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Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker Among the First Matches Announced for WWE Backlash

The first two matches for next month's Backlash Premium Live Event have now been set with Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, IYO SKY and Asuka all being announced for the show.
Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins | WWE

We are less than two weeks away from WWE Backlash and the first few matches for the Premium Live Event in Tampa, Florida have now been made official.

Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker were originally slated to do business with one another at WrestleMania 42, but a hernia injury to the Unpredictable Badass back in early February derailed those plans.

Breakker was able to get cleared in enough time to return at the 'Showcase of the Immortals', where he cost Rollins his match against Gunther. Now, there's nothing that's going to stop these two from finally throwing down next month inside the Benchmark International Arena.

Rollins and Breakker had an intense exchange of words during Monday night's episode of WWE Raw, where they made several bold claims about each other. Bron said that he never needed Seth's help to advance in WWE, and only used him to gain the representation of Paul Heyman.

Breakker accused Rollins of no longer having the strength in his shoulder to carry a strap like the World Heavyweight Championship, and while he may not have been able to win the title himself, he said he could live with losing to the actual Best in the World and not the self-proclaimed one.

After Bron called Rollins the absolute best at being number two, Seth issued his retort. He admitted that Breakker has all the tools to be the top star in WWE, except for what is required between his ears. No one knows better the position that Bron finds himself in than Seth Rollins, and at Backlash, he plans on proving that Breakker is not ready for the big stage just yet.

IYO SKY and Asuka will finally face off at WWE Backlash

IYO SKY
IYO SKY | WWE

Another match that was reportedly discussed for WrestleMania 42 was IYO SKY versus Asuka. The former Damage CTRL cohorts have been building toward a huge confrontation for months, and the Empress of Tomorrow finally pushed IYO over the edge Monday night on Raw.

SKY answered an open challenge for the Women's Intercontinental Championship, and was in the midst of a spectacular match with Becky Lynch when Asuka decided to get involved. She ran down to the ring and pulled IYO's legs out from under her as she went for a springboard. Lynch then capitalized by hitting a Manhandle Slam and retained the title.

Asuka continued her attack post-match by locking SKY in the Asuka Lock until she lost consciousness. She then celebrated as the Laredo, Texas crowd began to chant, "We want Kairi".

Kairi Sane had been a key player in this rivalry for the past several months, but she was suddenly released from her contract on Friday. The live audience continued a social media campaign in support of Sane that fired up over the weekend. 

Sane or no Sane, it was later announced by lead commentator Michael Cole that IYO SKY and Asuka will go one-on-one next month in Tampa.

One more match was made official for Backlash before the end of the night Monday. World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns accepted Jacob Fatu's challenge for a title match, but only after the Samoan Werewolf goaded him into it. Read all about in our WWE Raw results piece.

WWE Backlash card (announced):

Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns | WWE
  • Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu for the World Heavyweight Championship
  • Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
  • IYO SKY vs. Asuka
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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com