVP by winning the U.S. Title in the end.

ECW Champion Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero - Well, if you blink during this match then you won't miss anything unlike WrestleMania. Another good match with Chavo trying to work over Kane's leg to take him down. Eventhough this looked like a mismatch, it was a good encounter.

Big Show vs. Great Khali - Well, normally a Khali match is a smaller wrestler being a complete spotmonkey & overselling Khali's chop/kick/repeat moveset but, with Big Show being able to look eye to eye with Khali, we got a better effort from Khali than we normally would as he even at one point tried to execute the crippler crossface (no, that wasn't a typo). But in the end, Show chokeslammed Khali for the win in what was Khali's best solo effort in his career.

Shawn Michaels vs. Batista with special referee Chris Jericho - Unlike WrestleMania, Batista brought his A game here against HBK. This was a power vs. scientific match which had HBK pulling out a suprize ending. There was a little tension with Jericho as the referee but he didn't play as huge a factor as expected.

Mickie James, Maria, Ashley, Michelle McCool, Cherry, Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix, Melina, Jillian Hall, Layla, Victoria, Natalya - In a nutshell, this was a very fast paced match that allowed everyone to get a spot in or two & have most of the divas look good in the ring. Nice match but nothing special.

World Champion Undertaker vs. Edge - This match (and feud) can be summerized by the phrase, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" because the match was very similar to their previous WrestleMania (and future Judgment Day) match in that the match just got better as it went on with great wrestling between both men.

Elimination Match: WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. Triple H vs. JBL - A great main event as I personally like the elimination rule in triple threat/fatal four way matches more than the "first one who gets the pin/submission wins" stipulation. This match started off wild with all four men facing off against each other but after the first two eliminations in Cena & JBL, Triple H & Orton delivered a match that rivals their No Mercy encounters as their best match against each other before the King Of Kings went back on his throne. Moments to look out for here was JBL & Orton trying to "out heel" each other from the opening with Orton & the World Title to when each guy was in a submission hold while the other taunted him.

In the end, I thought this was one of the best overall Backlash events in the 10 year history of the event & the great followup to WrestleMania. There wasn't a bad match on here & it's an event I do recommend.