WWE Backlash: France has arrived!
The show gets underway this afternoon at the LDLC Arena in Lyon-Décines, France, with the Countdown to WWE Backlash: France pre-show featuring CM Punk, Big E. and Jackie Redmond at Noon Eastern Time, with the premium live event immediately following starting at 1pm Eastern Time.
On tap for today’s international WWE PLE is Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles for the Universal Championship, Damian Priest vs. “Main Event” Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship, Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton for the Women’s Championship, The Kabuki Warriors vs. Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair for the Women’s Tag-Team Championships, as well as Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga.
Featured below are complete WWE Backlash: France results from Saturday, May 4, 2024. The following report was written by PWMania.com reporter Matt Boone (@MattBoone0709) as the show aired live on Peacock from 1-4pm EST.
WWE BACKLASH: FRANCE RESULTS (5/4/2024)
After the Countdown to WWE Backlash: France pre-show with Jackie Redmond, CM Punk and Big E. wraps up, we shoot inside the LDLC Arena in Lyon-Décines, France for the start of the premium live event portion of today’s show.
Michael Cole and Corey Graves welcome us to the PLE from the commentary desk at ringside, and once again point out how WWE is getting noise warnings due to how loud the crowd is in France. The cold open video package airs to get the PLE officially started.
Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga
Kevin Owens’ theme music hits to get things rolling with our first match of the show. “The Prize Fighter” gets an insanely loud reaction from the crowd as he makes his way out for our tag-team opening contest. Randy Orton’s theme hits next and out comes “The Viper” to the French crowd loudly, loudly singing along with the entire song.
WWE lets Orton’s theme play in full two times around, and then some, as the intense crowd continues to loudly sing along with it. Orton soaked up the moment. Their opponents from The Bloodline, Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga, make their way out next and the fight gets off immediately between these four guys. It gets so intense that security runs out to deal with it, but they get beaten down as well.
SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis comes out and declares this is no a no-rules Street Fight. The crowd goes wild again and the fight continues, with two of the four brawling in the wild crowd. After a rough two minutes, with each member of their respective teams going at it in the crowd, they finally bring it back towards the ring where Kevin Owens drops Solo onto the steps.
Orton grabs a trash can and clocks Tonga across the head. Owens has a lid and smacks Solo then grabs a kendo stick and smacks Solo across the back a bit. Owens with a trash can. He smashes it onto Solo’s head. Owens grabs Tama and lays him across the announce table. Orton smacks him across the back repeatedly. He tries putting him through it, but it doesn’t break.
“The Viper” and “The Prize Fighter” each pull tables out from under the ring as the crazy crowd explodes once again. Orton slid his table inside the ring while Owens set his up on the floor. Orton put Tonga on the table at ringside. Orton went to the apron and then splashed Tonga through the table. In the ring, Sikoa caught Orton with a punch and then used a Samoan Drop to put him through the other table.
After some more back-and-forth action inside the ring, we see The Bloodline duo shift the offensive momentum back in their favor. With Owens and Tonga laid out in the ring, Solo works over Orton on the floor. He clears off the commentary desk and brings Orton up and on it. Fans begin chanting “RKO! RKO!” as they see it coming well in advance.
It turns out they were right, as Sikoa goes for the Samoan Spike, only for Orton to come to life and hit an RKO out of nowhere on the table, which again does not break. We see three steel chairs unfolded and set up in the ring by Owens. He takes Tonga to the top-rope and hits a super-brain buster onto the pile of chairs, and the crowd goes insane.
Owens rolls over and puts his arm over Tonga, but someone yanks the referee out during the follow-up pin attempt. It is another member of The Bloodline. Tama Tonga’s brother, Tanga Loa, has arrived in WWE. Back in the ring, Sikoa hits a urinagi to Owens on a chair.
Sikoa follows up with a Samoan Spike for the pin fall victory. Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa stand tall and put up the 1’s, with Paul Heyman hesitantly doing the same beside them, as they stand over Orton and Owens after the match. We see some commercials and return to Owens and Orton still stumbling to the back.
Winners: Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga
WWE Women’s Championship
Bayley (C) vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi
The pre-match video package for our second bout of the show, which is our first championship match, airs now to tell the story leading up to the WWE Women’s Championship triple-threat bout, with Bayley defending against Tiffany Stratton and Naomi. After it wraps up, Stratton makes her way out to the ring. Naomi comes out next and then the champ, Bayley, emerges to a huge crowd reaction.
