All Episodes

May 7, 2025 22 mins

This week on WrestleChat, AntMan is flying solo and breaking down every major match coming your way at WWE Backlash, the first Premium Live Event since WrestleMania 41—and the card is absolutely stacked. From title clashes to personal grudges, it's all on the table. First up, Ant dives into the Fatal Four-Way for the United States Championship as Jacob Fatu defends against LA Knight, Drew McIntyre, and Damian Priest. Is LA Knight being robbed of a rightful rematch? And is this just the beginning of Fatu’s rise to the top?

Then, it gets personal. Gunther and Pat McAfee go one-on-one after the shocking post-WrestleMania assault on Michael Cole. This isn't just about revenge—this one’s about respect. Plus, Penta challenges Dirty Dom for the Intercontinental Title in a match that could explode with outside interference, especially with Rey Fenix now in the mix.

We’ve also got fireworks in the Women’s Intercontinental Title match between Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch. After their WrestleMania tag team win turned into betrayal the very next night, this quick-burn feud has some real heat. And finally, the main event: John Cena defends his record-breaking 17th world title against longtime rival Randy Orton in Orton’s hometown of St. Louis. Will Cena’s run end just three weeks after it began—or does this match have “shenanigans” written all over it?

Leave your predictions in the comments, follow @WrestleChatPodcast on Instagram, and don’t forget—you could win a year of Netflix just by following along on iHeartRadio. Hit play and let’s get into it!

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome back to the wrestle Chat Podcast. What's going on?
I'm the ant man flying solo this week. Michael is off.
That means it's just me and you chatting. I'm excited
about this though. I'm excited to hear what you think
about this weekend's pl backlash. So leave your comments on
each of these matches in the comment section here on YouTube.

(00:22):
If you're watching, if you are listening on the free
iHeartRadio Apple, We're on Spotify. Drop me a comment on
our Instagram. It's at wrestle Chat podcast there on Instagram.
We've got five matches lined up for the first post
wrestle Mania forty one p l E. And let me
tell you they're packing some serious heat and some huge,

(00:44):
huge stakes up. First, we got a big one. It
is the US title match between Jacob fat Iu La Night,
Damian Priest, and Drew McIntyre. Now, this Fatal four way
is shaping up to be a real barnburner. A doozy
La Knight was the US champion heading into wressell Maania

(01:06):
forty one, but he lost the title in a shocking
moment when Jacob Faught two snagged that belt. I'll say
a shocking moment. I think a lot of us thought, Okay,
Jacoba Two's got a lot of momentum. I wouldn't be
surprised if he leaves WrestleMania forty one with that championship,
and that is exactly what happened. The loss left a
lot of people wondering though, what's next for La Knight.

(01:29):
Most would assume he'd get a rematch, right, a one
on one rematch, but instead of a one on one shot,
he's thrown into this multiman match with two other guys,
Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest. They both think they're next
in line for the US title, and you could feel
La Knight's frustration, no doubt after losing his title in

(01:51):
such a big match, I mean wrestle Mania forty one,
it's the biggest you can get. The guy feels like,
you know, he shouldn't have to fight two other challengers
just to get a shot at that title once again.
And honestly, I totally get where he's coming from. It's
hard not to feel for him when he's just trying to,
you know, get back to where he was before WrestleMania.

(02:13):
Now on the flip side, Jacob Fatu is coming into
this match with a ton of momentum, not just this matchup,
but he went into Wrestle Media forty one with a
ton of momentum. But then to add the US title
to the mix, it's even more heading into backlash, he
just captured that US title and it feels like he
is on the rise, and no doubt he is. I

(02:33):
wouldn't be surprised if we don't see bigger things for
Jacob Fatu down the road. You know, a future World
WWE Championship run in his future. That's not out of
the question. This is just the beginning for Jacob, and
I think that the US title is the first step
in his climb to his inevitable greatness. All the fans

(02:57):
they're backing Jacob Fatu as well, and so is the company.
So I really can't see the title slipping away from
from Jacob anytime soon. Fatwo's a beast and a fatal
four way match that's only going to help solidify his
place there at the top. But now let me ask
you a question, what about La Knight. I mean, you

(03:20):
talk about momentum, this guy's had it. What's this multiman
match going to do for that momentum. Honestly, it's a
bit of a tricky spot. I mean, he's not getting
his one on one rematch. You know, when the when,
the when the champ loses, the next match is supposed
to be a rematch, and it was always a thing

(03:41):
back in the day of it being in the contract.
You get the you get the first shot at getting
that title back, and instead La Knight is fighting for
his chance in a match that kind of feels more
like a roadblock. I mean, if La Knight doesn't come
out on top here, I want to know where that
kind of leaves him the company. He's built his whole

