WWE Backlash 2018: Match Card & Predictions

WWE's 2018 Backlash PPV event will take place tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It will mark the dual-branded event since the WWE divided the roster between Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live.

The card will be comprised of nine matches, including one on the pre-show. The main event will pit Roman Reigns against Samoa Joe but there are several other highly anticipated matches including WWE Champion AJ Styles against Shinsuke Nakamura and Daniel Bryan's first singles pay-per-view match since Fastlane 2015.

Scroll down for the full match card and predictions ahead of tonight's Backlash PPV.

Prediction: Rollins retains the Intercontinental title

Seth Rollins will defend his Intercontinental championship against The Miz in what should be in consideration for "Match of the Night" when it's all said and done. 

Rollins has been red hot in recent months and all signs point to him retaining the belt in this one, especially since it has already been announced that The Miz will be making the move to SmackDown Live following tonight's PPV event.

Prediction: Nia Jax retains Raw Women's Championship

Ever since losing the Raw Women’s Championship to Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss has gone to great lengths to reframe her fractured friendship with The Irresistible Force as a kind of hostage situation where she was at the mercy of an overbearing bully she was too afraid to stand up to.

However, Miss Bliss doesn't stand a chance against Jax tonight. It won't be a "squash match," and we fully expect Bliss to put up a fight but there's no way WWE takes the title off Jax this soon into her first title run.

Prediction: Jeff Hardy retains United State Championship

The Jeff Hardy comeback tour will roll on, as The Charismatic Enigma looks to defeat Randy Orton and retain his United States Title at WWE Backlash. The rivalry has been tenser than anticipated, even though Hardy and Orton have only been on each other’s radars for a short period of time.

They're both great workers which should result in a quality match. We're not expecting much, but it would be a shock if Orton dethrones Hardy in this one.

Prediction: Daniel Bryan wins

Is WWE really going to have Daniel Bryan lose to Big Cass in his first PPV singles match since returning to full-time action? No.

While Big Cass would also benefit from a win, this is Bryan's time to pick up some momentum as we head into the Money In The Bank PPV. WWE has shown that they're looking to give Big Cass a push but it won't come at the expense of Bryan tonight.

Prediction: Carmella retains the SmackDown Women's Championship

Carmella cashed in her "Money In The Bank" contract on the episode of SmackDown Live following Wrestlemania 34, and she's been gloating over Charlotte Flair ever since. Tonight, Flair will get her chance for revenge, but we don't think she'll be successful. 

WWE figures to milk this feud a little longer, which means Carmella wins by some shady tactics. 

Prediction: Braun & Bobby win

The tag-team match featuring Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens and Sammy Zayn was kind of thrown together out of nowhere, so there isn't much backstory to this bout. That said, we don't really need backstory when there's The Monster Among Men, Braun Strowman. 

Owens and Zayn will keep this one competitive via several heel-ish tactics, but in the end the monster tag team of Braun and Bobby will stand tall. Don't expect them to remain a tag team for long though, as Braun is destined for a Universal Title push heading into SummerSlam.

Prediction: Reigns wins

The last few weeks have been rough for Roman Reigns. A pair of losses to Universal Champion Brock Lesnar sent The Big Dog home empty-handed from both WrestleMania and the Greatest Royal Rumble event, but after WWE Backlash, there may finally be some light at the end of the tunnel for the embattled, three-time WWE Champion.

We predict Reigns to vanquish his longtime rivalSamoa Joe, powering his way through a long, protracted effort that was designed to torture, demoralize and deplete the resources of the Raw Superstar. The question is, will Reigns earn yet another shot at Brock Lesnar should he pick up a win over Samoa Joe at Backlash?

Prediction: Styles retains WWE Championship

The hope was surely that a No Disqualification stipulation would allow AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura to finally settle their rivalry.

But against all odds, the battle over The Phenomenal One’s WWE Championship ended in a dead heat when both Superstars found themselves down on the mat and unable to answer the referee’s count. These two aren't finished with each other and tonight's bout will certainly set up a sequel at the June 18th Money in the Bank PPV.