WWE Backlash 2025 predictions roundtable: Does Randy Orton stand a chance of upsetting John Cena?

Yahoo

09-05-2025

WWE Backlash, the wrestling leader's first premium live event since WrestleMania 41, takes place this Saturday night in St. Louis, Missouri. Aside from being the first major event since the 'Showcase of the Immortals,' the weekend marks John Cena's first defense of the Undisputed WWE Championship since winning his record-breaking 17th world title in a polarizing main event in Las Vegas in April.
Aside from Cena renewing his two-decade-long rivalry against Randy Orton, fellow new champions Dominik Mysterio and Jacob Fatu defend their respective titles, Lyra Valkyria puts her Women's Intercontinental Championship on the line against Becky Lynch, and Gunther takes on former NFL punter turned media personality Pat McAfee.
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Uncrowned's wrestling crew — better known as The Horsemen — is here to break down, preview and make picks for all of the action coming your way on Saturday night.
1. With John Cena and Randy Orton set to square off, where does 'The Viper' rank on the list of Cena's all-time foils?
Drake Riggs: Orton is right up there. I'd say he's top three or four. It's all about how you rank him with CM Punk in my book, because for me, Edge and JBL are always going to be one and two. I was slipping out of my wrestling fandom as a teenager around the midway point of Orton and Cena aligning, then missed all of the Punk rivalry as it happened. So I have to give honest bias to the stuff I lived through, and Edge vs. Cena was unforgettable with so many inconic moments. Then with JBL, he was the first world title rival Cena had, which provided great memories and moments too.
So it's Edge, JBL, then Orton for me.
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Robert Jackman: If we're going strictly on output, I'd place it in third as well, but right behind Edge and CM Punk. Though if we're taking a more holistic approach, the sheer longevity of the Cena-Orton feud bags the top spot. Not just the amount of times they've gone toe-to-toe over the years, but the way their careers have mirrored each other too, stretching back into the glory days of OVW.
That kind of backstory is great for nostalgia, but it also begs the question of whether they can do justice to it come Saturday night. Randy Orton has consistently delivered since his big return at the end of 2023, so there's no reason to think he won't do the same here. That said, given that the whole thing takes place in the shadow of that terrible payoff at WrestleMania, there will be plenty of people ready to pounce on even the slightest issue with the creative side of things.
Anthony Sulla-Heffinger: He's certainly near the top of the list, and I hear Jackman's argument for Orton being Cena's best career foil. But for me, personally, I think CM Punk is first, followed by Edge and JBL. Orton can very easily slot in next, but for the sake of not being boring and agreeing with everyone else, I'm going to throw a wrench into all of this and put Orton at No. 5 and slip A.J. Styles in at No. 4. Styles and Cena don't have the same history that Orton and Cena do, but if you look at who the top guys in wrestling were for the majority of the past two decades, you'll see a very clear case as to why a rivalry should extend beyond just what happens in the ring in one promotion.
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All of that said, Orton and Cena are doing phenomenal work on an incredibly fast build to this match at Backlash, and it will likely be one of — if not the — highlight of Cena's retirement tour. With Edge — err, Cope — in AEW, JBL clotheslining people on the indies and Punk mired in a literal 'fight forever' feud with Seth Rollins, there's no one on the WWE roster with the direct history Orton has with Cena, so even though I have him fifth on my list, I am very excited for this to go down Saturday.
Kel Dansby: You're all wrong. Randy Orton undoubtedly stands as John Cena's greatest adversary — not just for their exceptional matches over the past two decades, but because they embodied the future of WWE during — and after — the Ruthless Aggression Era.
Despite their differing career trajectories outside the ring, these two WWE legacies will forever be intertwined.
Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch settle their score on Saturday. (Rich Frieda/WWE via Getty Images)
(WWE via Getty Images)
2. Who needs who more? Does Becky Lynch need the Women's Intercontinental Championship or does it need her?
Jackman: I've made the case before that what will really lift these mid-card women's titles to the next level is to bring in some of the star power from the upper card, which is exactly what's happening here. (I still stand by my suggestion, for example, that WWE should have capitalized on Chelsea Green's runaway popularity at the beginning of the year by having her defend her title against Nia Jax, for example…)
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As for what plays out on Saturday, WWE clearly has a lot of confidence in Lyra Valkyria — and rightly so — so I wouldn't be surprised to see her retain. On the other hand, maybe giving her a longer-running rivalry with Becky Lynch — i.e. having Lyra lose the belt on Saturday and win it back later — would do more for her standing than a straight-up title defense.
I cheered on these two mid-card belts when they were first announced, and I'm still very optimistic for them. But I feel that the Women's Intercontinental landscape has felt a bit flat in recent months — not least with Dakota Kai being released and Raquel Rodriguez being distracted by other things. Hopefully this is the moment that really changes.
