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After a thrilling two-night WrestleMania 42 in April, the first major event after all of the drama unfolded is WWE Backlash 2026. This year’s premium live event is in West Florida and features five matchups, including two title bouts for the world heavyweight championship and U.S. championship.
For the main event, WWE World Heavyweight Championship Roman Reigns is set to defend the belt against Jacob Fatu, just after Reigns won the title away from CM Punk at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas last month.
Meanwhile, WWE legend John Cena is scheduled to make an important announcement during the event.
Want to watch WWE Backlash online? Here’s what you need to know.
When Is 2026 WWE Backlash? Date, Time
WWE Backlash takes place at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, May 9. The start time is 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
How to Watch WWE Backlash Live Online
The WWE PLE livestreams exclusively on ESPN Unlimited, so the only way to watch it is to purchase a subscription starting at $29.99/month.
Subscribe to ESPN Unlimited for the WWE PLE starting at $29.99/month. Aside from WWE Backlash, ESPN Unlimited is home to all things ESPN with access to all of its networks and streaming services, like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN on ABC, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, SECN, ACCN, SECN+ and ACCNX.
In addition, you can go with a subscription to the Disney Streaming Bundle — which includes ESPN Unlimited, Hulu and Disney+ — starts at $35.99/month, an almost 40% savings on all three services.
While some WWE events in the past have been pay-per-view, WWE Backlash is not a PPV event, so there is no PPV price needed. You can watch the event online simply with an ESPN Unlimited subscription.
WWE Backlash 2026, Main Card
Check out the main card below, and stream it on ESPN Unlimited here.
Main Card, 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT
- Roman Reigns (champion) vs. Jacob Fatu — WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Main Event
- Danhausen and Mystery Tag Team Guest vs. The Miz and Kit Wilson
- Iyo Sky vs. Asuka
- Trick Williams (champion) with Lil Yachty vs. Sami Zayn — WWE United States Championship
- Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker with Paul Heyman
How to Watch WWE Backlash 2026 on TV
WWE Backlash event is streaming exclusively on ESPN Unlimited online, so it is not airing ESPN on cable TV. If you want to watch the pro wrestling event on TV, you can watch it on your smart TV through the ESPN app.
Livestream all of the WWE Backlash action online starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 9 on ESPN Unlimited. Preshow begins at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
Later in the week, tune into “WWE Smackdown” after WWE Backlash.
