4/5 Feel the Backlash!
  by j-man
This backlash has been one of the better shows throughout the year, no questions asked. Edge and cena put on a great last man standing main event and the rest of the card was solid as well. Thanks for reading!

ECW Championship
Jack Swagger vs. Christian
I really liked this match. This was perfect for the opener. The crowd was defiently 100% on christian's side. Throughout the match, swagger dominated christian with lots of different takedowns and traditional wrestling counters. Christian had his spots of offense, where he eventually came back, but swagger seemed to stop him. The bout had a clever ending, with swagger and christian taking off the turnbuckles at the same time, and swagger ran at christian, but got droped face first into the exposed buckle and christian connected with the killswitch to become ecw champion. Fatastic opener. Match Rating:4.25/5

Chris Jericho vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Just like at wrestlemania, steamboat showed that he still has it and that he can still hang around with the best of them. Y2J and steamboat brought great things out of each other. Some good back and forth moves and nice counters really make this match special. Steamboat took jericho to the limit, but in the end, Y2J locked in the walls of jericho and the hall of hamer had no choice but to tap out. Match Rating:3.5/5

Kane vs. CM Punk
Really, the only below decent match on here in my opinion, well besides the whole kiss kam thing, which i'm not even going to get into that. Overall, nothing really special about this, some good wrestling from time to time and kane defeated mr. money in the bank punk with a chokeslam. Match Rating:3/5

I Quit Match
Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy
Overall, this match was all about telling a storyline and that is exactly what it did. Lots of psycology in this one also. Matt spent most of the match working on jeff's legs. We see submissions applied like the figure four leg lock and the boston crab. Matt used the ringpost to his advantage in order to work on jeff's legs. The match didn't have any real weapon use until the end, but the bout was physical all the way through. The ending was clever and stupid at the same time. Jeff tied matt to a table and just as jeff was about to jump off the ladder, matt quickly apoligized and said i quit, but jeff still got his revenge after the match by connecting with a splash of the ladder through the table. Some people may like this better than wm, or vise versa, but either way, you won't be dissapointed. Match Rating:4/5

6 Man Tag Team Match for the WWE Championship
Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Batista vs. Randy Orton and The Legacy
This was a pretty decent title match and it was better than i expected it to be. At first, orton left legacy to defend for themeselves, so the team of hhh really gained alot of momentum. Orton eventually came back in and the match became a little more interesting. Lots of pretty good action and it was also interesting to see if the team of triple h could stay on the same page. In the end, the age of orton reigns again as the viper punted hhh to capture the wwe belt. Match Rating:4/5

Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena vs. Edge
Outside of their tlc match from unforgiven 2006, this was their best encounter. This is crazy, nonstop, physical action right from the start. The two men used the steel steps in clever ways, throwing them at each other, irish wipping each other into them, and a cool spot with edge dropkicking cena with the steps. Each man tried everything to keep the other down for 10. Both edge and cena used their sharpshooter/stf submissions to try to keep the other down. In the mid part of the matchup, edge countered cena's top rope move into a huge spear. A few good moments to look for in this is cena giving edge two attitude ajustments, one of the top rope and the other onto the fans! The match was an out of control brawl and the ending was mid-blowing as big show helped edge prevail by chokeslaming cena into the searchlight! In the end, the rated r superstar became a 9 time champion and he and cena stole the show. Match Rating:5/5

4/5 WWE Rebounds From WrestleMania
  by D.P. (California)
ECW Champion Biff Tannen...oops, I mean Jack Swagger vs. Christian - Damn, they knew how to kick off this PPV as this was the best in-ring performance from both men in their current runs...with the sidenote that Swagger is still in his WWE rookie year. Christian showcased what anyone who's watched during his time in TNA knew in that he was a great performer while Swagger is really coming into his own by showcasing good wrestling in his own right along with some strenght like his pressing Christian over his head & tossing him out the ring at one point. Great opening card match & keep watching as you get a special "reunion" backstage afterwards.

Ricky Steamboat vs. Chris Jericho - After Steamboat's performance against Jericho being one of the top highlights of WrestleMania, he get an official singles match here between the two Chris Jericho. Just like WrestleMania, Steamboat looks like he didn't miss a step for being retired for 15 years. Solid match from beginning to end with both men playing off each other well. A great performance for any past fan of Steamboat & a great treat for those who are too young to see Steamboat in action during his time.

C.M. Punk vs. Kane - For those who remember Punk & Kane's encounters during last year on both the ECW & RAW brands, C.M. Punk is one of the rare smaller guys who can go out there & have a competitve match against Kane that doesn't depend on one guy being a complete spot monkey with Kane heavily overselling. Nothing really noteworthy here but it was good match and one of Kane's best matches in recent memory.

"I Quit" Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy - This is one of those matches that you'll like depending on what your looking for. Their WrestleMania match was a hardcore match filled with crazy spots while this one was more about telling a story throughout the match as it was both men breaking each other down & beating each other into saying "I Quit" with submission moves like a figure four or leg crab & impactful moves like a Twist Of Fate on the floor. Again, it was good match overall but as far as the best in the series...it really depends on what your looking for.

