# Backlash (2009)
**Backlash (2009)** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on April 26, 2009, at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in [Providence, Rhode Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/providence-rhode-island), before an announced attendance of 8,357.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) It was the 11th annual Backlash event, and it featured wrestlers from all three of WWE's then-active brands, Raw, SmackDown, and ECW, and it followed [WrestleMania 25](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania-25) by three weeks, continuing several programs from that show.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) • [2](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-backlash-2009) • [5](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/2007) The card produced three new champions: [Randy Orton](https://www.edgepedia.org/randy-orton) won the WWE Championship, Edge won the World Heavyweight Championship, and Christian won the ECW Championship.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/2009)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | April 26, 2009, Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence Civic Center), Providence, Rhode Island[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) • [2](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-backlash-2009) |
| Attendance | 8,357 announced; 11 matches on the card[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) • [4](https://ringhistory.com/year/2009/) |
| Brand status | First tri-branded Backlash, featuring Raw, SmackDown, and ECW[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) |
| WWE Championship | Randy Orton & The Legacy defeated Triple H, Batista & Shane McMahon; Orton became WWE Champion[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/2009) |
| World Heavyweight Championship | Edge defeated John Cena in a Last Man Standing match to win the title[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/2009) |
| ECW Championship | Christian defeated Jack Swagger by pinfall to win the title[2](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-backlash-2009) |
| Critical standing | WrestleFile grade B+ (8.2/10); TJR Wrestling ranks it third among all Backlash events[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) |
## Event context
Backlash occupied WWE's traditional post-[WrestleMania](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania) slot, and the 2009 edition carried forward the Houston card's major feuds. [John Cena](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-cena) defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Edge in a Last Man Standing match, a stipulation in which a wrestler loses when unable to answer a ten count. [Triple H](https://www.edgepedia.org/triple-h)'s WWE Championship was placed at risk in a six-man tag team match in which, if Triple H's team lost, Orton would win the title.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) • [2](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-backlash-2009)
## Matches and results
**Three title changes.** Christian opened the pay-per-view card by pinning ECW Champion Jack Swagger, a victory WWE framed as the payoff of Swagger's feud with the returning Christian.[2](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-backlash-2009) • [3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/2009) In the [WWE Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-championship) six-man tag, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and [Ted DiBiase](https://www.edgepedia.org/ted-dibiase) (together The Legacy) defeated Triple H, Batista, and [Shane McMahon](https://www.edgepedia.org/shane-mcmahon), giving Orton the WWE Championship under the match's stipulation.[2](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-backlash-2009) • [3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/2009) In the main event, Edge defeated John Cena in a Last Man Standing match with help from Big Show to win the World Heavyweight Championship, closing a long rivalry between the two.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) • [3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/2009)
**Grudge matches.** [Jeff Hardy](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-hardy) made [Matt Hardy](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-hardy) quit in an "I Quit" match, a sibling-rivalry rematch that improved markedly on the pair's WrestleMania 25 encounter.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/2009) • [1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) [Chris Jericho](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-jericho) forced WWE Hall of Famer Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat to submit to the Walls of Jericho, turning what had been billed as a nostalgia attraction into a well-regarded singles match.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/2009) • [1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) Kane defeated CM Punk by pinfall, gaining retribution for losses to Punk at WrestleMania's Money in the Bank ladder match and on Raw.[2](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-backlash-2009) • [3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/2009)
**Comedy segment.** Santina Marella, the "twin sister" of [Santino Marella](https://www.edgepedia.org/santino-marella), defeated [Beth Phoenix](https://www.edgepedia.org/beth-phoenix) in a three-second match with Santina's Miss WrestleMania title on the line. WrestleFile documents it as a comedy angle rather than a developed match and excludes it from its match-quality average.[2](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-backlash-2009) • [1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/)
## Reception and aftermath
The critical record is strongly positive. Contemporary [Bleacher Report](https://www.edgepedia.org/bleacher-report) coverage argued that Backlash outperformed WrestleMania 25, and later retrospectives place it among the strongest secondary WWE pay-per-views; TJR Wrestling ranks it third among all Backlash shows, citing three great matches and another good one.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) The Cena-Edge main event receives the most consistent praise, with contemporary elite marks, high placement in later Last Man Standing rankings, and ProFightDB's historical ratings treating it as the card's standout.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/) WrestleFile's final grade of B+ (8.2 out of 10) credits the main event, the Hardy rematch, Christian's title win, Steamboat's performance, and three consequential championship changes, while deducting for an ordinary Kane-CM Punk match and a WWE Championship stipulation it calls creatively awkward.[1](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/)
The results shaped WWE's summer.
The event's theme song is listed as "Seasons" by The Veer Union in one event database; a Wikipedia-derived source instead lists "Stronger" by Through Fire, and the two sources disagree.[2](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-backlash-2009)
## References
1. [Backlash 2009 Review & Final Grade, WrestleFile](https://wrestlefile.com/events/backlash-2009/)
2. [WWE Backlash 2009 Full Results & Match Card, The SmackDown Hotel](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-backlash-2009)
3. [Backlash 2009, WWE.com official event history](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/2009)
4. [Wrestling events in 2009, Ring History](https://ringhistory.com/year/2009/)
5. [Backlash 2007](https://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/2007)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestling promotions and championships › WWE promotion and brands › WWE pay-per-views, 2002–2016*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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