So after somewhat of a break from things, to conclude my ‘Turkish Delight’ series, I will be now full steam ahead with my WWE 2K25 Universe Mode. And so now it is time for the build up to our first PLE, BACKLASH (minus the crowd chants, sorry). But firstly, as is always the case, how do we get there? After a… eventful… pair of shows to begin the series, we now conclude the month of May in the series with 3 Raws and 3 SmackDows, to take us right up Backlash. So join me now as we go on the road to Lyon, and to FEEL THE BACKLASH!
RAW – May Week 2
Damian Priest comes out for an in-ring promo. He calls out Finn Balor, but instead Drew McIntyre walks out. They go back and forth on the mic, setting up their match for later in the show.
Zelina Vega defeated Shayna Baszler in a Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Quarter Final match
Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan (with Raquel Rodriguez) comes out to the ring with Dominik Mysterio. She cuts an in-ring promo, before Rhea Ripley storms out, Liv and Dom flee, leaving Raquel to brawl with Ripley. Rhea eventually gives her a Riptide, as a shellshocked Liv and Dom look on at a vengeful Ripley.
American Made are backstage, as Chad Gable is approached for a backstage interview. As he is talking… the screen… glitches… and we see the word “Abandoned” appear… Nobody makes reference to it, albeit the crowd pops and gasps,
The Creed Brothers (with Ivy Nile & Chad Gable) defeated Alpha Academy (with Maxxine Dupri)
Sami Zayn is backstage, he looks sad but is then approached by Ilja Dragunov. He fires him up ahead of his match with Bronson Reed.
Sami Zayn defeated Bronson Reed
Gunther comes out and cuts an in-ring promo. He basks in the glory of his World Heavyweight Championship victory, and says he will bring honour and prestige to a title that has been starved of both for far too long. He says this is a new era for WWE, for Raw, and for the World Heavyweight Championship, the era of the Ring General, GUNTHER!
Damian Priest is interviewed backstage ahead of the main event.
Damian Priest vs Drew McIntyre ends in a no contest as Finn Balor, JD and Carlito all run out to attack Priest. Jey Uso runs out to make the save and even the odds.
SMACKDOWN – May Week 2
AJ Styles defeated Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman & Solo Sikoa in a 5-way match to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship
Chelsea Green (with Piper Niven) is interviewed backstage
New WWE Tag Team Champions ‘DIY’ come out to the ring for an in-ring promo. ‘Street Profits’ (with B-Fab) come out after, and they go back and forth on the mic before engaging in a brawl. DIY eventually flee.
Bayley vs Tiffany Stratton (with Nia Jax) ends in a DQ after Nia stops Bayley from winning. Eventually, after a bit of miscommunication, Nia invertedly lays out Tiffany. Bayley then lays out Jax.
Chelsea Green (with Piper Niven) defeated Shotzi in a Women’s United States Championship Tournament Quarter Final match
Bianca Belair & Naomi are backstage. They walk past the women’s locker room, as various members of the women’s roster look enviously on at the tag champions…
Bianca Belair & Naomi defeated Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
United States Champion LA Knight comes out for an in-ring promo. Legado del Fantasma interrupts him, as Santos and Knight go back and forth on the mic, leading to…
LA Knight defeated Santos Escobar (with Angel, Berto & Elektra Lopez) – LA Knight escapes after the match to avoid a beatdown
Cody Rhodes comes to the ring and calls out AJ Styles. Styles doesn’t answer the call, and so Rhodes goes to walk to the back, but as he is waving goodbye to the crowd, Styles runs out and attacks Cody from behind. SmackDown ends with AJ hitting a Styles Clash to Cody on the arena ramp, and then Styles standing tall over a fallen Rhodes.
RAW – May Week 3
The Judgment Day all come out to the ring. Finn Balor cuts a promo, before Jey Uso comes out to interrupt. They go back and forth on the mic, before Damian Priest comes out, and Judgment Day flee. This sets up the main event for later in the show.
‘American Made’ (The Creed Brothers) defeated ‘LWO’ (Joaquin Wilde & Cruz del Toro) – as American Made are celebrating their win, the screen glitches once more (just like the previous week) and we see the word “Betrayed” appear on the screen…
Rhea Ripley is interviewed backstage
Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker comes out to the ring. Sami Zayn follows him out, and they go back and forth on the mic before brawling. Breakker gets the better of it though, and ends the segment holding up his title high.
