Judgment Day and Bloodline Drama Steal the Show at a Rowdy WWE Backlash in France

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WWE Backlash on Saturday was easily one of the best iterations of the annual post-WrestleMania event in years, if not a top-five contender.

Yet somehow, PLE cover star and undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes, and even landmark moments like Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair winning the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, weren't the biggest reasons.

Most of the credit goes to the incredibly measured faction storytelling and the borderline-unbelievable live crowd at the LDLC Arena in Lyon, France.

The faction drama was compelling, to use one of many fitting words. Damian Priest defeating Jey Uso to retain his World Heavyweight Championship wasn't some unforgettable 5-star contender of a match.

But the storyline implications were huge. Priest, desperate to prove he can win without help, had some anyway and the friction between himself and other members of The Judgment Day is palpable.

It feels like only a matter of time before things really fall apart and Priest is defending his title against Finn Bálor—never mind what happens with Dominik Mysterio once he returns from injury.

This was especially potent with Rhea Ripley still out with an injury after vacating her title and the core leadership of the group in disarray. For the "lesser" of two top men's titles, embedding it in must-see faction drama of its own sure keeps things interesting.

There are so many directions WWE can go from here. In fact, there might even be room for an extended Priest run as champion compared to what initially felt like it might be a short stint. If fans get behind him, it would be pretty interesting to see him turn fully face and eventually be forced to confront Bálor's Demon persona, for example.

And then there was The Bloodline.

As expected, the pairing of Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens made for an incredible match littered with jaw-dropping spots and storytelling, easily allowing the supposed new Tribal Chief to shine.

That WWE swerved internet-savvy fans away from Jacob Fatu and instead debuted Tanga Loa to flesh out this new Bloodline while swinging the finish of the match was just a brilliant exclamation point:

B/R Wrestling @BRWrestling

Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga's brother, is in The Bloodline 🤯<br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/WWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WWE</a>)<a href="https://t.co/JgeZrG4O5V">pic.twitter.com/JgeZrG4O5V</a>

WWE didn't stop there with the future-minded Bloodline hints either.

During a backstage segement, Sikoa's group marched past Jey Uso, with some really subtle storytelling going on when Paul Heyman stopped and had a mini-standoff with the former member.

One of the best ever on the mic happens to be one of the best at wordless storytelling, too, and Heyman looked like a man fatigued from attempting to control the new Bloodline—while begging Jey for help:

WWE on TNT Sports @wweontnt

Paul Heyman looks TROUBLED in front of Jey Uso 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWEBacklash?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWEBacklash</a> | TNT Sports Box Office <a href="https://t.co/kRvvhk7MvX">pic.twitter.com/kRvvhk7MvX</a>

Fans would be wise to presume that if and when Roman Reigns returns, it will be against this new Sikoa-led splinter group. That would align him with Heyman, of course, but potentially with The Usos too.

To say the subtle storytelling from France inched things closer to that would qualify as an understatement.

Nothing about Saturday's event feels nearly as important without that live crowd, though. The surprise Bloodline debut? A huge pop. The title change in the women's tag match? Bigger than it would've been in the States.

Rhodes defeating AJ Styles might have benefited the most of all. It was a solid contest, but sort of a non-WWE style, especially in some no-selling of major moves, that seemed better tailored for a rowdy international audience.

More importantly, beyond amplifying each and every exchange of the title match, the crowd helped massage over the incredibly expected result. There was zero chance Styles was walking out of there having ended Rhodes' new title run, so putting it in front of a stakes-raising crowd really helped.

This is where the shrewd nature of WWE's decision-making with these events really comes into play. Throwing these "skippable" or even "offseason" pay-per-views, as fans might describe them, in front of international crowds that don't have WWE fatigue is a stroke of genius.

Last year's Backlash in Puerto Rico enjoyed similar highs despite a so-so final two matches on the card as the Bloodline took part in a forgettable six-man tag (go ahead, guess the teams) and Rhodes was in that strange filler feud with Brock Lesnar that went less than 10 minutes. But they also had Bad Bunny.

It sure doesn't hurt, though, that the engrossing long-term faction storytelling—a renaissance of pro wrestling storytelling kicked off by the Bloodline saga years ago—makes these otherwise bland events important to see, too.

The blend of storytelling and fan reactions helps Backlash France slot into the better-than-it-should've-been category, which isn't a bad place to reside. Considering the event's annual, woeful position on the PLE calendar as the follow-up to 'Mania itself, the story-crowd combo continues to excel.

Call it a modernization desperately needed, with industry-best storytelling alongside actually bringing WWE to the "world" being a resounding success.