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WWE Backlash 2025 Results: John Cena, Lyra Valkyria, Jacob Fatu & Dominik Mysterio All Retain Titles

Blake Lovell

John Cena captured the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41
John Cena captured the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41 / WWE.com

It was Randy Orton vs. John Cena one last time at WWE Backlash 2025 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

While Orton had several opportunities to capture another World title victory, it was Cena who once again used the "by any means" necessary motto to retain the gold.

An unlikely supertar played a role in how things unfolded, as R-Truth came out to try to keep Orton from finishing Cena. That was enough to allow Cena to turn to the low blow and then the title to Orton's face to score the win.

Cena was one of four champions who retained their title at Backlash.

Jacob Fatu defeated Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, and LA Knight in an action-packed Fatal 4-Way Match to keep the United States Championship, Lyra Valkyria defeated Becky Lynch in a hard-hitting Women's Intercontinental Championship clash, and Dominik Mysterio successfully defended the Intercontinental Championship against Penta.

Gunther also took the fight to Pat McAfee, with "The Ring General" turning it up a notch to defeat the Raw announcer.

Here's everything you need to know about how things unfolded at WWE Backlash.

WWE Backlash 2025 Main Card

- Perhshard Owens gets things started with the "The Star-Spangled Banner."

- Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest vs. LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu in a Fatal 4-Way Match for the United States Championship kicks off the show. Can "The Samoan Werewolf" hold off three hungry superstars to retain his title? This is the Big E special.

- Michael Cole mentions that Fatu has never been pinned or submitted in his WWE career thus far, but his opponents don't have to do either to take the title from him. Great point, and little trivia notes like that add a lot to the multi-man matches.

- Knight runs wild to start the match, as he unleashes his frustration on everyone. And then it's McIntyre's turn, but Knight halts his momentum by countering a Claymore attempt. Priest up next as he's in control of the action...until Fatu hits a Samoan Drop on him on the barricade.

- Fatu and McIntyre face off much to the crowd's delight. Fatu gains the upper hand and goes up top, but McIntyre rakes his eyes. Knight gets in between them, and then Fatu delivers one of the most impressive offensive sequences you'll find. The man is simply on another level, and the fans agree.

- Fatu hits the Swanton, Knight hits the BFT, Priest hits the South of Heaven, and McIntyre hits the Claymore for yet another awesome series. McIntyre then hits a Claymore on Knight, but Priest pulls the referee out of the ring at two and a half. Priest screws McIntyre again!

- Knight moves out of the way of the moonsault from Fatu, and he follows it up with a diving elbow for a near fall. McIntyre and Priest brawl in the crowd, and they make their way onto an equipment crate. Then Priest hits a South of Heaven on McIntyre through a table. Pure chaos.

- Jacob Fatu defeats Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, and LA Knight to retain the United States Championship. With those two out of the picture, Knight tries to capitalize by putting Fatu on the announce table. However, Solo Sikoa pulls Fatu off the table. Knight confronts Solo, but Jeff Cobb is here! Cobb destroys Knight and throws him back in the ring. Fatu isn't sure about this, but he hits the moonsault on Knight to retain the title. That match was all gas and no brakes. Tremendous!

- Cobb's WWE debut obviously adds plenty of suspense as to where things go from here with the rogue version of The Bloodline. How will Fatu react to Solo seemingly building a new army? No matter how it unfolds, most can agree that the eventual Fatu vs. Cobb match could be fantastic.

- Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria for the Women's Intercontinental Championship is up next. Is "The Man" about to go two-for-two in title matches since her surprising WrestleMania 41 return?

- WWE Night of Champions 2025 is officially set for June 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

- Valkyria goes the submission route in the early going, and she's stretching Lynch in a way that would make the late Stu Hart proud. Lynch isn't happy about it, and she eventually gets on track with a series of offense that include some nice heel tactics.

- As if that wasn't enough, Lynch starts taunting Valkyria's fiancé in the front row. That was one step too far for Valkyria and she tries to mount a comeback, but Lynch thwarts it. But here comes the champ! Valkyria goes after Lynch again and gets a near fall.

