The latest European tour of WWE saw events held in three different countries as the promotion continues to embraces its appeal outside of the U.S.
The tour, which came mere weeks after a recent tour of the United Kingdom, was part of the promotion’s buzz surrounding WWE Backlash: France, the first Premium Live Event in the country’s history.
WWE in Bologna, Italy
The first night of the tour saw the Superstars travel to Italy. The show saw several highlights, including Solo Sikoa break a 41-match losing streak. The former NXT North American Champion teamed with Tama Tonga to defeat Randy Orton & Kevin Owens in what was also Tonga’s WWE in-ring debut. After the show’s main event, Undisputed WWE Cody Rhodes said he hopes to bring a WWE TV taping to the country.
The results for the show were as follows:
- Sami Zayn (c) def. Ludwig Kaiser (Intercontinental Championship)
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Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill & Naomi def. Damage CTRL (Asuka, Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane)
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Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga def. LA Knight & Randy Orton
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Damian Priest (c) def. Chad Gable and Gunther and Jey Uso (World Heavyweight Championship)
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Awesome Truth (R-Truth & The Miz) (c) def. Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh) (World Tag Team Championships)
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Becky Lynch (c) def. Nia Jax (WWE Women’s World Championship)
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Cody Rhodes (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura (Undisputed WWE Championship)
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WWE in Vienna, Austria
WWE’s next stop on the tour saw the promotion come to Vienna, Austria. This was WWE’s first event in the nation since 2019 and unsurprisingly, GUNTHER received a hero’s welcome in his homeland.
The results for the show were as follows:
- Sami Zayn (c) def. Ludwig Kaiser (Intercontinental Championship)
- Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga def. LA Knight & Randy Orton
- GUNTHER def. Chad Gable
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Jey Uso & Awesome Truth (R-Truth & The Miz) def. Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh)
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Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill & Naomi def. Damage CTRL (Asuka, Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane)
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Becky Lynch (c) def. Nia Jax (WWE Women’s World Championship)
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Cody Rhodes (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura (Undisputed WWE Championship)
WWE SmackDown in France
The penultimate stop on the tour saw WWE finally arrive in Lyon, France for the May 3, episode of WWE SmackDown. This was WWE’s first TV taping in the nation’s history and saw the Superstars seek to build momentum towards WWE Backlash.
The results for the show were as follows:
- Bayley, Naomi, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill def. Tiffany Stratton and Damage CTRL
- AOP (with Karrion Kross and Scarlett) def. New Catch Republic
- LA Knight def. Angel
- Austin Theory and Grayson Waller (c) def. The Street Profits (WWE Tag Team Championship)
WWE Backlash France
WWE’s tour culminated with Backlash France, the first PLE of its kind in the country. Given the raucous ovation the night prior, expectations were high for the show and once again the WWE Universe inside the LDLC Arena delivered. The show saw surprises and title matches with the WWE Women’s Tag Titles changing hands.
The results of the show were as follows:
- The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga) (with Paul Heyman) def. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton
- Bayley (c) defeated Naomi and Tiffany Stratton (WWE Women’s Championship)
- Damian Priest (c) defeated Jey Uso (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
- Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defeated The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) (c) (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship)
- Cody Rhodes (c) defeated AJ Styles (Undisputed WWE Championship)
WWE’s recent tour has proven to be a hit with audiences as the promotion continues to lean into the ‘World’ aspect of its name. With Triple H teasing a broadcast event in Italy during the post-Backlash press conference and with PLEs in Europe already announced, expect much more from WWE outside North America.