(04:01):
persona on that no nonsense, you know, brash attitude, very
stone cold, Steve Austin like. But you know, this match
could be a real test to see if he can
maintain that momentum even without the title around his waist. Now,
one thing's for sure, LA's not the type to back
down from a fight, and this match it's going to

(04:23):
show us what's next for him, for better or for worse. Now,
let's talk about the two other guys we've got, Drew
McIntyre and Damian Priest. They're both bringing a little drama
Actually they're bringing a lot of drama to this match.
These two have, they have personal history that goes beyond
the title picture, and honestly, their tension could end up

(04:45):
being a highlight of this match, or it could be
a distraction too. It's kind of weird to see, I mean,
why they're even in this match. Both of them feel
like they're well, they're kind of just there. I mean,
it's kind of like these two have a few they're
being stuck into this to this this fight for the
title between La Knight and Jacoba two. But regardless of

(05:08):
how they ended up there, this fatal four way US
title match at Backlash this Saturday shape it up to
be unpredictable and just a heck of a roller coaster ride. Now,
if I had to guess, I think Jacoba two walks
away still holding onto that US title. I'd love to

(05:28):
know what you think, Jacoba two. Will he retain or
will we see a new champion in either La Knight,
Damian Priest or Drew McIntyre. Will find out on Saturday. Now,
next up, we've got what might be one of the
most personal and I mean and heated matches I think

(05:50):
of the night. This is Gunther versus Pat McAfee. This
one's been brewing for a little while and it's definitely
a match to watch. It all started when guntherer attacked
Michael Cole on the raw after WrestleMania forty one. Why
did Gunther do that? It all stemmed from a comment
that Michael Cole made about Gunther tapping out to Jay

(06:13):
Uso at wrestle Mania ended up costing Guthro the world title,
of course, and Gunther being Gunther, didn't just sit back
and let it all slide. He took action and abused
Michael Cole. But that's when Pat McAfee said no, no, no, no,
not gonna do that to the goat, and he jumped in.

(06:34):
That attack wasn't just random. Gunther took it a step
further and left Pat McAfee actually unconscious, choking him out
their at ringside, which obviously kicked this whole thing into
high gear. And let's be real, Pat McAfee's not the
type to just roll over and take it. No, no, no.

(06:54):
He came back with a vengeance and an incredible promo.
Pat didn't just come to Cole's rescue that night, but
he also cut a fiery promo the next Monday, making
it clear that Gunther was going to pay. He's going
to pay for what he did to Michael Cole with
SmackDown GM. Nick altis stepping in to make this match
actually official. He was filming in that night. McAfee made

(07:17):
sure everyone knew that no one, no one messes with
the Goat Michael Cole. I mean, that guy's been the
voice of so many matches and so many memories. This
is about more than just defending a colleague. It's a
battle for pride and respect, and I think we're going
to see that in this match. The crowd absolutely electric

(07:39):
when they made that announcement, in Pat's words, set the
tone for the most personal matchup of the night. Now,
Pat McAfee's no slouch when it comes to getting into
the ring. You know, we've seen him throw down before,
even at WrestleMania, and he's proven time and time again
that he's more than capable of hanging with some of

(07:59):
the best in the business. But let's be honest, this
is Gunh. We're talking about Gunh an absolute machine. This
guy has been dominant as the Intercontinental champion. As a
matter of fact, he's the longest raining Intercontinental Champion and

(08:19):
his raw power, his submission game, his intensity. It makes
him one of the most dangerous guys in WWE right now.
Gunther is not someone that you want to underestimate, and
I certainly hope that Pat McAfee's emotions aren't causing him
to underestimate Gunter. As much as I love Pat his

(08:42):
energy and his charisma, this match feels like Gunther's. It's
Gunther's to lose. Don't get me wrong. I mean Pat's
going to put up a heck of a fight, but
I'm expecting, and I'm betting maybe you do too, that
Gunher is going to get a win here in this match,
probably locking in a brutal submission to make Pat tap out.

