WWE Weekly Round-Up: Zayn Gets Destroyed; Aleister Black; Backlash Takes Shape

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Weekly Round-Up, where we look at the major happenings on WWE’s two major weekly shows, Raw and Smackdown. I’m Mick and I’ll be your guide this week. Also, May The 4th be with you for those who celebrate!

We’re in a post-WrestleMania world, which means a whirlwind of ups and downs- including, sadly, a large number of wrestlers released from their contracts over the past couple of days in the somewhat customary post-Mania roster culling. But we’re looking at the on-screen product here, so while we wish them all the best moving forward- we’re looking at a world where the dust is settling from WrestleMania, and eyes go forward towards Backlash.

Let’s do this!

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Rollins & Bron Break(k) Sami Zayn

As the shockwaves of the events from the Night 1 Mania main event still permeate the WWE landscape- Paul Heyman shockingly betraying CM Punk AND Roman Reigns to side with Seth Rollins- the newest force on Monday Night Raw continues to establish themselves.

Rollins and Heyman, already a formidable duo, have enlisted the services of the second-generation badass Bron Breakker as their “heavy”. Seth Rollins took time on this episode of Raw to address Sami Zayn, a long time friend of his. The Visionary implored Zayn to join their side, and when Sami emphatically told his friend to “Go to hell”, Rollins, along with Breakker, reacted violently in a statement beatdown to end the show.

Pat McAfee Gives An Impassioned Speech

Following a World Heavyweight Championship loss at WrestleMania, the former champ Gunther needed to find a new direction, and apparently found it last week by bullying Michael Cole, of all people. Colour commentator Pat McAfee stood up for his broadcast partner, only to get choked out at the hands of the Ring General.

This week, Pat was given time to verbally respond and air his grievances to Gunther and the world. In doing so, McAfee delivered a fiery speech about the kind of man he is and the impact he hopes to leave on the world, citing the fact that he’s a “loyal motherf**ker” as the reason he stood up for Cole. He went on to call out GM Nick Aldis (filling in for Adam Pearce this week), and a match was made official- Pat McAfee vs. Gunther at Backlash.

Becky Gets Vicious

Becky Lynch returned at WrestleMania 41 as a conquering hero, filling in for an injured Bayley and winning the Women’s Tag Team Championships alongside Lyra Valkyria. This didn’t last long, as Lynch & Valkyria promptly lost the titles back to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodrigues the following night on Raw. Post match, an enraged Becky turned on her short-lived partner.

This week, Becky cut right to the chase- she was the one who took Bayley out in order to compete at Mania. She then blasted Valkyria for aligning with Bayley in the first place. Valkyria responded by challenging Becky to a fight, agreeing to put the Women’s Intercontinental Championship on the line at Backlash. Physicality then ensued, with tensions running high as we build towards the PLE.

Orton Delivers Money Promo

Randy Orton has a massive match at Backlash- against his longest rival, John Cena, for the final time, for the WWE Championship, in his hometown of St Louis. Given the history between Orton and Cena, there’s a lot of material for Orton to go with, and he seemed energised as he ripped through Cena for being a “cartoon character” during the PG era, while Orton stayed authentic to who he is.

Orton also took jabs at Cena’s merch, his arrogance, and the mantra of “Hustle, Loyalty & Respect” that he’s currently not living up to. He closed by promising to “punt Cena’s head through the Gateway Arch”.

Aleister Black Makes An Impact

Last week, Aleister Black returned to WWE TV after a few years away, looking in tremendous shape, and made a statement by taking out The Miz with the Black Mass. This week, it was Black’s official return match against the A-Lister, and the result was much the same.

The ease at which Black disposed of Miz would seem to indicate that this was just a brief stop to re-introduce the enigmatic character, who has a certain mystique and presentation not yet overexposed on the main roster, as in his first run he only had a short run outside NXT before exiting the company during COVID times.

Tag Team Match, Playa!

The women of Smackdown took center stage on this episode, as Tiffany Stratton, Nia Jax, Naomi and Jade Cargill traded verbal and physical shots earlier in the night, prompting GM Nick Aldis to make a tag team match for the night’s main event. Stratton & Cargill took on Jax & Naomi to close the show.

With bad blood that can really be traced back to last year, when Tiffany was Nia’s underling before cashing in her MITB, and Naomi’s attack that put Jade on the shelf, this was a heated encounter. While it was in a sense rookies vs. veterans, the less experienced Stratton & Cargill have such great physicality and poise about them that this truly felt blockbuster. The action didn’t stop after the bell either. After Jade pinned Jax with a powerbomb, she had lust in her eyes for Tiffany’s championship, but before that issue could be resolved, Naomi jumped them both to stand tall.