- Both women fight to the top, and Valkyria hits an impressive stalling superplex for another two count. Lynch goes for a pin of her own shortly after, but the referee spots her trying to use the ropes for leverage and stops the count. Valkyria then flies over the top onto Lynch on the outside.

- Valkyria heads up top and hits a leg drop to the back of Lynch's neck but it's another kickout. The two women exchange punches, and Lynch locks in the armbar. Valkyria reverses into an armbar, and Lynch reverses that into the Disarm-Her. They trade near falls, and Lynch hits the Manhandle Slam...but Valkyria kicks out again!

- Lynch is trying to figure out what she has to do to win, so her first thought is to grab a chair. She brings it in the ring, but the referee takes it away from her. So, Lynch decides to expose the turnbuckle in the corner. Valkyria with a German suplex and spin kick, and she hits a second-rope moonsault for two.

- Lynch with another Manhandle Slam, but it's the same result with Valkyria kicking out again. Lynch is officially pissed, and she slams Valkyria's head into the mat. The referee realizes the turnbuckle is exposed, so she grabs the pad and goes to put it back on. Meanwhile, Valkyria hits the Nightwing, but the slight delay in the count allows Lynch to kick out at two and a half.

- Lyra Valkyria defeats Becky Lynch to retain the Women's Intercontinental Championship. Multiple pin attempts from both women, and Valkyria took quite a shot in the nose. That was brutal, and Cole brings up that she may have a broken nose. However, Valkyria manages to roll up Lynch to retain the title.

- After the match, Lynch loses it and goes after Valkyria, who is still holding her nose. Officials get Lynch to back off as she walks to the back.

- It's Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship. What does Judgment Day have up their sleeve in this match? Could we move one step closer to a Lucha Bros reunion in WWE?

- Speaking of Judgment Day, the trio of Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, and Carlito let Dominik head to the ring solo. I'm guessing they'll be back!

- The first huge sequence of the match is Dominik flying through the ropes and hitting a DDT on Penta on the outside. That was so smooth from the champ. Dominik then throws Penta into the steel steps for good measure. The crowd is loving them some Dirty Dom right now.

- Penta finally gains the momentum by jumping off the top of the post onto Dominik on the outside. Both men trade counters, and Penta gets a near fall out of it. Dominik then goes into his back of tricks to hit OBLIVION on Penta for a two count. Hollywood mega star Liv Morgan is gonna reward him with chicken tenders later.

- Dominik might need those after Penta hits a Mexican Destroyer on the ring apron. Ouch. Here comes Carlito, and he distracts the referee while Balor grabs a chair. The referee turns around and sees this development and throws Balor, McDonagh, and Carlito out. They won't leave, so Penta dives over the referee onto them.

- Dominik Mysterio defeats Penta to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The faction still won't leave the ring, and that distracts the referee again. And here comes El Grande Americano, who uses the steel plate in the mask to take out Penta. Dominik then hits the Frog Splash for the win to retain the title.

- On Monday's Raw, it's Balor vs. AJ Styles, the War Raiders vs. Creed Brothers, Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY vs. Roxanne Perez and Guilia, and CM Punk speaks for the first time since WrestleMania 41.

- Logan Paul vs. Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship is official for the May 24 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event.

- The glorious destruction of Pat McAfee vs. Gunther awaits. This might not be pretty.

- Gunther enjoys himself right off the bat, as he throws McAfee halfway across the ring. Then Gunther goes to the limb work, but McAfee showcases some athleticism to get out of it. McAfee gets a burst of energy as he fights back, but Gunther isn't having it and starts going after him.

- The chop fest begins, and Gunther drops McAfee with the hardest of the chops. Gunther eventually goes for the sleeper hold, but McAfee gets out. So, Gunther decides to give him a German suplex. Cole is telling Gunther to finish McAfee, but I'm thinking he's far from done.