Lyra Valkyria defeated Kiana James in a Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Quarter Final match
Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio tell Raquel Rodriguez they’ll stay backstage during her match with Rhea Ripley “to be safe”
Rhea Ripley defeated Raquel Rodriguez – Liv & Dom try to jump Rhea after the match, but they fail, and run away again
‘The Final Testament’ video package
Dakota Kai defeated Natalya in a Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Quarter Final match
‘The Viking Raiders’ cut a backstage promo, promising to cut ‘The Creed Brothers’ down to size next week!
Jey Uso & Damian Priest defeated ‘Judgment Day’ – Drew McIntyre attacks Uso & Priest after the match, until CM PUNK comes running out to make the save. He takes out all of Judgment Day as well as McIntyre, and Raw closes with Punk fired up in the ring.
SMACKDOWN – May Week 3
AJ Styles comes out to the ring. He cuts a PASSIONATE promo, about how he may not have many more chances at becoming WWE Champion once more, so he is determined to make the most of his moment at Backlash. Cody Rhodes then comes running out, and the two men have a pull apart brawl!
Tegan Nox defeated Blair Davenport in a Women’s United States Championship Tournament Quarter Final match
Bayley comes out for an in-ring promo. Tiffany Stratton, and then Nia Jax each come out too to have their say. And this sets up a triple threat women’s title match for Backlash. They also set up a tag match with Jax and Stratton against Bayley and a partner for tonight!
Montez Ford (with Angelo Dawkins) defeated Johnny Gargano (with Tommaso Ciampa)
Omos video package
Solo Sikoa (with Tama Tonga) defeated Randy Orton – Braun Strowman runs out to make the save for Orton from a post-match beatdown from The Bloodline
Kevin Owens has a backstage interview, and he is ANGRY!!!
LA Knight defeated Shinsuke Nakamura
Bianca Belair & Naomi are backstage. Chelsea Green & Piper Niven see them and talk trash to them, as do Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre, and then Candice & Indi get involved, and also Tegan & Shotzi…
Carmelo Hayes is backstage, he approaches LA Knight, and challenges him to a match next week, to which Knight accepts.
Bayley & Michin defeated Nia Jax & Tiffany Stratton
AJ Styles attacks Cody Rhodes in the parking lot (near Cody’s tour bus)!
RAW – May Week 4
Gunther comes out to the ring. He seems furious at being overlooked and overshadowed in his first few weeks as World Champion. He is soon interrupted by CM Punk, who then goes back and forth on the mic with Gunther… before Punk is then caught with a CLAYMORE by Drew McIntyre! Drew then flees and admires his handy work from afar.
Dakota Kai defeated Maxxine Dupri in a Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semi Final match
Rhea Ripley comes to the ring and calls out Liv Morgan. Instead Dominik Mysterio comes out, and they go back and forth on the mic, before Morgan does then come out and jumps Rhea from behind.
‘War Raiders’ (C) defeated ‘The Creed Brothers’ (with Chad Gable & Ivy Nile) to retain the World Tag Team Championship – as American Made are coming down the ramp to the ring, the screen… glitches… and word “Massacre” flashes up…
Bron Breakker defeated Ilja Dragunov – Sami Zayn makes the save for Dragunov after the match
R-Truth is interviewed backstage. He says he is feeling great, and looking forward to seeing what is next for him. Karrion Kross soon approaches, and mocks Truth’s enthusiasm. Truth then challenges Kross to a match tonight, so that he can “stop [Kross] from being such a misery guts”. Kross smirks, and then accepts.
Karrion Kross (with Scarlett, Akam, Rezar & Paul Ellering) defeated R-Truth – Truth looks to be getting the upset win, until The Miz appears and distracts Truth, allowing for Kross to take advantage and eventually get the victory.
Lyra Valkyria defeated Zelina Vega in a Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semi Final match
Drew McIntyre, Jey Uso, Finn Balor, Damian Priest and CM Punk all gather in the ring for a summit ahead of their match at Backlash. The winner of which will be crowned number one contender for Gunther’s World Heavyweight Championship. Each man cuts a promo stating why they will win the match, before it eventually descends into chaos, and a huge brawl that sees many officials and referees and security guards have to run out to try and restore some order, as Raw goes off the air.
