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WWE continues its global expansion, and not just for Raw and Smackdown. The next 2024 PLE is Backlash France, which will take place at the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, Lyon Metropolis, France. The event will happen on Saturday, May 4 in Europe and the United States and May 5 in Australia.
The PLE will come in the aftermath of the draft, which happens on Smackdown on April 26 and on Raw on April 29. Where will each member of the roster end up? Who knows? We do know that champions for each brand will stay put and are not a part of the draft, except for the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions--The Kabuki Warriors. It will be interesting to see what will happen with Asuka and Kaire Sane end up, or if they're split between brands.
As of this writing, only two matches are booked for the upcoming event: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles for the Undisputed WWE Championship and Damien Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship. It's probably safe to say that Uso will stay on Raw and Styles will stay on Smackdown, unless something wild happens during the draft.
Here's what you need to know about the upcoming PLE, from the start time, match card, how to watch, and predictions for a few of the high-profile matches.
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How to watch WWE Backlash France
How to watch WWE Backlash France
If you want to get in on the action this year for Wrestlemania, then you'll have to subscribe to Peacock, which includes other WWE live events, and it costs $6 a month. There's also the $12 a month option which allows you to download content for offline viewing and watch movies or TV shows, ad free.
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Sign up for Peacock
Plans start at $6/month
Start time for WWE Backlash France
- 1 PM ET
- 12 PM CT
- 10 AM PT
- 6 PM BST (May 5)
- 3 AM AEST (May 5)
Of course, there will be a Kickoff Show beginning one hour prior--sorry to everyone in Australia, but this is going to be one early show for you. Like other Kickoff Shows before the PLE, you'll see a panel of talking heads talk about the upcoming event, the storylines leading up to this, and Booker T picking his Shucky-Ducky Quack Quack moment (I still have no clue what that means). There will more-than-likely not be a match on the Kickoff Show, as WWE hasn't done that in over a year.
Match card for WWE Backlash France:
Below, you'll find all the announced matches for Backlash, and because not everything is booked, keep checking back to see who else will be brawling-it-up during the PLE. We promise to keep you updated.
Current match card:
- Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles (Undisputed WWE Championship)
- Damien Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso (For the World Heavyweight Championship)
WWE Backlash France predictions:
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles
You can't "end the story" again when a new story has just begun, right? Taking the title away from Rhodes after his first defense doesn't make sense. I'm not saying he's going to have a Roman Reigns-level run with the championship, but he sure as hell isn't going to lose it after his first defense. Here's the thing, though. Rhodes and Styles are going to put on a clinic. They are two of the best wrestlers in the company, and this is going to be a barnburner. There will be plenty of moments where Rhodes will seemingly lose the belt; however, he's the hero, so he'll come out on top.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
WWE Backlash France predictions:
Damien Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso
Jey Uso is the perfect person for Priest to face for his first title defense. Uso is incredibly over with the audience and is having an incredible run as a solo superstar. At the same time, Priest has stepped out of the shadows of The Judgment Day--although he's still a member--and proving he's worthy of holding the title. He's still a rising star, so this will be the match that really cements him as a title holder. There won't be a babyface turn here though. There will probably be someone from his faction interfering in the match; however, the real hope in all of that is that Priest won't take that help, in order to really raise his credibility as a champion.
Winner: Damien Priest
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