- McAfee tries to gain the advantage with a flurry of offense, but Gunther just laughs at him. But McAfee hits a superkick and seems to have it figured out. However, Gunther goes to the powerbomb and then puts on the Boston Crab.

- Cole has had enough as he takes off the headset and walks over to cheer on McAfee. Gunther gets more aggressive with McAfee, and then he pulls Cole into the ring. Gunther grabs Cole and goes for the powerbomb, but McAfee makes the save. Gunther gets distracted with Cole, so McAfee rolls him up for two.

- Gunther defeats Pat McAfee. Some shenanigans from the announcer duo, as Cole holds Gunther's foot down with McAfee going for the pin, but it's another near fall. Gunther puts on the choke hold and McAfee is out....until he isn't! But Gunther does it again to earn the victory.

- After the match, Gunther gives McAfee a stare, and Cole embraces with McAfee.

- Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship is set for the main event. Can "The Apex Predator" shock the world and dethrone Cena in his first title defense?

- The atmosphere is electric for the hometown hero. The Xfinity Live & Loud decibel tracker is certainly getting a workout for Orton's entrance.

- And here we go. They exchange counters and focus on the basics, and Orton controls the tempo with a headlock. Cena thinks about hitting the showers early, but Orton chases after him and brings the action back to the ring.

- After Cena tries to turn the tide, Orton goes back to work by taking aim at the limbs. Orton with a knee to Cena's face for a two count. However, after they counter each other's sleeper hold, Cena gets back on track. But then it's Orton who goes for the draping DDT, and Cena reverses into a near fall.

- Cena tries to lock on the STF but can't get all of it. Orton rallies and hits the draping DDT. Orton signals for the RKO, but Cena blocks it and goes for the Attitude Adjustment....but Orton somehow counters with an RKO. That was unique. Both men down!

- After Cena almost finishes it with the AA, but Orton kicks out. Then Orton hits an RKO outta nowhere. Orton goes for the punt, but Cena hits yet another AA...and Orton kicks out again!

- Cena figures he's fighting Orton one last time, so he might as well mock the man. Cena does that by going for a punt, but Orton moves and Cena shoves him into the referee. And Cena hits a third AA but doesn't even go for the pin since the referee is out of commission.

- Cena goes for the title, but it's another RKO outta nowhere! The referee slowly crawls over to make the count, but it's another near fall. The crowd isn't happy with that. Orton clears off the announce table, but Cena sends the referee into the steel steps to allow even more chaos to ensue.

- Orton hits an AA to Cena on the announce table, and Cole lets us know that Orton is talking to himself and that's never a good thing.

- Orton grabs a table from under the ring, but Cena fights back and goes for an AA, only for Orton to counter and hit another AA through the table.

- Back in the ring, and Orton hits the RKO but there's still no referee. Another referee runs down and Orton only gets a two count. Cena goes to hit Orton with the title but he ducks, so the referee takes the hit.

- Here comes Nick Aldis and WWE officials to check on the referee, and Orton is done with this nonsense. He hits an RKO on everyone in the ring, including Aldis.

- John Cena defeats Randy Orton to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship. Orton sets up Cena for the punt, but R-Truth runs in and tries to convince Orton not to do it. Bad idea as Orton hits Truth with an RKO. Cena then hits a low blow, and he hammers Orton with the title for the win.

- Cena grabs the microphone and says what he needs is competition and he doesn't need the fans. Cena says this is what the "Last Real Champion" looks like.

WWE Backlash 2025 Results

John Cena defeats Randy Orton to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship

Gunther defeats Pat McAfee

Dominik Mysterio defeats Penta to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Lyra Valkyria defeats Becky Lynch to retain the Women's Intercontinental Championship

Jacob Fatu defeats Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, and LA Knight to retain the United States Championship

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Blake Lovell
BLAKE LOVELL

Blake Lovell has worked in the sports media industry for nearly two decades, including covering professional wrestling for various digital outlets since 2019. He is a former editor/columnist for 411Mania and ClutchPoints. You can follow him on X at @wrestleblake for more discussion on wrestling's past, present, and future.

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