By Dave Meltzer

Welcome to our live coverage of WWE Backlash from the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI.  We're looking for your thoughts on the show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jack Swagger vs. Christian for the ECW title

Good opener.  Christian undid two turnbuckles pads, one as the ref and Swagger were distracted by putting the pad back on.  Swagger charged at Christian, who moved, and hit the unpadded turnbuckle and Christian used the killswitch (formerly unprettier) for the pin and title win. 

Tommy Dreamer, Fit Finlay and Evan Bourne were congratulating Chrstian.  Edge came up to Christian saying that "Now that you're a champion you think you're better than me."  The two argued.  Edge blamed his change of personality on John Cena, who changed him into a bitter raving lunatic.  Edge vowed to be fun again by the end of the night. 

Chris Jericho vs Ricky Steamboat

This was Steamboat's best performance of the three but the crowd wasn't anywhere as much into Steamboat as in Houston because of the one week build.  Jericho won clean with the Walls of Jericho after lots of near falls.  Very good match, caliber of a Steamboat non-main event at a house show in his prime.  Crowd was nice to Steamboat but not over the top for him.   

Beth Phoenix wanted Santino to admit he dressed as a woman to win Miss Wrestlemania.  Beth said Santio is not getting out of kissing Khali and that Beth said she won't kiss him anymore either.

C.M. Punk vs. Kane  

Punk worked the right arm much of the match.  Punk was using a series of kicks until Kane used both arms for a choke slam and pin.  Crowd wasn't much into this and some mistimed stuff.  Both worked hard but didn't click as a smooth match.

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy in an I Quit match

Long match with Jeff winning as clean as is possible.  Crowd seemed to know the match would end with tables since they were chanting for them.  Jeff used two twists of fate and two swantons, then put Matt on a table and tied his arms and legs with duct tape and tied him to the table with rope.  Jeff pulled out a table and climbed to the top of a ladder.  Matt started begging, saying he was sorry,he loved Jeff, saying their late mom wouldn't want him jumping off.  Finally Matt said "I Quit."  Fans booed this ending a lot but then Jeff came off the ladder and put him through the table. 

Great Khali's kissing Santina is up next 

Dear God was this brutal.  Khali wanted the kiss but Santina said she was in love with another man, and then claimed it was Jim Ross who had been hitting on her since Wrestlemania.  Jim Ross was not happy about this at all when Ranjin Singh demanded Santina prove it by kissing JR.  "That's not gonna happen," said JR.  Before it could, Beth Phoenix came out and said to stop the charade and told Khali that Santina was a man and she wanted a match right now for the Miss Wrestlemania title.  He refused to accept it.  She asked if the women in Punjabi were so ugly that looked good.  She then called him the world's biggest idiot so he responded with the world's worst Khali chop.  Santina then demanded the match with Beth right away and pinned her.  Khali then tried to go back after Santina and pulled off her bra and she ran off putting her hands over her chest.  Total trainwreck bad.

HHH & Batista & Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase with the WWE title at stake and it can change via DQ or COR.  Only two matches left. 

Good match.  Rhodes hit Shane with a chair and then hit Batista.  Batista got a chair to hit Shane as HHH went to pedigree Orton.  But HHH grabbed the chair from Batista because the ref was looking and it would be a DQ.  Orton then gave HHH the RKO and HHH kicked out.  The bell ringer blew it as it wasn't the finish.  Orton then used the punt on HHH and pinned him to win the title.  People were signging "Hey hey goodbye" to HHH as they brought in the stretcher.  Not exactly the reaction they'd want.  I guess HHH will be out for at least a few weeks as they noted Batista out four months and Shane out a few months from the punt.  

John Cena vs. Edge is up now

An interesting possibility with Punk losing to clean early is that may be a hint of the end of the show here.  We'll see.  Didn't happen.

Edge won the title in a fantastic match.  This is one where you should order the replay if you didn't see it because only one weak match on the show.  All kinds of big spots teasing the ten count finish.  Cena used the Attitude Adjustment off the middle rope, but Edge got up.  He did it again off the announcers table into a group of planted fans.  The two then had a chase around the arena that ended up with them both on the entrance ramp.  Cena had Edge up for the Attitude Adjustment again on the ramp but Big Show came out and threw Cena threw a spotlight.  The show ended with Cena in a neck brace and about to be taken out on a stretcher.