Jacob Fatu lost to Roman Reigns at WWE Backlash but a statement was made

There was a lot going on at WWE’s Backlash premium live event. Jacob Fatu was looking to make a statement against Roman Reigns, Trick Williams was hoping to prove he wasn’t a fluke, and The Miz and Kit Wilson were trying to escape a “curse.”

For the most part, Backlash went as planned. Reigns defeated Fatu to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, but received a severe beating after the match ended. Williams defended the United States Championship against Sami Zayn due to Lil Yachty being distracted during the match.

The WWE Universe was buzzing with who Danhausen’s mystery partner would be. Wilson and The Miz saw Mini-hausen emerge from a “cloning machine” to provide support for the “So Good, So Bad” superstar. Danhausen got a lot of help from several Mini-hausens throughout the match. In the end, it was Danhausen who pinned The Miz.

Meanwhile, Bron Breakker achieved one of the biggest victories of his career by defeating Seth Rollins. Breakker nailed Rollins with a torpedo spear at the end of a hard-fought match.

Then there was the Iyo Sky-Asuka match.

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A new chapter

IYO SKY and Asuka embrace during WWE Backlash at Benchmark International Arena on May 9, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Michael Owens/WWE via Getty Images)

Iyo Sky and Asuka arguably had the match of the night during Backlash. The hostility between the two contestants has now reached boiling point. Asuka painted Sky with her poisonous mist during a pre-match confrontation.

But it was Sky who would defeat Asuka. It was two Bullet Train Attacks and Over the Moonsault from Sky that helped Sky achieve victory. Asuka tried to blind Sky with the poisonous mist, but Sky held up Wade Barrett’s notebook to block the blue.

Sky hit the Over the Moonsault perfectly and got the three count. However, what happened next may have signaled a new path for Asuka.

Asuka was seen in tears as she hugged Sky in the middle of the ring. Before the match, Asuka posted a cryptic photo of herself looking out the window. Sky then posted a message about her match with Asuka on X.

“Our story reached its final chapter with today’s match,” he wrote. “When the match ended, my heart was filled with all kinds of emotions.

“Meeting ASUKA-san, Spending the same time together, Being able to learn so much up close — These are irreplaceable treasures for me. Thank you very much, ASUKA-San. We love you, ASUKA-San.”

This didn’t seem like the end for Asuka, but it definitely felt like a “see you later” moment.

WWE STAR DANHAUSEN REFLECTS ON HER FIRST MONTHS WITH THE COMPANY, GIVES AN UPDATE ON DANHAUSENETS

“Fairway to Hell” scores in one go

It was only a one-hour event, but All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) “Fairway to Hell” special received high praise on Saturday night. Matches were held at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, an indoor golf center that hosts Golf League events.

The greenery and sand traps remained in place because the ring was set in the middle of everything.

Darby Allin defended the AEW World Championship against Pac, Mark Davis became the new AEW national champion with a victory over Jack Perry, The Divine Dominion of Megan Bayne and Lena Kross made it easy on Rachel Ley and Ruthie Slay, and “Speedball” Mike Bailey defeated Kiran Gray.

In addition to the wrestling, fans were also delighted with striking visuals such as Allin throwing Pac into the dugout and Pac throwing Allin off the second deck.

Using the venue for professional wrestling was definitely a risk, but it worked out in AEW’s favor. There will definitely need to be another recording or two from the facility in the future.

All eyes on Leon Slater

Leon Slater enters the arena during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on January 6, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE)

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) has a big star in Leon Slater, and if he’s destined to do so, he’ll set a record for the title by defeating Cedric Alexander later this weekend.

Slater and Alexander will face off on Thursday night at “Impact.” If Slater wins, he will surpass Austin Aries to become the longest reigning X Division champion.

Aries held the TNA X Division Championship for 298 days after winning it at No Surrender 2011. He later vacated the championship in exchange for the right to challenge for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Slater won the title at Slammiversary in July 2025.