SMACKDOWN – May Week 4
Braun Strowman vs Tama Tonga ends in a no contest when both Solo Sikoa and then Randy Orton interfere. This sets up a tag team match for Backlash, to be contested under EXTREME RULES!
Omos video package
LA Knight defeated Carmelo Hayes
Nia Jax, Bayley and Tiffany Stratton have an in-ring segment ahead of their title match at Backlash. This eventually gets physical, with Tiffany Stratton the one who ends it standing tall.
Tegan Nox & Shotzi defeated Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell and Chelsea Green & Piper Niven in a triple threat tag match to become number one contender’s for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Candice & Indi are backstage, and they are NOT happy. LeRae angrily states that “something has to be done about this, something has to change… I gotta do something…”, before she smirks and walks away, leaving Indi dumbfounded…
Alba Fyre (with Isla Dawn) defeated NXT’s Gigi Dolin – in a Women’s United States Championship Tournament Quarter Final match – Isla helps Alba cheat to win after a tremendous effort from Gigi
This match ends after Candice LeRae runs out to attack B-Fab at ringside. This distracts the Street Profits enough for DIY to take advantage and get the win.
The go-home SmackDown for Backlash ends with a contract signing between WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and his challenger, AJ Styles. Both men passionately talk up their chances of winning the match, before the contract is signed, and we get a firm but clean handshake, and NO physicality… until AJ slaps Cody and then runs away. The show closes with AJ stood at the top or the ramp smirking at Cody, who looks angry, but glares back at Styles whilst raising the WWE Championship high.
And with the build-up done, it’s now time… to face the BACKLASH!
BACKLASH – Saturday May Week 4 (Lyon, France)
We begin the show in Lyon, France… with a fluent French language speaker. But, will the DAWGS be BARKING tonight in Lyon?
A fantastic opener, but in the end, Breakker’s power was too much even for the heart of Zayn.
Bron Breakker (C) defeated Sami Zayn to retain the Intercontinental Championship
Next up we have a… complicated dynamic between three of the top women of SmackDown. Tiffany and Nia are… acquaintances… but Nia is champion, and wants Tiffany to stay close and protect her title from Bayley. Tiffany hates Bayley and likes Nia, but also likes the WWE Women’s Championship. And Bayley hates them both and just wants her title back. That sums it all up, I think. ANYWAY…
A great effort by all 3 women, but the champion just about does enough to keep her title, for now…
Nia Jax (C) defeated Bayley & Tiffany Stratton in a triple threat match to retain the WWE Women’s Championship
Next up, oh boy… strap yourselves in for some CARNAGE!!!
And indeed, the match was complete and utter carnage! But most importantly of all, when the dust settled, the man who walked out as the winner, booking his ticket to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship (currently held by the Ring General Gunther no less), at CLASH AT THE CASTLE… IN GLASGOW, SCOTLAND… was of course… DREW MCINTYRE!
Drew McIntyre defeated Finn Balor, CM Punk, Damian Priest & Jey Uso in a 5 way match to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship
Next up is something a little different… so firstly, I’ll show you the match I have booked…
Should be a wild match right? Well, lets say it was, but because I can’t quite do it how I want to in the game, there’s no match footage. What I will tell you is imagine a wild, WILD brawl all over the place with a tonne of weapons and big spots, and much like the irl tag match (with Kevin Owens in the spot occupied by Braun in my Universe), the match ends with The Bloodline winning, as a result of the debut of the man, the myth, the LEGEND… TONGA LOA!
Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga defeated Randy Orton & Braun Strowman in an Extreme Rules match
Next up, we make history, and crown OUR first ever Women’s Intercontinental Champion!
And there we have it, OUR NEW Women’s Intercontinental Champion (MY choice, not WWE’s irl of course…but that’s for another day…)…
Dakota Kai defeated Lyra Valkyria to become the NEW Women’s Intercontinental Champion
AND FINALLY… It is time for our MAIN EVENT! And yes, it’s a direct copy of what they did in real time, and that’s because it was fucking GREAT!
So can AJ Styles once again become WWE Champion?
OR… Will the story and reign of the American Nightmare as WWE Champion continue?
They had a banger in real life, and they had a banger here too! And the result… was the same! AND STILL!
Cody Rhodes (C) defeated AJ Styles to retain the WWE Championship
And that is Backlash in the books. Our world tour of WWE PLE’s continues next up with Clash At The Castle in Glasgow, Scotland… and we know who is coming to town…
Josh.