Predicting the match order at Backlash 2020

It’s one thing to predict the winners and losers at Backlash 2020, but how about taking a guess at the match order on that card?

WWE has announced seven different segments for the main card of Backlash.

Here is my subjective view of how important each of these seven segments rank, ordered from most important to least important.

1. Edge vs. Randy Orton
2. Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
3. Braun Strowman vs. Miz & Morrison
4. Bayley & Banks vs. Bliss & Cross vs. IIconics
5. Asuka vs. Nia Jax
6. Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus
7. Apollo Crews vs. Andrade

It is important to come up with a list like this to get an idea of which matches are going to be placed in the key spots on the card or take up the most time, and which matches might end up in the cool-down spots or be given the least amount of time.

The order of the two women’s matches are interchangeable. I ranked Bayley over Asuka because I think the women’s tag title match will get more time.

Hardy’s match doesn’t have a title on the line, but I’m ranking it over Andrade’s match; I think it’s clear that Vince McMahon thinks Hardy and Sheamus are both bigger stars than Crews and Andrade.

Main event

There’s nothing important at stake in Edge’s match with Orton; it’s just a regular one-on-one wrestling match. But when a match is promoted as The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever, it pretty much has to be the main event, right?

The only other match on this card with a prayer at the main event would be McIntyre vs. Lashley, but that just doesn’t seem likely at all.

Opening match

The opening match of the night is usually one of the mid-level attractions with good work rate that doesn’t require a dedicated video package ahead of time to hype it up.

There is no way that Edge or McIntyre will end up here, due to their matches being so important to this card. I’ll add Strowman’s match to that group as well, even though the Universal championship storyline is a joke and not worthy of the upper card. Finally, I can’t see WWE opening a pay-per-view with a Nia Jax singles match.

That leaves three potential openers - Bayley, Hardy, or Crews. It’s not obvious to me which is most likely, but it’s never a bad idea to open a card with a tag team match.

That gives me the following card:

Segment 1: Banks & Bayley vs. Bliss & Cross vs. IIconics
Segment 2:
Segment 3:
Segment 4:
Segment 5:
Segment 6:
Segment 7: Edge vs. Randy Orton

Leading up to The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever

I’m going to continue by focusing on the matches at the back end of the card, just before the main event.

I don’t think WWE wants Edge and Orton to immediately follow Lashley’s match, because Lashley’s match has a chance to be better than The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.

Therefore I’ll stick one of the mediocre championship matches in Segment 6. That means either Asuka or Strowman. The Universal championship is usually given an upper card spot, so that’s my choice.

Then I’ll put McIntyre and Lashley in Segment 5, since their match clearly belongs in the upper card of Backlash.

That gives me the following card:

Segment 1: Banks & Bayley vs. Bliss & Cross vs. IIconics
Segment 2:
Segment 3:
Segment 4:
Segment 5: Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
Segment 6: Braun Strowman vs. Miz & Morrison
Segment 7: Edge vs. Randy Orton

Everything else

That leaves Asuka, Hardy, and Crews for Segments 2, 3, and 4.

I’ll begin by placing Asuka in Segment 4, to put more distance between the two women’s matches.

Then I’ll put the least important remaining match in Segment 2, since that’s something that WWE tends to do. Therefore Crews goes in Segment 2, with Hardy in Segment 3.

Finalized card

So here is my final prediction for the match order at Backlash, along with guesses on the bell-to-bell match times:

Segment 1: Banks & Bayley vs. Bliss & Cross vs. IIconics (12 minutes)
Segment 2: Apollo Crews vs. Andrade (11)
Segment 3: Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus (13)
Segment 4: Asuka vs. Nia Jax (10)
Segment 5: Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley (16)
Segment 6: Braun Strowman vs. Miz & Morrison (9)
Segment 7: Edge vs. Randy Orton (30)

That’s my prediction for the match order at Backlash 2020. What’s yours?