WWE Fans Slam 'Unwatchable' Backlash 2026 Pay-Per-View

WWE is facing significant criticism from fans over the booking decisions of Saturday's Backlash 2026 pay-per-view.

The Backlash 2026 pay-per-view was held at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. This was WWE's first PPV event since WrestleMania 42, which received mixed reviews from fans.

Just five matches were on the card for Backlash 2026. In the main event, Roman Reigns defeated Jacob Fatu via pinfall to retain his World Heavyweight Championship. A furious Fatu viciously attacked Reigns after the match.

"Backlash used to be a very important PPV for WWE. This is awful. WWE is definitely not what it used to be," one fan wrote during the event on X.

"Now that may have actually been the worst PLE I've ever watched," another fan said.

"The WWE product is unwatchable. My goodness," a disgruntled fan commented.

"Backlash has been terrible. It's like it was put together last minute," said another.

"Please fire Triple H," a fan wrote.

This was also WWE's first PPV show since the company began a long wave of budget cuts. 23 superstars were released on April 24, including Apollo Crews, The Wyatt Sicks, Aleister Black and Zelina Vega.

Eight days later, the company released The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods), despite their status as one of the greatest tag teams ever.

WWE Has Two More Pay-Per-View Events in May

The good news for WWE fans unhappy with Saturday's event? They won't have to wait long for the next PPV. In just 14 days, WWE will run the Saturday Night's Main Event XLIV show at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

After that, WWE superstars will fly overseas for the Clash in Italy PPV at Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy. So, any booking decisions that WWE internally regrets could theoretically be corrected at Saturday Night's Main Event XLIV or Clash in Italy.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 6:12 PM.