From there, the bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. All three go for quick roll ups to start the match and the fans chant “Tiffy-Time! Tiffy-Time!” Bayley and Naomi with kicks onto Tiffany. They send her to the ropes but Tiffany with a kick and an elbow onto them. She throws Bayley shoulder first into the corner. Naomi goes for a dropkick onto Tiffany but she moves out of the way and Naomi hits Bayley with a dropkick.
Tiffany with an acrobatic back elbow to the face. She runs to the ropes but Bayley with a forearm to the face. Bayley goes for a sunset flip cover onto Naomi but Naomi blocks it and Tiffany hits Bayley with a dropkick. She goes for the cover but Bayley kicks out. Tiffany goes for the cover on Naomi but Naomi kicks out. Stratton throws Bayley to the ropes and she hits her with an elbow to the face. She grabs Bayley but Bayley with right hands.
Bayley to the ropes and Tiffany hits her with a clothesline. Tiffany throws Bayley into the corner and goes for an elbow but Bayley catches her. She goes for a back drop but Tiffany lands on her feet. Tiffany with an Alabama slam. She goes for the cover but Bayley kicks out. Tiffany gets to her feet and Naomi spears her through the ropes and both women fall to the outside. Naomi with forearms onto Tiffany but Tiffany throws her into the barricade.
Tiffany with a back elbow and she throws Naomi into the time keeper area. Bayley with a suicide dive through the ropes onto Tiffany. Naomi with a kick onto Bayley but Bayley stays on her feet. Naomi stands on top of the barricade and hits Bayley with a neck breaker. The fans chant “This is awesome”. Naomi gets on the ring apron and slams Tiffany head first into the mat. She hits Tiffany with a split legged moon sault and goes for the cover but Bayley breaks it up.
Naomi slams Bayley face first into the turnbuckle. She places Bayley on the top rope and Naomi climbs the second rope but Tiffany pulls her down. Tiffany climbs the second rope but Naomi with right hands. Naomi picks Tiffany up and hits her with a sit down powerbomb. She goes for the cover but Bayley kicks out. Naomi with a submission in the middle of the ring but Bayley with an elbow off the top rope breaks it up. She goes for the cover but Naomi kicks out.
Bayley goes for the cover on Tiffany but Tiffany kicks out. Bayley with a sunset flip onto Naomi slamming her into the turnbuckle. Bayley hits Tiffany with the Bayley to Belly. She goes for the cover but Tiffany kicks out. Tiffany takes over again. With Bayley and Naomi both down, she goes for a double Prettiest Moonsault Ever but the two move and fire back with a double-team 1D to lay Tiffany out. Naomi tries rolling Bayley up, but Bayley reverses and gets the three count.
Winner and STILL WWE Women’s Champion: Bayley
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Damian Priest (C) vs. “Main Event” Jey Uso
Backstage, we see “Main Event” Jey Uso warming up ahead of his big WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity later in the show against Damian Priest. Solo Sikoa walks by and smirks at him. Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa also pass by, and then a nervous-looking Paul Heyman follows behind them by a couple of steps, stopping to look at Jey nervously while shaking his head and looking back at Solo, Tama and Tonga.
From there, we head into the pre-match video package telling the story leading up to today’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship bout. The theme for “Main Event” Jey Uso hits and out comes the master of “Yeet!” to the wildest crowd in recent memory, who are all flashing their cell phone flash lights, waving them around and singing along with Jey’s energy-filled entrance tune.
He settles in the ring and does the wave to the beat of his theme, with the fans doing the same with the flash lights. Crazy atmosphere. So much so that like Orton, they let the theme play in full two times over, and then some. After his excellent ring entrance wraps up, his music dies down and the theme for his opposition plays. Out comes the reigning and defending WWE World Heavyweight Champion for his first PLE title defense since capturing the gold on “The Grandest Stage of Them All” at WrestleMania XL.
Samantha Irvin handles the final formal pre-match ring introductions for the champion and challenger, and then the bell sounds to start this one off. The crowd is fired up big-time for this one, which is saying a lot because they’ve been absolutely off-the-charts intense all-show-long already. Uso plays the crowd like a fiddle, leading “YEET!” chants and flashlight waves from one side of the crowd to the other before finally starting to mix it up with the champ.
