On the April 20 WWE Raw After WrestleMania 42, Jacob Fatu stepped up to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Backlash 2026.
While this bout is not officially announced for the premium live event, this should be the main event and could be joined by several other matches for their first major show following Mania.
Whether it be championship matches or scores being settled, WWE should start to fill out the card for huge event from Tampa, Florida on May 9.
Here are seven matches to be potentially added to WWE Backlash 2026.
Liv Morgan (c) vs. Stephanie Vaquer – Women’s World Championship
At WrestleMania 42 Night One, Liv Morgan defeated Stephanie Vaquer to win the WWE Women’s World Championship.
Becoming the new champion, Morgan went on to celebrate her victory on the WWE Raw after WrestleMania 42 until she was interrupted by the debuting Sol Ruca.
After picking up a win over Ruca thanks to Zaria, Morgan was confronted by Vaquer who let it be known she was coming to regain her title.
In a Mania rematch, Morgan and Vaquer should get more time than they were allotted at ‘The Showcase of the Immortals’ at WWE Backlash 2026 and could deliver a more memorable match in the process.
Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio – Steel Cage Match
Finn Balor brought back his ‘Demon’ persona when he defeated Dominik Mysterio in a Street Fight at WWE WrestleMania 42 Night Two.
Then on the WWE Raw after WrestleMania 42, Balor picked up another victory over JD McDonagh.
Post match, Mysterio came out to attack his former Judgment Day stablemate until Balor fought back and sent ‘Dirty Dom’ packing.
To put a bow on their rivalry, Balor could challenge Dominik to a Steel Cage Match to make sure this is one-on-one at Backlash, blowing off this feud once and for all.
Giulia (c) vs. Tiffany Stratton – Women’s United States Championship
On the April 17 pre-WrestleMania 42 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Tiffany Stratton defeated Jordynne Grace to become the number one contender for the WWE Women’s United States Championship.
‘The Beautiful Madness’ has not defended her title much in her second reign with the gold and can finally prove herself as champion against someone on the level of Stratton.
Meanwhile, Stratton has been trying to win some championship gold since making her return to the company at WWE Royal Rumble 2026.
Having the title defended for the first time on a premium live event, Giulia and Stratton can prove why the WWE Women’s United States Championship should garner more of a spotlight with a standout bout on the Backlash 2026 card.
Trick Williams (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Carmelo Hayes – United States Championship
At WWE WrestleMania 42 Night Two, Trick Williams defeated Sami Zayn to win the United States Championship.
Now that he has the gold, Williams should embrace the cheers from the fans and become a fighting champion.
After losing the title ahead of Mania, Carmelo Hayes should step up to challenge Trick for the United States Championship.
Meanwhile, Sami Zayn could also join this bout to make it a three-way at WWE Backlash 2026 that might just steal the entire show from Tampa, Florida.
Penta (c) vs. Rusev vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Ethan Page – Intercontinental Championship
On the April 20 WWE Raw after WrestleMania 42, Ethan Page made his main roster in-ring debut in a win over Je’Von Evans.
Post match, Rusev came out to attack Evans until Penta made the save, but Page gave ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ the upper hand to allow him to stand tall against both men.
After this interaction, this should set the stage for a four-way match with Penta being forced to defend the Intercontinental Championship against multiple challengers like he did at WrestleMania 42.
Penta defending against Rusev, Evans and Page would make for a compelling battle that could see any number of these stars walk out of WWE Backlash 2026 with the IC Title.
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Lash Legend – WWE Women’s Championship
Back on the February 27 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, The Irresistible Forces defeated RHIYO to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with Lash Legend pinning Rhea Ripley.
However, Ripley rebounded by winning the women’s Elimination Chamber just one day later at WWE Elimination Chamber.
Then, Ripley defeated Jade Cargill to win the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 42 Night Two.
Now that she is officially on SmackDown as the champion, Ripley can now avenge her last pinfall loss by giving Lash Legend her first shot at the top prize in the SmackDown women’s division at WWE Backlash 2026.
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton – Undisputed WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match
At WrestleMania 42 Night One, Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Post match, Orton attacked Rhodes with a title belt to the head and delivered the Punt Kick to close the premium live event.
After causing injuries to the reigning champion, it feels like this rivalry is not over quite yet and could continue come WWE Backlash 2026.
Orton challenging Rhodes one more time in a Last Man Standing Match could make for an intriguing main event showdown at the WWE Backlash 2026 PLE on May 9.
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