Backlash 2024: First-ever match set for Undisputed WWE Championship

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It's a new era in the WWE which will see two former Bullet Club members from Japan squaring off against each other for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the international premium live event, Backlash waiting within three weeks.

In the opening match of Smackdown, AJ Styles defeated LA Knight to become the number-one contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The back-and-forth bout saw LA dodging a Phenomenal Forearm and hitting a powerslam to bounce back.

This move was followed by a big elbow, but Styles was ultimately able to escape the Blunt Force Trauma finisher. Styles got the upper hand by poking Knight right into the eye and then hitting the Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall win.

Soon after the match, it was announced that at Backlash, the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes will go through his first televised title defense against AJ Styles in a match that's been billed as a first-time-ever match.

Meanwhile, Styles vs. Knight was a rematch from WrestleMania 40 where they both won their respective triple threat matches, last week to advance to this week's contender's matchup. In the end, AJ triumphed and sought revenge from the Show of Shows.

Thus, The Phenomenal One will again be challenging for the WWE Title following this year's Royal Rumble PLE in January. The last time he held a World title was during his second WWE Championship reign that lasted from November 2017 to November 2018.

As for Cody Rhodes, he won the Undisputed WWE Universal title from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, ending the latter's 1,316-day run as the champion. He also became the first Rhodes in his family to capture the most prestigious title in sports entertainment.

WWE Backlash 2024 premium live event will take place Saturday, May 4 at the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, Lyon, France. The show to be streaming live on Peacock at 1 PM ET in the United States currently has the following match card:

• Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes defends against AJ Styles
• World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest defends against Jey Uso