Cody Rhodes Retains Universal Championship at WWE Backlash: France

WWE Universal Championship
Cody Rhodes (C) vs. AJ Styles

It's main event time!

After the women's tag-team title bout wraps up, we head to a quick commercial time out. When we return, we shoot to Cole and Graves at the commentary desk at ringside. The two talk about the WWE King and Queen of the Ring 2024 special event coming up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A video package for the show airs. When it wraps up, Cole and Graves announce some first round matches in the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments, with the first tourney bouts starting off on Monday's Raw.

Those matches include GUNTHER vs. Sheamus, Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov, Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio and Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor. For the 2024 WWE Queen of the Ring tournament, the following four opening round matches were announced: IYO SKY vs. Natalya, Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka, Shayna Baszler vs. Zelina Vega and Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile. The pre-match package for our final match of the evening airs now. When it wraps up, AJ Styles makes his way out and settles in the ring for his big title opportunity.

Styles' music wraps up, and a loud song-style chant with the word "Phenomenal" in it spreads throughout this insane crowd. It is later explained that it is a song-chant done any time the word "Phenomenal" comes up in France. Now the theme for Cody Rhodes plays and out comes the reigning and defending champ as the wild crowd loudly sings along with every lyric of his song. The show started that way with Randy Orton's entrance, it's only fitting it ends that way for the final ring entrance as well. What a crowd. The story of this show is quite simply -- the crowd.

With that in mind, the champ and the challenger are in the ring and ready to rock and roll. Samantha Irvin does her thing and heads back out to her chair and then the bell sounds to officially get this one off-and-running. We see a head lock take down by Cody but AJ gets back to his feet. Both men face to face and Cody slaps AJ in the face. Cody throws AJ to the ropes and he hits him with a drop kick. The fans on their feet for the main event. AJ gets to his feet and a kick by AJ. The fans get back to their feet and cheer. AJ runs to the ropes and Cody with a back body drop.

He goes for the cover but AJ kicks out. Cody lifts AJ up for a vertical suplex but drops him into a forward buster. The fans chant “Cody” but AJ gets to his feet and he throws Cody shoulder first into the turnbuckle. AJ grabs Cody by the arm and slams him onto the mat. A hammerlock by AJ but Cody with a right hand. Cody to the ropes but AJ with a knee. AJ goes for a kick but Cody reverses it into a modified leg drag. Cody goes for the cover but AJ kicks out. AJ with a punch to the back of the head.

He runs towards Cody but Cody moves out of the way and AJ slams into the second rope and falls to the outside of the ring. Cody goes for a suicide dive but AJ with a right hand. AJ slams Cody’s head face first into the announce table. AJ clears the announce table but Cody pushes AJ into the ring steps. Cody gets in the ring and AJ gets on the ring apron. AJ gets onto the top rope and Cody gets on the second rope. Cody with right hands and he goes for a vertical suplex but AJ gets out of it and he lands on his feet, Cody lands on his lower back.

AJ lifts Cody up on his shoulders and he hits him with an electric chair, dropping back onto the mat. AJ goes for a springboard moon sault but Cody gets his knees up. Cody with right hands and a snap powerslam. Cody with the disaster kick off the second rope. He goes for the cover but AJ kicks out. Cody goes for the disaster kick but AJ catches him and AJ with a kick. The fans begin to sing La Marseillaise, France’s national anthem. AJ goes for a splash in the corner but Cody moves out of the way and Cody hits him with a bulldog.

A loud "This is Awesome!" chant spreads throughout the LDLC Arena as both men are on the ring apron. While outside the ring ropes, Cody goes for a suplex but AJ reverses it, lifting Cody up and slamming him onto his dome on the hard part of the ring apron. Back into the ring, both guys are slow to recover. When they do, they are in opposing corners and they each get super-fired up, gritting their, flexing and yelling at each other from across the ring before charging at each other, colliding in the middle and hockey-fighting like mad-men as the crowd comes to life again.

With the crowd breaking out into song again, we see Styles again take over, and continue to focus his offensive attack on the back and shoulder of "The American Nightmare." Styles heads outside of the ring ropes on the apron. He hits a springboard 450 splash onto Cody and immediately goes for the cover, but only gets a count of two. A loud "Let's go Cody!" and "AJ Styles!" dueling chant breaks out. Styles hoists Cody up and connects with a Burning Hammer, which Cody pops back up from and no-sells. He punches himself a few times and goes on the offensive.

Cody connects with a big Cody Cutter and follows up with the quick cover, but AJ kicks out at two. A loud "Fight Forever!" chant spreads throughout the LDLC Arena as both guys are slow to get back to their feet. Cody charges at Styles and turns him inside-out with a clothesline. He plays to the crowd and then picks Styles up looking for Cross-Rhodes, but Styles counters with a Pele kick. He tries following up with a Phenomenal Forearm, but Cody counters and catches him with a kick on the way down. Cody slaps a Kimura on Styles and cranks away at it.

Moments later we see "The American Nightmare" hit a single leap onto the top-rope, where he quickly leaps off backwards and connects Styles with a Super Cody Cutter. He plays to the crowd and then picks Styles up and hits him with his Cross-Rhodes finisher. He immediately follows up with the cover and scores the pin fall to pick up his first PLE defense of his WWE Universal Championship in an excellent main event in front of the hottest WWE crowd -- possibly ever.

Winner and STILL WWE Universal Champion: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes RETIENE el WWE Championship en un MUY BUEN combate ante un AJ Styles con el que ha demostrado tener muchísima química. Quiero ver otra parte de este combate, por favor.

Buenísima defensa de Cody sin necesitar de una narrativa potente. #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/WcIn0UBB7V

— LuigiWrestling (@LuigiWrestling) May 4, 2024

WWE Backlash: France results from Saturday, May 4, 2024 are courtesy of Rajah.com reporter Matt Boone (@MattBoone0709), our live coverage partner, as the show aired live on Peacock from 1-4pm EST.

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