(09:04):
I think that's how the whole thing ends. You tell
me if I'm on the right track or if you
have a different opinion. I would love to hear it.
Drop a comment if you're watching right now on YouTube
or hit me up on Instagram. It's at wrestle Chat podcast. Hey,
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(09:26):
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(09:49):
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(10:14):
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(10:34):
year on us. All right, swallow here and get back
to this Penta versus Dirty dumb Our next match, This
one for the Intercontinental title. This one's got all the
ingredients for a classic showdown. I have loved Penta being

(10:56):
in addition to WWE. Penta had his eyes on that
I see title well before WrestleMania, and though he didn't
win it in that chaotic fatal four way match at
WrestleMania forty one, he's not giving up on this goal.
And I think we will see that strap around Pentu's
waste at some point. Now, is it going to be
this weekend at Backlash? I don't know. Let's let's go

(11:17):
over some of this. This time. He's getting his one
on one shot. The WrestleMania match a fatal four way,
this being a one on one shot at least that's
what it looks like on the surface. And I say
that kind of tongue in cheek here because although Dirty
Dom's got the judgment Day always backing him up, So

(11:39):
I wonder how that's going to come into play at Backlash.
And we know that Dom thrives when his stable mates
are in his corner. I mean, if you're not cheating.
You're not trying, right, Pentus got an ace up his
sleeve though his brother Ray Finnix, he is now in WWE,

(12:00):
was all him make his debut for WrestleMania against Grande
El Grande Americano. I just got to remember my drink
from Starbucks and I remember his name. I mean that
could actually, you know, Phoenix being here could be the
game changer in this match, because you've got all this
turmoil going on the outside, or maybe some interference headed

(12:22):
headed its way into the match. It was up to
Dirty Dom. Of course he's going to do that, but
maybe Ray could be there to help ward some of
that off. Let's see Pensus hungary for this Golden with
Ray potentially having his back. Now they haven't said anything
about that. We just kind of see them starting to
have some interactions, but it could. It could turn things

(12:45):
at least back to even maybe Dirty Dom might have
the judgment day. But Pentis got the Luca brothers and
that's a force that will be reckoned with at some point.
Now we'll be this weekend, We'll have to wait and see.
This match could end up being a total game changer
for both guys, with Dom will Dom hold on to
his title or with pent to finally grab the gold

(13:07):
that he's been after with interference from both sides of likely,
don't be surprised if we see some shocking moments in
this one. If you're just asking me straight up, who's
going to walk away with the title. I don't think
Dirty Dom's title reign is going to end that quickly
just three weeks. So I think by hook or by

(13:29):
crook I believe is the phrase dirty Dom goes home
and delivers that ICEE title back to his girl Live.
All right, moving on, let's talk about we're talking about
the Intercontinental title. Now we're going to move over to
the women's Intercontinental title, and let's look at that Lyra
Valkyria set to face Becky Lynch. You know, things got

(13:52):
personal between these two when Becky replaced and injured Bailey
at WrestleMania, she teamed up with Lyra and they won
the women's tag team titles on the grandest stage of
them all. But that celebration it didn't last very long.
Just one night later, they lost those titles and that's

(14:13):
when things took a turn. See Becky turned to Lyra
and the feud has been red Hot ever since actually
really like it, and I thought, you know, being this quick,
I might not. This one's been a quick build, yes,
but it's been packed with intense moments. This past Monday,
things got really personal. That's when Becky called Bailey garbage

(14:35):
and Lyra nothing more than recycling. She said, you should
thank me for taking out garbage. What do you do
when someone takes out the garbage? You thank them, You
don't boo them. You also ask them to take out
the recycling. And that's what I did with Lyra. Well,
Lyra didn't take that lightly and fired back, calling Becky
the real recycling for always using the same tired talking points,

(14:57):
in the same tired moves and the same tired ideas.
Now that exchange shows just how personal that this feud's become.
Lyra's not just a great wrestler, She's also got some
serious mic skills. As we saw on Monday. That might
be the most I've seen her talk since moving up
to the main roster, and I love it. She did

(15:18):
a great job and she's not afraid to go toe
to toe with one of the best in the business.
Becky's known for arrogance in her history with recycling old gimmets,
as Lyra says, but that's just fueling Lyra's desire to
prove herself as a legitimate champion and she could here.
As for this match, this one's I don't know, kind

(15:40):
of tough to call. Lyra's been holding onto that women's
ICEE title for a little while. Now she's the very
first women's I SEE title holder and she's earned her
place in the spotlight. But Becky Lynch, I mean, she's
a season bet, a proven track record, and this could
be the start of a rivalry that I see Becky

(16:00):
wing the title and then Lyra chasing it all the
way through SummerSlam. So expect this one to heat up
as the stakes get higher and hire. Will Lyra hold
onto her title or will Becky reclaim her spot at
the top of the women's division. We'll see this weekend.
You've heard my thoughts, I'd love to know yours. Now.
Do you think that Lyra retains at Backlash this Saturday

(16:24):
on Peacock in the US or on Netflix outside of
the US. Drop a comment on this video you know
what to do. Love to chat back and forth with
you there or on Instagram if you're not watching on
YouTube right now and you're listening to the podcast this week,
jump over to Instagram to wrestle Chat Podcast and drop
your comment there. All right, don't forget to tweet along