Right around here was the Great Khali's "Kiss Cam" segment with Santina Marella which your either going to love or hate...I hated it & pressed the skip after a few mins.

WWE Champion Triple H, Batista, Shane McMahon vs. Legacy (Randy Orton, Ted Dibiase, Cody Rhodes) - For those who didn't catch this same type of match at TNA's Final Resolution last Dec., the stipulation here is that Randy Orton will win the championship if any member of Legacy wins the match against any member of Triple H's team...with the stipulation that the belt can change hands on a DQ or countout. This was a pretty wild tag team match that was non-stop action to the point even what happened with Triple H & Randy Orton before the bell. The entire story behind the buildup to this match as far as all men being able to work together over their own personal issues with Orton & Legacy played out well here all the way to the end. Another good match on the card.

Last Man Standing Match: World Champion John Cena vs. Edge - Anyone who's seen their previous encounters knows that Edge is the one guy who can bring out the best in Cena while Cena gives his best performances in matches where there are "no rules brawls" & this match proved my point. They've fought countless times over the years but yet was able to still pull out a match that was different than their previous matches they told a great story about how they just beat each other into exaustion & knew each other so well that they were able to counter their signature moves right from the start, built up the pace over time, came up with some new creative spots throughout the match (boy, the front row got their money's worth didn't they?), used weapons, went all over the place, and had an ending that was quite the visual when it happened. Their best match IMO outside of their T.L.C. match at Unforgiven '06 & match of the night, no questions asked.

The only DVD extra was what happened backstage after the six man tag. In the end, this Backlash when compared to WrestleMania was almost the exact same as two years ago (WrestleMania 23) in that it was the better wrestling show overall & eventhough it wasn't a classic event, it's still a show that's worth going out of your way to see with the only flop being that Khali segment. I recommend.


4/5 Just Before The WWE's Hot Streak Ended
  by R.A. McKenzie (New York)
I'm a huge fan of WWE, so I'm sad to think that "Backlash 2009" was the last good event the company has put on since their hot streak in fall 2007. They found their footing, consistently put on strong PPVs, and kept my interest. But after this event, the WWE has yet to regain their PPV streak.

Let's get the worst match out of the way first:
CM Punk and Kane were rushed into this PPV skirmish, which is puzzling choice to begin with. Other than a nice birthday present for Kane, and a chance to remind fans who won the Money-In-The-Bank at "WrestleMania", there's not much purpose. But it's not a total writeoff. The strategy of both wrestlers is sound, with Punk working Kane's arm, while Kane beats Punk's ribs. It's a decent underdog-type contest, but that's about it. If you're gonna skip a mathc, make it this one.

Well...you might wanna skip the Khali Kiss Cam segment featuring "Santina" Marella. WWE must've hurt their PPV buyrates after this skit was advertised a week before the broadcast. I thought it was kinda funny, but I don't pay PPV dollars to see this kind of comedy.

Now, let's get to some good matches. Boy, Chris Jericho and Ricky Steamboat didn't disappoint. I was praying that Steamboat would get this one-on-one rematch after his impressive display at "WrestleMania 25", and I got my wish. Granted, he doesn't move quite as well as he could decades ago, but he has taken care of his body. Jericho is a superb performer, no question about it. The two talents engage in a slower-paced but intriguing matchup. You see, you sense that the two wrestlers are actually trying to win a straight-up match, as opposed to playing to the crowd for a few cheap pops. While not a classic, it's worthy sendoff for one of wrestling's greatest athletes, and it's always nice to see Y2J in action.

Even better was the PPV opener: Jack Swagger defended the ECW Championship against Christian is my favorite match on this card. I never got into the "storyline", but when the physical action is as creative and believable as this, I don't care. These two superstars worked so well together that I don't think I saw a single mistake in their choreography. Swagger dominates the match, but thanks to the color commentary, we're aware when his rookie impulses create mistakes for Christian to exploit. Considering that Christian is 40 pounds lighter, it's amazing that we believe that Christian could actually keep up with the champion. All in all, this is a great way to start a show, and it definitely is among WWE's best matches from 2009.

The last three matches on the card are "WrestleMania" rematches:

Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy continued their rivalry with an "I Quit" Match that is pleasantly different than their Extreme Rules Match from the month prior. "WrestleMania" was a crazy weapons-filled spotfest. This contest is more about storytelling and strategy. It's not any better or worse than their first outing, because instead of violent carnage, we get submission holds and "acting". I think most will prefer the Extreme Rules Match, but I say that Matt and Jeff made each other look good once again, and made me forget all about their failed 2001 grudge.