Riggs: This is an incredibly unique perspective to ask this question from because I don't think Lynch should win the title, nor do I think she will. Therefore, I guess my answer would be the latter, because she has immediately enhanced Valkyria beyond what I ever expected.
Lynch is bulletproof — a made mega-star no matter what. She doesn't need belts anymore, and to create the best story, she should go a good while without one to develop the question of: "Does she still have it?" Right now, Valkyria is it. Lynch's involvement has been huge for her, and by proxy, the still newer title.
Dansby: Easy, the Intercontinental Championship needs Becky Lynch more. Her star power was sorely missed when she stepped away, and while the midcard titles have elevated Chelsea Green and Lyra Valkyria, these belts require a marquee name to solidify their prestige in the division.
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Sulla-Heffinger: When all is said and done, we're probably going to look back on Lynch's career and remember her as the greatest women's superstar of all time. Her in-ring work speaks for itself and she has reached 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin levels of popularity — which had never been seen in women's wrestling before 'The Man' came around.
That's why this question is really so hard for me to answer. As great as Lyra Valkyria is, feuding with Lynch elevates her and her championship to an entirely new level, so there's a pretty clear-cut argument to be made on that side of things. On the other hand, doesn't it feel somewhat like the women's main event title picture has moved a little bit beyond Lynch right now? Sure, Lynch has the résumé to immediately challenge for the Women's World Championship any time she wants, but that wouldn't feel truly authentic and the fans might turn a bit on her.
In my opinion, a run with the Women's Intercontinental Championship serves as a credible launching point for a bigger Lynch heel run in 2025, and, by association, should help make another mid-card star when she does drop the belt. I'm going to cop out here and say both Lynch and the Intercontinental Championship need each other equally.
Gunther vs. Pat McAfee is certainly a match that's going to happen. (Mike Marques/WWE via Getty Images)
(WWE via Getty Images)
3. How should Gunther vs. Pat McAfee play out? Is WWE leaning too heavily into crossover stars?
Riggs: Regarding part two — yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. This match and mini-feud (hopefully) is absurd and I hate it. The less McAfee in general, the better, as far as I'm concerned. But to put him in a program with legitimately one of the best wrestlers in the company? It's honestly blasphemous.
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Sure, the guy can bump his ass off, but that's all it should be: A chop-filled bump-fest of Gunther beating McAfee down for five minutes. I think — and hope — that's exactly what it will be. But WWE will almost assuredly give McAfee a brief little moment of hope — before probably getting choked out again.
Sulla-Heffinger: Full disclosure, on Monday afternoon I was very ready to dump on this feud as being silly and useless. Then, McAfee cut his promo on 'WWE Raw' and completely changed my mind on it.
I don't think this will go 20 minutes or be on anyone's list for Match of the Year, but it'll do an incredible job of soft-resetting Gunther for the rest of 2025. Although he was working heel heading into WrestleMania 41 and destroying every Uso in his path in the process, 'The Ring General' didn't necessarily evoke the level of fear one would expect because it was fairly obvious he was losing to Jey Uso in Las Vegas.
The beauty of McAfee's promo is that he basically called out all of that on Monday night, saying Gunther's passion and hunger were gone, that he had become complacent — lost his mean streak, if you will. That didn't sit well with Gunther and should bring out the fearsome, ferocious, unrelenting version of the Austrian star we have become accustomed to. McAfee will get his rallying moments, but they'll be short and he's going to get brutalized at Backlash.
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As far as WWE leaning too heavily into crossover stars, I think we're all still feeling a little bit burned by Travis Scott's involvement in WrestleMania 41's main event. Whatever your opinion was on that, there's a clear difference to me between Scott and someone who competes in the ring on a semi-regular basis like Logan Paul or McAfee. I'm going to say WWE is walking a fine line right now and has not ventured too far with its use of crossover talent.
Jackman: Surely we're looking at an uncomplicated win for 'The Ring General' here, albeit with a few lucky breaks for the underdog along the way? It's true that McAfee surprised everyone with how well he could work back at WrestleMania 38, but that was a very different prospect to this match — which involves squaring off against one of the most intimidating men in professional wrestling.
I should also mention that terrible angle from the 2022 Rumble, when we had McAfee voluntarily eliminating himself rather than get into the ring with Omos and Bron Breakker. I know comedy spots are an inherent part of the Rumble, but it felt like a disservice to McAfee given what he'd pulled off at WrestleMania and it continues to undermine him (at least in my eyes) going into Saturday.
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As for the crossover stars, I try to take them on a case-by-case basis. McAfee is a genuine fan who has done his bit for the business and also proved he can take a decent bump. That's a world away from someone like Travis Scott being paraded out for social media numbers and then inexplicably being handed the pivotal role in the world title match at WrestleMania.
