Paul Levesque announced Saturday that newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns will appear at Backlash, WWE’s next premium live event.
“The OTC returns to Tampa, FL,” WWE’s Chief Content Officer wrote on X. Alongside his post was a promotional image of Reigns for the show.
The news is no surprise after Reigns said he was sticking around following WrestleMania 42. Last Monday,
he came face-to-face with Jacob Fatu on Raw, where Fatu challenged him to a title match at Backlash. Reigns responded by giving Fatu a week to reconsider.
On SmackDown, Fatu seemed set on his decision as he dared Reigns to prove he isn’t ready to step up to the Tribal Chief, despite The Usos playing good cop, bad cop to discourage him from challenging Reigns. Solo Sikoa and his MFT got involved, leading to a match where Fatu handily dismantled Sikoa and his crew.
It seems safe to assume Reigns won’t be heading to Backlash just to be acknowledged and throw up some ones. Instead, the next chapter in the Samoan saga is set for an epic showdown of savage vs. style, with Raw’s top prize, bragging rights, and Fatu’s ability to put food on his family’s table on the line.
Backlash takes place at Tampa’s Benchmark International Arena on May 9, and streams on ESPN and Netflix internationally at 6 p.m ET / 3 p.m. PT.