The two trade punches back-and-forth to start the offensive action off, with the crowd loudly reacting to each shot at Uso lands with super-loud “YEET!” chants. Priest goes for a right hand, but Jey lowers the top rope and Priest sails out to the floor, crashing and burning at ringside. Jey goes for a double axe off the ring apron but Priest catches him and slams him into the barricade. Priest with a forearm to the face and Jey rolls back into the ring.
Once the action resumes inside the squared circle, we see Priest blast Jey with a big right hand, before following up with a flying forearm. He goes for the cover but Jey kicks out before the count of three. Priest goes for a right hand but Jey with back suplex. Jey with right hands and a kick followed by an uppercut. Jey with a kick to the side of the head. Jey climbs the top rope and he hits him with a cross body. He goes for the cover but Priest kicks out.
Priest rolls to the outside and Jey with a suicide dive. Jey throws Priest back into the ring and as Jey is getting into the ring, out comes JD McDonaugh with a cheap shot. Priest hits him with a spear. He goes for the cover but Jey kicks out. Priest looks at JD and asks him why he is out there and that he told him he doesn’t need his help. JD gets on the ring apron and they argue. Jey hits JD with a super kick and he hits Priest with a super kick. Jey climbs the top rope and he hits Priest with the Uso Splash.
Uso immediately follows up the Uso Splash with a pin attempt, but Priest kicks out to keep this one going. Priest gets in some offense, but Uso fires up and again has Priest on the ropes. This time, Finn Balor runs out and gets involved, leading to Priest taking over and hitting his South of Heaven choke slam. He can’t finish Uso off, however, so the match continues. We see Uso fire up again and he hits another Uso Splash off the top-rope.
He goes for the cover, but out of nowhere McDonagh re-appears and puts Priest’s foot on the ropes, which keeps his title reign in-tact. The fans loudly chant “Assh*le!” and then “F*ck you, JD!” Uso pops up and hits a Flying Uso suicide dive through the ropes onto JD on the floor. He runs around the ring and hits a spear on Balor. He heads back to the ring, where Priest decks Uso and then brings him up to the top-rope, where he hits a Super South of Heaven choke slam for the pin fall victory to retain.
After the match, we see Damian Priest lose his cool and shove McDonagh and even grab Balor by the face and back him into the ropes. He barks some orders at them, and they comply, and pose in the middle of the ring over a fallen Uso as Priest successfully retains his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He retained it directly because of McDonagh and Balor’s involvement, despite boasting he didn’t need their help before the match and seeming upset that they helped afterwards.
Winner and STILL WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Damian Priest
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
The Kabuki Warriors (C) vs. Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill
The WWE France commentator enters the ring and announces that WWE Backlash: France has set an all-time record, as tonight’s live gate for the show inside the LDLC Arena in Lyon-Décines, France is the largest gate for any arena show in the history of the company. Once that wraps up, we see the pre-match video package telling the story leading up to today’s co-main event, which features the WWE Women’s Tag-Team Championships on-the-line.
After it wraps up, we return inside the LDLC Arena where the theme for The Kabuki Warriors plays. Out comes the reigning and defending WWE Women’s Tag-Team Champions Asuka and Kairi Sane for their latest title defense. They settle in the ring and their music dies down. Bianca Belair’s theme plays next and out comes “The EST of WWE.” She settles in the ring and after a little pause, the theme for Jade Cargill hits and out comes the new shiny addition to the women’s roster in WWE.
Following the ring entrances of the champions and the challengers, Samantha Irvin gets the final formal pre-match ring introductions out of the way and then the bell sounds to get this one officially off-and-running. Belair and Asuka kick things off for their respective teams. Asuka anf Bianca trade forearm shots in the middle of the ring. Asuka with a kick and she runs to the ropes but Bianca hits her with a shoulder tackle.
Bianca goes for a clothesline but Asuka with an octopus submission but Bianca gets out of it and she slams Asuka onto the mat. Bianca with a suplex. Jade is tagged into the match and as is Sane who goes for a waist lock but Jade pushes her away. Sane with kicks and she goes for a cross body but Jade catches her with a back breaker. Bianca is tagged in and they double team Sane, slamming her onto the mat. Bianca runs to the ropes and she hits a moonsault.
