Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: Backlash, Cesaro, Roman Reigns, wwe

WWE Backlash: Roman Vs. Cesaro & Somehow We All Lose In The End

The last match of Wrestlemania's Backlash was a showdown between Roman Reigns and the Swiss Superman, Cesaro. Although fans the world over may still be reeling from John Morrison and Miz getting EATEN BY ZOMBIES, there still needed to be a conclusion against the bitter rivalry surrounding the Universal Championship belt. All through the night, Jimmy Uso taunted his brother about him being Roman's "bitch" and most of the focus for the belt was misplaced on the family rivalry that's been building since Wrestlemania.

Despite being pound for pound the strongest man in the WWE, Cesaro seemed like a small fry against the career accolades which back up Roman Reigns and his run as a champion. The two men danced around the ring before catching each other in a lock, each man trying to overpower the other in the first few moments after the Backlash bell. It was clear they were trying to feel each other out, Cesaro trying to create some distance which Reigns tried to keep his opponent close. Cesaro did try a shoulder tackle followed by a pin attempt, but Roman was able to kick out and reset outside the ring.

Paul Heyman whispered some strategy into Roman's ear, with cameras picking up on him reminding the champ that he was the head of the table and tribal chief. A springboard uppercut was a huge wake-up call to Roman Reigns, who needed to adjust quickly and realize that anytime Cesaro was able to catch some momentum would be bad for him. Cesaro did seem to catch a slight injury to his right arm after Roman threw him out of the ring, but it seemed like he was quick to recover when he quickly delivered a swift run of uppercuts to the current reigning champ.

Roman did manage to toss Cesaro out of the ring as used the downtime to chat with Paul Heyman about strategy, clearly treating this match as more of a show of dominance than a serious contention for his belt. Despite being the most dominant champion in the history of the WWE, it was worrisome to see Reigns not exactly take the match seriously. Even though he successfully stopped most of Cesaro's momentum so far, it wasn't hard to pick up the tension in the air at the Florida Thunderdome, especially with how much teasing has been done in the lead up to this match with the in-family fighting concerning Jimmy and Jey Uso.

Just as Reigns loaded up for a spear, Cesaro caught the champion in a pop-up uppercut much to the delight of the Backlash virtual crowd. Cesaro smartly used this to his advantage, keeping Reigns against the turnbuckles before going for a pin attempt in the center of the ring. Setting Reigns up for a sharpshooter, Cesaro nearly ended the match but was forced to break the hold after the champ got a firm grip onto the rope. Cesaro wasn't done yet and did a corkscrew over the ropes straight into Roman, who hoped that rolling out of the ring would save him from the wrath of the Swiss Superman.

Cesaro wouldn't let Reigns run for long, and toss the champ into the ring like he was little more than a sack of laundry. A crossbody from Cesaro onto Reigns wasn't enough for him to complete a three count, but he wouldn't let the head of the table recover for long. As Roman struggled to get to his feet, it was clear on the champ's face that he was rattled from the beating. Desperately, he punched his way out of Cesaro's grip and inflict more damage to his already injured arm, hoping to end the momentum that was recently teetering against him.

Cesaro tried to keep up his assault, but Roman smartly focused on the arm as the Backlash crowd shouted their disapproval from the virtual stands. Roman landing a brutal clothesline against Cesaro seemed like it would be enough to end the match, but the Swiss Superman kicked out just before the three count. Roman once again turned to taunting as Cesaro was clearly hurt and bleeding, lying in the fetal position in the center of the square circle. It was right at this point that people must have realized that Roman was doing well enough without the help from Jey Uso specifically that Cesaro fed him a full helping of elbow straight into the champ's mouth. Clearly rallying, Cesaro took over the match like a man possessed, landing a brutal superplex against Roman from the second rope of the turnbuckle. Where Roman worked on Cesaro's arm, the Swiss Superstar attempted to deliver the same punishment on the champ's quad.

Cesaro attempted a neutralizer against Roman, but his injured arm provided enough of an opening for the champ to catch his opponent in an arm lock. Breaking free from Roman, Cesaro caught a superman punch from the current reigning champ but somehow kicked out at a two count. The Backlash crowd was a flurry of applause, with the most critical moment of the match featuring both men as wrecked messed in their respective corners of the ring. Just as Roman tried to finish the match with a Spear, Cesaro caught the Head of the Table with an uppercut, but once again his injured arm gave the champ an opening. Roman used Cesaro's injury to catch him in a guillotine, but Cesaro's ridiculous strength countered the move and neutralized Roman in the middle of the ring.

Somehow, Cesaro locked a sharpshooter on Roman and all eyes in the ring were locked on the two men only hoping that Jey would stay out of the match as it was reaching the end. Cesaro shifted from the sharpshooter into a face lock, but Roman was able to break the grip and rained a fury on punches on his opponent's face. The Tribal Chief tried to lift his opponent and slam him back down into the ring, but was unable to land a finishing blow. Once again, the two men writhed in the center of the Backlash ring, with the audience trying to cheer them back to their feet. Roman rolled Cesaro into a guillotine much to the delight of Paul Heyman, but once against the insane strength of the Swiss Superman lifted the champ off the mat and slammed him back down into the ring. Roman refused to let go though, and his punishing guillotine turned Cesaro's entire head purple, causing the ref to end the match in the WORST CONCLUSION EVER.

Cesaro flew around that entire match like an angel straight from Heaven, doing the most impressive feats of strength seen during the Backlash event, and all he got for it was Roman's puppy Jey Uso kicking him in the head after the fight concluded. As soon as Seth Rollins' music surprisingly popped, it seemed like Cesaro's Backlash match could have been avenged, but he received his third beating of the night instead. Seth seemed upset that Cesaro went from their rivalry to challenge Roman, and decided that we would beat an injured man while he was already down.

The only thing worse than Cesaro's treatment is Seth's terrible suit. Someone bring the zombies back.

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