In 2025, WWE's main roster premium live events Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania 41 have been presented by the voices of Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, and Wade Barrett. Tonight, that lineup will slightly change as McAfee takes on former WWE World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER at WWE Backlash.
Per PWInsider, the three-man commentary booth has been scaled back to two, with Cole and Barrett calling the action for Backlash, which emanates from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. In his weekly duties, Cole serves as a broadcaster for the "WWE Raw" brand alongside McAfee. Elsewhere, Barrett commentates on the events of "WWE SmackDown" alongside Joe Tessitore, who signed with WWE last year. McAfee's match against GUNTHER comes after the broadcaster tried to save Cole from a chokehold at the hands of "The Ring General," only to then meet one himself.
WWE will kick off the Backlash festivities with a two-hour pre-show, beginning at 5pm ET. Then, the main card of five matches will start at 7pm ET. In addition to McAfee vs. GUNTHER, Backlash will feature four championship bouts. Both the Women's and men's Intercontinental Championships will be on the line, with Lyra Valkyria defending the former against Becky Lynch, while Penta battles The Judgment Day's Dominik Mysterio over the latter.
Odds-wise, WWE United States Champion Jacob Fatu has the biggest challenge ahead of him as he defends his title against three other men Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, and LA Knight in a fatal-four-way. Finally, long-time rivals Randy Orton and John Cena will face off for the last time ever. "The Viper" returns to his hometown of St. Louis looking for his 15th world title. Meanwhile, Cena will raise up the Undisputed WWE Championship he recently claimed with a win over Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.