She goes for the cover but Sane kicks out. Bianca gets Sane in the corner and hits her with right hands but Sane grabs her by her pony tail, Bianca jumps down and hits her with a kick to the side of the head. Sane falls to the outside and Bianca jumps to the outside, Sane moves out of the way and Asuka hits Bianca with a kick. Sane climbs the top rope and she hits her with a cross body. Sane throws her back into the ring. She goes for the cover but Bianca kicks out. Asuka is tagged in and they double team Bianca.
Asuka goes for the cover but Bianca kicks out. Asuka with kicks and Sane is tagged back in. They double team Bianca. Sane climbs the top rope and she hits her with a flying forearm to the face. Sane goes for the cover but Bianca kicks out. Asuka grabs Bianca but Bianca with a jaw breaker. Bianca with a suplex and both women are down. Sane is tagged in and Bianca goes for the tag but Sane knocks Jade off the ring apron. An elbow by Sane and Asuka is tagged in. They double team Bianca. Asuka goes for the cover but Bianca kicks out.
“The Empress of Tomorrow” goes for a submission but Bianca gets to her feet, lifting Asuka up. Asuka makes the tag to Sane and Sane with a right hand. A kick by Asuka and Sane grabs Bianca by her hair but Bianca pulls Sane towards her and hits her with a clothesline. Jade is tagged in and she hits them with a springboard off the top rope. Jade with a splash onto Asuka and Sane in the corner. Jade lifts Sane up and slams her onto the mat. She goes for the cover but Asuka breaks it up.
Asuka is tagged in and they double team Jade with kicks to the face. Sane hits Bianca with the neck breaker. She goes for the cover but the referee told her that Asuka is the legal partner. Jade with a forearm to the face and Asuka is on the ring apron. Asuka gets back into the ring but Jade with a kick. Jade with a head lock in the corner but Sane tags herself in. Sane with right hands but Jade with a modified chokeslam. Sane trips Jade up and gets her in an arm bar. Asuka and Bianca fight into the ring and Asuka with an arm bar on Bianca.
Jade and Bianca both get up from the arm bars and slam The Kabuki Warriors onto the mat. Jade goes for a double chokeslam but they throw Jade to the ropes and Bianca is tagged in. Jade throws Asuka to the outside. Bianca and Jade double team Sane and Jade hits her with a German suplex. Bianca goes for the cover but Sane kicks out. Asuka grabs Jade on the outside and throws her into the ring steps. Bianca with a spinebuster onto Sane.
She goes for a spear but Sane moves out of the way and Bianca hits the ring post. Asuka is tagged in. Sane with the Insane elbow. She goes for the cover but Jade breaks it up. The Kabuki Warriors double team Jade but Jade with a super kick on Asuka. Sane jumps off the second rope, Jade catches her, flips her in the air and slams her onto the mat. In comes Bianca and she hits Asuka with the KOD onto Sane. Bianca goes for the cover and gets the pin. We have new WWE Women’s Tag-Team Champions.
Winners and NEW WWE Women’s Tag-Team Champions: Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill
WWE Universal Championship
Cody Rhodes (C) vs. AJ Styles
It’s main event time!
After the women’s tag-team title bout wraps up, we head to a quick commercial time out. When we return, we shoot to Cole and Graves at the commentary desk at ringside. The two talk about the WWE King and Queen of the Ring 2024 special event coming up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A video package for the show airs. When it wraps up, Cole and Graves announce some first round matches in the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments, with the first tourney bouts starting off on Monday’s Raw.
Those matches include GUNTHER vs. Sheamus, Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov, Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio and Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor. For the 2024 WWE Queen of the Ring tournament, the following four opening round matches were announced: IYO SKY vs. Natalya, Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka, Shayna Baszler vs. Zelina Vega and Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile. The pre-match package for our final match of the evening airs now. When it wraps up, AJ Styles makes his way out and settles in the ring for his big title opportunity.
Styles’ music wraps up, and a loud song-style chant with the word “Phenomenal” in it spreads throughout this insane crowd. It is later explained that it is a song-chant done any time the word “Phenomenal” comes up in France. Now the theme for Cody Rhodes plays and out comes the reigning and defending champ as the wild crowd loudly sings along with every lyric of his song. The show started that way with Randy Orton’s entrance, it’s only fitting it ends that way for the final ring entrance as well. What a crowd. The story of this show is quite simply — the crowd.