Aries reacted to Slater coming close to his record in late April.

“I’m a huge fan of @LEONSLATER_ and I have no doubt that he will break my record, but he will also do it without ever stepping into the ring with me. Number of days is great, but quantity ≠ quality,” he wrote to X.

Mason Rook is coming to NXT

Mason Rook has only been on WWE NXT for two weeks and has already made it clear that he has his sights set on the NXT Championship.

NXT champion Tony D’Angelo went one-on-one with Tavion Heights in a non-title match on Tuesday night. Kam Hendrix interfered in the match, but NXT North American champion Myles Borne came out and chased him away.

D’Angelo hit Heights with the Dead to Rights and won the match. While D’Angelo was paying his respects to Heights, Rook attacked him from behind. Rook lifted D’Angelo off his shoulders and drove toward Heights, who was sitting in the corner.

Rook was the one who stood tall.

“My name is Mason Rook and I came to NXT,” he told the camera.

Formerly known as Will Kroos, Rook made a name for himself in Progress Wrestling, where he was the Progress atlas champion. He also spent time on the independent circuit in Britain and Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan.

“Like I said, Mason Rook came to NXT,” he said as he walked towards the back. “And if you don’t know, now you know.”

John Cena also showed support for Rook.

AEW Double or Nothing card coming together

Darby Allin and Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) have to work out the final details, but it looks like they’re headed for a head-to-head title match at Double or Nothing for the AEW World Championship. Allin still has to defend his title on “Dynamite,” but MJF is expected to show up and sign his match contract if he wants to continue challenging for the title.

At first glance, the card is pretty stacked. Double or Nothing will take place on May 24 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.

• Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the AEW International Championship.
• Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler (c) vs. Adam Copeland and Christian Cage in an I Quit match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship.
• Chris Jericho, Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Jack Perry, Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson in a stadium stampede match against Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, Toa Liona, Mark Davis and three Don Callis Family members.
• Thekla (c) vs. Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander and Jamie Hayter for the AEW Women’s World Championship.

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Triplemania 34 will be two nights

While the world-shaking news of John Cena was announced at Backlash, another important statement was made that would affect the world of professional wrestling.

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) will host its first event, TripleMania, over two nights in September. The first night will be on September 11 at a location yet to be announced. The second night will take place on September 13 at the Mexico City Arena.

Triplemania will be held over two nights for the first time. This will be the 34th Triplemania in the company’s history.

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Other notes from a week in professional wrestling

United States Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton makes her entrance during SmackDown at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 8, 2026. (Rich Freeda/WWE)

• John Cena announced the creation of the John Cena Classic at Backlash.
• Trick Williams retains US title by defeating Sami Zayn at Backlash
• Tiffany Stratton retained the United States Women’s Championship with a victory over Kiana James on “Friday Night SmackDown.”
• Darby Allin defended the AEW World Championship against Kevin Knight and Pac throughout the week.

• Kazuchika Okada defeated Bryan Keith to retain the AEW International Championship.
• Mark Davis defeated Jack Perry to win the AEW National Championship at “Fairway to Hell.”
• AEW announced the return of the Owen Hart Tournament.
• Bear Bronson and Brian Myers retained the TNA World Tag Team Championship against KC Navarro and Nic Nemeth.
• Lei Ying Lee defeated Arianna Grace to capture the TNA Knockouts Championship.

• Wendy Choo retained the Evolve Women’s Championship as her match with Laynie Luck went to a no contest.
• La Catalina made her AAA debut by defeating Jessy Jackson. After the match, Flammer, La Hiedra and Lady Maravilla came out to attack him. Lola Vice and Bayley made the save.

• The South Korean boy band known as BTS attended the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) show over the weekend. The men were sitting at ringside. Místico and Titan defeated Angel de Oro and Barbaro Cavernario in a two out of three falls match in the main event.
• Brick Savage signs with Major League Wrestling quarrelsome.