Triple H puts his WWE Championship on the line, as he partners with Shane McMahon & Batista against Randy Orton and his Legacy. The 6-Man Tag Team Match starts a little strange, because Orton disappears for the first quarter of the match, yet the cameras missed the action and HHH & Orton's weak slugfest didn't help. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase get dominated for a while, but once Orton makes his surprising return, it all makes sense. We watch Legacy dissect and methodically take apart Shane McMahon and Batista while HHH's title is on the line. It's a patient turn-of-events, and a nice slow build for HHH desperately trying to get into the match. The match might move a bit slow for some people, but this is a rare match that will improve on a second viewing. The puzzling first few minutes now reveal Orton sending Rhodes & DiBiase to take the punishment so "The Viper" could strike at the perfect moment. Watch it again...you'll see. Oh, and the finish is wrestling poetry!

Our main event (hopefully) concludes John Cena and Edge's rivalry. The Last Man Standing Match pits these two in a final battle for the World Heavyweight Championship. While this is a solid match, I was somewhat disappointed too. There are moments of genius, mostly involving Cena & Edge countering each other's signature moves. But this match wasn't particularly brutal either. I understand WWE's family-friendly direction, but some of weapons spots didn't look like they hurt at all. You can see Edge & Cena protecting their faces from being bashed with the steel steps, for example. Last Man Standing Matches shouldn't end just because the wrestlers have been competing in a standard match for 20 minutes. There's not enough to justify the anything-goes scenario. I give credit to Edge & Cena for putting on a good match, but this match wasn't grueling enough, in my opinion.

"Backlash 2009" is a good show, the best so far from WWE's 2009 PPV catalog.
* Christian and Jack Swagger delivered on of the best ECW matches in a long time. ("8.0 / 10")
* Chris Jericho and Ricky Steamboat delivered an old-school contest that solidified both men's legendary careers. ("7.0 / 10")
* CM Punk and Kane didn't do too bad, but in the end, it served no purpose, and isn't anything to go out of your way to see. ("6.0 / 10")
* The "I Quit" Match was uniquely different from the Extreme Rules Match that we saw from Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy. I welcome the change, and believe the slower-paced storytelling was a good way to stand apart from their previous weapons match. ("7.5 / 10")
* The 6-Man Tag Team Match for the WWE Championship started a bit rough, but eventually became a compelling contest when Randy Orton ended the 3-on-2 Handicap scenario. The storyline was also very well-done, making the finish just about perfect. ("7.5 / 10")
* John Cena and Edge haven't put on a lot of matches that entertained me, but their Last Man Standing Match is a good one. I don't believe it was as brutal or hard-edged as it deserved to be, considering this was hyped as the final showdown. But all in all, it has some neat moments, and the crowd was way more into it than I was. ("7.0 / 10")

Don't pass this DVD up. If you're looking for six solid wrestling matches (or a forgettable comedy sketch thrown in the middle), then "Backlash 2009" is one of WWE's best PPVs in recent memory.

3/5 Bit of a let down
  by Morris B (Houston, Tx)
I'm mixed about this. On one hand there were three good matches-Cena & Edge, The Hardys, and the Six-man Tag.

On the other, from a collector's view, it's barely any different from WrestleMania 25. There's not much you're going to miss if you don't have this one.

4/5 WWE on a roll
  by phenomenal
1)Jack Swagger vs Christian ECW Title 8/10
this is the best match i've seen from Swagger and it's good to see Christian in a title picture Swagger targets Christian's ribs the whole match but it was still back and forth with some high impact moves with Christian outsmarting Swagger in the end to win the title
2)Chris Jericho vs Ricky Steamboat 8/10
I didn't expect much from this match but Steamboat delivers in a big way with the crowd chanting "you still got it" Jericho gets the fight of his life from the hall of famer with a lot of near falls and Steamboat nearly getting the win on a few occasions but in the end Jericho wins with the Walls
3)CM Punk vs Kane 7/10
I had heard this match wasn't that good but i enjoyed it Punk pulls a good match out of Kane who has been slow and plodding in his recent matches and Kane pulls the match out with a unique chokeslam after Punk works his arm during the match
4)Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy I Quit 7/10
This is basically a normal wrestling match this should not even be referred to as an i quit match other than the end no weapons of any kind were used this seemed like a match that should have been on smackdown but if u watch it with lower expectations you get a nice match but the ending is a little annoying
5)Triple H,Batista,Shane vs Orton,Dibiase,Rhodes WWE Title 8/10
After Orton gets chased off by Triple H the first few minutes of the match are legacy getting dominated by the opposition after Orton returns to the ring the match picks up i was surprised that Shane actually pulled his weight in this match Legacy sneaks in a few chairshots and when Triple H stops Batista from getting DQed Orton hits the RKO then the punt to the head to become the new champ which he deserves
6)John Cena vs Edge Last Man Standing World Title 9/10
These PG matches are really getting old a few weapons come into play and the brawl all over the arena with both guys getting in some hard shots one even seeing edge being FU'd or attitude adjusted into the crowd but the lack of blood hurt this match to some degree but it was still match of the night the ending coming when big show chokeslams Cena into a spotlight the explosion was a little much but still entertaining