(16:48):
with me during Bashblash on Saturday. You can follow me
at the ant Man. You can follow the show at
wrestle Chat Pod, No podcast, just pod, wrestle Chat Pod,
both of those on X. Very active all through the
show and excited to do that with you this weekend.
All right, we've got one more match. Finally, We've got

(17:10):
the undisputed WWE Championship match between John Cena and Randy Orton. Man,
this rivalry goes back well over well over two decades,
with both guys having clashed in some of WWE's i mean,
most high stakes matches, got hell in the cell TLC
I quit matches, and it's been some really good ones,

(17:32):
i mean between now and then. It might be fun
to go back and watch some of those. So yeah,
there's a lot of history here between John Cena and
Randy Orton and it adds some serious intensity to this
matchup this weekend at Backlash. Sena fresh off his win
against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania forty one. He's defending his
record breaking seventeenth world title against none other than the Viper,

(17:57):
Randy Orton. Orton made his intentions very clear on the
first raw after WrestleMania. He was lurking in the shadows,
ended up hitting Sena with the RKO and setting the
stage for this show down in Orton's hometown of Saint Louis, Missouri.
This crowd's going to be absolutely on fire for this match,
and predictably on the side of the Viper. I can't

(18:21):
wait to hear that eruption when he walks out, Oh
her boy says in my head and the crowd goes wild. Well,
this isn't just about the title. It's also about legacy.
John Cena is trying to cebmit his place as one
of the greatest of all time. I mean, they're already
calling name the Goat, right. Orton's looking to prove he's

(18:43):
still got what it takes and he's going to be around,
presumably after December. John Cena not so much. The question
is can Sina overcome the Viper's tactics Because I'm in
Sena might be a quote unquote good guy or a
babyface right now. But that doesn't mean he's He's not
afraid to ben the rules. Should we say? Orton's got

(19:08):
deep rooted hatred for John Cena. He's not afraid to
use an opening or any opening that he can. But
Sina's resilience and determination to lead a lasting legacy might
just be enough to carry him through this match. I
don't know. This is a huge one and it could
mark a turning point in John Cena's career, perhaps one

(19:28):
of his last chances to solidify his status as the
quote unquote goat. In the end, John Cena versus Randy
Orton at Backlash about to be more than just a
title defense, that is for sure. I'm excited about this one.
It's the culmination of, you know, years of history of

(19:50):
personal vendettas and the pursuit of legacy. Really for both
of these guys, this one's gonna be filled with drama.
It's gonna have a lot of emotion and the kind
of intensity that only Sena and Orton can bring. I mean,
these guys, they've done it before, and we've had some
time off between these two. I think they just pick

(20:12):
up where they left off. Trust me, you don't want
to miss this match. Now, if you ask me right now,
do I think that Randy Orton is going to end
that seventeenth rain as the world champion for John Cena,
that record breaking seventeenth rain, I would say no. This

(20:33):
is the one that I think is gonna have. It's
gonna have something big happen in it. Does this mean
the Rock gets involved? Does this mean that Cody comes
back and throws his two cents in? Does something in
the match? Is it somebody else getting involved? Is it
we've talked about pretty much on every Poe. Could this
be the return of brock Lesner? Who knows man, who

(20:56):
knows what's gonna happen? I just don't think this is
one where we see John Cena leave without the title.
I don't think a record breaking seventeenth run with the
title ends three weeks after it starts, Especially they build
that they made going into him winning that seventeenth title.

(21:18):
I just don't think it ends here at Backlash. And
if you go with history of WWE in performers in
superstars hometowns, they don't typically fare too well. So if
that tells you anything about what could happen to Randy Orton.
I'm excited for this one and cannot wait to see

(21:39):
because even if it's just simply a normal, no frills,
nobody gets involved match, it's Randy Orton and John Cena,
it's cloned to be an incredible match. So excited about
the about it this weekend. I hope you are too,
and I would love to know what you think about
some of my predictions. I want to know what you

(22:01):
are thinking about who's going to walk away with titles
or who's going to walk away with victories in these
matches as well, So drop your comment again. If you're
watching on YouTube, if you haven't hit subscribe yet, go
ahead and do that while you're there as well. If
you're listening right now, you can find a post about
this podcast on our Instagram at wrestle Chat Podcast. Chime
in there with your thoughts as well. I think Michael

(22:24):
will be back with us next week and Sophy and
I will chat and invite you along as well. And
I hope you enjoyed today. If you did, wherever you're watching,
wherever you are listening, hit subscribe, whatever you can do
to share it with a friend as well. Much appreciated
on The ant Man see you next week here on
the wrestle Chat podcast.
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Host

Anthony "The AntMan" Lay

Anthony "The AntMan" Lay

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