Dansby: This is a throwaway match, but given Gunther's exceptional ring work, it could still steal the show. Expect Gunther to dominate McAfee for most of the bout, with McAfee getting in a few hope spots before "The Ring General" ultimately secures a decisive victory.
Will Jacob Fatu walk out of Saturday night with the belt? (Cooper Neill /WWE via Getty Images)
(WWE via Getty Images)
4. Is there any case for Jacob Fatu to lose the United States Championship less than a month after winning it at WrestleMania 41?
Sulla-Heffinger: Considering the continued teases of friction between Fatu and Sikoa, yes, the case to be made is that Sikoa directly costs Fatu in a Fatal Four-Way and we get another splintering of the Bloodline faction.
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That being said, while that's probably the direction that makes the most sense, I don't think it's the one that provides the biggest payoff just yet. As far as Backlash has come as a PLE, do we really want to have Fatu — one of the biggest rising stars in WWE — lose to kick off his biggest solo feud here? When is the ultimate payoff then? Instead, I think we let things simmer, have Sikoa potentially cost Fatu the Money in the Bank briefcase and then get the big payoff in a Fatu-Sikoa United States Championship match at SummerSlam in August.
Jackman: We're not exactly giving away state secrets when we say that WWE often uses these multi-man matches in order to switch the belt without undermining the previous champion. Maybe that's what happening here — not least as there's an intriguing scenario where someone like Damian Priest wins only to have the dawning realization that he's just become Jacob Fatu's No. 1 target.
On the other hand, I think it's worth noting that, with Breakker and Gunther losing their respective belts at WrestleMania 41, 'The Samoan Werewolf' is the only 'big guy' to hold one of the titles right now. It's usually good to have at least one of those characters around so you can use them to dish out some hard-hitting title defenses on the weekly shows.
Dansby: Jacob Fatu should retain the U.S. title for the foreseeable future. The tension between him and Solo Sikoa is intensifying week by week, and the championship should serve as the catalyst to drive a final wedge between them, setting the stage for Fatu to build his own Bloodline.
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Riggs: Yep, Fatu should lose — and I think he will. The legs are still there with Solo Sikoa. This is the perfect "excuse" format to have Fatu lose the title too.
I said it after last week's "WWE SmackDown," but a monster character never really needs a title, especially one like Fatu. It just feels kind of weird too. That's not to say it can't work, but it was a miss to make it happen before the Sikoa story was finished. Fatu will be better off entirely on his own.
Will this dastardly trio show up Saturday? (Rich Freeda /WWE via Getty Images)
(WWE via Getty Images)
5. The new Rollins/Breakker/Heyman trio isn't present on Backlash. Do you think they'll get involved? If so, how?
Jackman: They've had the biggest segments on 'WWE Raw' over the past couple of weeks, but it hasn't yet reached the stage when there is an obvious match — even if you had space for one.
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I think it's better to let that particular pot boil nicely on Monday nights, and then hopefully serve us something bigger and juicier come SummerSlam in August.
Sulla-Heffinger: The Paul Levesque PLE era has been defined by a 'less-is-more' approach when it comes to match quantity on a card (not a complaint, Trips!), so I think it's OK if the new big bads on 'Raw' sit this one out. Riggs just gave this week's episode a perfect 10/10 Crown Score, so something is obviously going very right over on Netflix.
Ultimately, I think we should be looking at these PLEs the same way we do UFC cards. Is every championship defended on every pay-per-view? No, and that's what keeps things fresh, exciting and manageable from a viewing perspective. In wrestling, we can take things even a step further and allow storylines to breathe a bit more and the payoffs to feel that much more epic when they do happen.
Riggs: I really don't see how this trio would fit in at all, especially after "WWE Raw." It would feel pretty forced, unless on Friday night they all show up and something happens to book the clear trios match against Jey Uso, Sami Zayn and CM Punk that's brewing.
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In that case, either have it a trios match with a mystery partner or a 3 vs. 2 handicap match. Should they go former route, I don't see how Logan Paul isn't that mystery partner, which would be pretty perfectly insane. But the seeds were already planted between Paul and Jey Uso, so dropping that out of nowhere seems bizarre.
Dansby: It's best for Rollins, Breakker and Heyman to focus on targeting Jey Uso and his championship.
"WWE Raw" hinted at Logan Paul potentially joining them in a temporary alliance against Jey, Sami Zayn and CM Punk. Although the booking decision may seem odd, it's a winnable first feud that could reestablish Seth Rollins as a main-event contender. It would also be compelling to see the trio scouting new members backstage during Backlash, aiming to assemble a new Evolution-style faction.
Predictions