WWE Backlash 2026 Card Predictions: Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley And A Stacked Tampa Lineup

A rematch is the cleanest path. Ripley took the WWE Women’s Championship from Cargill at Mania 42, and Cargill has the rematch standing to demand the spot. With Paige's surprise return on Night 1 as a Women's Tag Team Champion, her singles trajectory is something to watch — but Backlash feels too early to pull that trigger.

The Street Profits vs. The Vision

The Profits came back and attacked The Vision. Both men looked like they had been in the gym during their hiatus. It seems they could be after The Vision's tag-team gold. There's no reason that match shouldn't happen at Backlash.

Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins ran out on the Raw after WrestleMania to help Seth Rollins, taking out tag champions Logan Paul and Austin Theory in the process. It was their first main-roster TV appearance since October. With Rollins and Bron Breakker on a collision course of their own that’s already getting bloody, the Profits going after the tag belts is the cleanest tag-title program WWE could book for May 9.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Giulia

The women's U.S. title has been the driest championship in the WWE. Stratton flopped as the WWE Women's champion and everyone not named Chelsea Green has struggled as the women's U.S. champion. Maybe having Stratton win U.S. gold could help to give both a boost.

It'd be great if Stratton won and began her own open challenge with the women's U.S. title since Trick Williams has said he isn't feeling the concept of continuing the tradition on SmackDown.

The match is closer to set than predicted. Stratton already won a No. 1 Contender’s match against Jordynne Grace on the April 17 SmackDown, putting her in line for current champion Giulia. Backlash hasn't been confirmed as the landing spot, but with the work already done on TV, it's the obvious next stage.

Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Sami Zayn

The match we should have gotten at WrestleMania 42 is the one I believe we will get at Backlash. Carmelo Hayes is likely to be added here and I doubt WWE books him 1-on-1 with Trick right now.

That's a match that needs more than three weeks to build. Sami Zayn isn't completely out of the picture and having him in a triple threat to regain his title is a good look. However, Trick should retain.

The history is built in. Hayes and Williams started together as the Trick Melo Gang in NXT before Hayes turned on him, and Trick himself has said adding Hayes to the WrestleMania match would have been a "beautiful moment." A triple threat lets WWE plant the seed for a singles Hayes vs. Williams program later in the year while giving the title reign a real first defense.

What's Next For WWE Backlash 2026?

WWE has roughly 17 days of TV to fill in the rest of the Backlash card. Cody Rhodes will need a challenger, Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker need their next checkpoint, and the women's tag titles should land somewhere on the show. Expect at least three more matches added before May 9.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com