With that in mind, the champ and the challenger are in the ring and ready to rock and roll. Samantha Irvin does her thing and heads back out to her chair and then the bell sounds to officially get this one off-and-running. We see a head lock take down by Cody but AJ gets back to his feet. Both men face to face and Cody slaps AJ in the face. Cody throws AJ to the ropes and he hits him with a drop kick. The fans on their feet for the main event. AJ gets to his feet and a kick by AJ. The fans get back to their feet and cheer. AJ runs to the ropes and Cody with a back body drop.
He goes for the cover but AJ kicks out. Cody lifts AJ up for a vertical suplex but drops him into a forward buster. The fans chant “Cody” but AJ gets to his feet and he throws Cody shoulder first into the turnbuckle. AJ grabs Cody by the arm and slams him onto the mat. A hammerlock by AJ but Cody with a right hand. Cody to the ropes but AJ with a knee. AJ goes for a kick but Cody reverses it into a modified leg drag. Cody goes for the cover but AJ kicks out. AJ with a punch to the back of the head.
He runs towards Cody but Cody moves out of the way and AJ slams into the second rope and falls to the outside of the ring. Cody goes for a suicide dive but AJ with a right hand. AJ slams Cody’s head face first into the announce table. AJ clears the announce table but Cody pushes AJ into the ring steps. Cody gets in the ring and AJ gets on the ring apron. AJ gets onto the top rope and Cody gets on the second rope. Cody with right hands and he goes for a vertical suplex but AJ gets out of it and he lands on his feet, Cody lands on his lower back.
AJ lifts Cody up on his shoulders and he hits him with an electric chair, dropping back onto the mat. AJ goes for a springboard moon sault but Cody gets his knees up. Cody with right hands and a snap powerslam. Cody with the disaster kick off the second rope. He goes for the cover but AJ kicks out. Cody goes for the disaster kick but AJ catches him and AJ with a kick. The fans begin to sing La Marseillaise, France’s national anthem. AJ goes for a splash in the corner but Cody moves out of the way and Cody hits him with a bulldog.
A loud “This is Awesome!” chant spreads throughout the LDLC Arena as both men are on the ring apron. While outside the ring ropes, Cody goes for a suplex but AJ reverses it, lifting Cody up and slamming him onto his dome on the hard part of the ring apron. Back into the ring, both guys are slow to recover. When they do, they are in opposing corners and they each get super-fired up, gritting their, flexing and yelling at each other from across the ring before charging at each other, colliding in the middle and hockey-fighting like mad-men as the crowd comes to life again.
With the crowd breaking out into song again, we see Styles again take over, and continue to focus his offensive attack on the back and shoulder of “The American Nightmare.” Styles heads outside of the ring ropes on the apron. He hits a springboard 450 splash onto Cody and immediately goes for the cover, but only gets a count of two. A loud “Let’s go Cody!” and “AJ Styles!” dueling chant breaks out. Styles hoists Cody up and connects with a Burning Hammer, which Cody pops back up from and no-sells. He punches himself a few times and goes on the offensive.
Cody connects with a big Cody Cutter and follows up with the quick cover, but AJ kicks out at two. A loud “Fight Forever!” chant spreads throughout the LDLC Arena as both guys are slow to get back to their feet. Cody charges at Styles and turns him inside-out with a clothesline. He plays to the crowd and then picks Styles up looking for Cross-Rhodes, but Styles counters with a Pele kick. He tries following up with a Phenomenal Forearm, but Cody counters and catches him with a kick on the way down. Cody slaps a Kimura on Styles and cranks away at it.
Moments later we see “The American Nightmare” hit a single leap onto the top-rope, where he quickly leaps off backwards and connects Styles with a Super Cody Cutter. He plays to the crowd and then picks Styles up and hits him with his Cross-Rhodes finisher. He immediately follows up with the cover and scores the pin fall to pick up his first PLE defense of his WWE Universal Championship in an excellent main event in front of the hottest WWE crowd — possibly ever. Cody celebrates the big win and then Cole takes us off the air. Thanks for joining us!
Winner and STILL WWE Universal Champion: Cody Rhodes
