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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Before WWE Backlash 2025, CBS Sports and DraftKings Network agreed on all five match winners: John Cena, Jacob Fatu, Gunther and Dominik Mysterio to win or retain, and Becky Lynch to defeat Lyra Valkyria. They got four of five right. Valkyria retained her title, the only result that contradicted both previews.
This is a retrospective of those pre-event picks, not a forecast made today. Backlash took place May 10, 2025, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The previews offered editorial judgments based on titles, character direction and storyline logic—not objective probabilities or betting odds.
What was on the Backlash 2025 card?
The researched card had five matches, four with championships at stake. CBS Sports published its picks on May 10, while DraftKings Network published its preview on May 9. The table compares their winner picks with the event record.
| Match | CBS Sports pick | DraftKings Network pick | Event result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undisputed WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton | Cena retains | Cena retains | Cena won by pinfall and retained |
| Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Becky Lynch | Lynch wins | Lynch wins | Valkyria won by pinfall and retained |
| United States Championship fatal four-way: Jacob Fatu (c) vs. LA Knight vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre | Fatu retains | Fatu retains | Fatu retained by pinfall |
| Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Penta | Mysterio retains | Mysterio retains | Mysterio won by pinfall and retained |
| Gunther vs. Pat McAfee | Gunther wins | Gunther wins | Gunther won by TKO |
The contemporary picks and reasoning come from CBS Sports and DraftKings Network. The event date, venue, card and results are listed in The SmackDown Hotel’s event record.
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Match-by-match predictions
John Cena vs. Randy Orton: Cena to retain
Both previews expected Cena to leave with the Undisputed WWE Championship. CBS Sports’ Brent Brookhouse, with picks also attributed to Shakiel Mahjouri, reasoned that a title change only weeks after Cena won the belt at WrestleMania was unlikely. Cena’s retirement-tour context and his stated aim of leaving with the championship also supported that choice. DraftKings Network’s Ryan Wohl likewise picked Cena.
Wohl floated a possible post-match attack by Cody Rhodes, but that was a forecast, not a result established by the preview. At Backlash, Cena defeated Orton by pinfall and retained.
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Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch: both picked Lynch
Both outlets predicted that Lynch would beat Women’s Intercontinental Champion Valkyria. CBS Sports argued that Lynch’s star status could bring attention to the title and that a loss could set Valkyria on an underdog path. DraftKings Network framed the match around the former friends’ mentor–student relationship after Lynch turned on Valkyria following WrestleMania.
The shared pick was wrong: Valkyria defeated Lynch by pinfall and retained the championship.
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Jacob Fatu vs. LA Knight vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre: Fatu to retain
Both previews backed United States Champion Fatu. CBS Sports saw him as a future cornerstone and argued that a fatal four-way gave him a way to beat a major challenger without making every opponent look weak. DraftKings Network also chose Fatu and forecast that he would pin Priest, followed by Solo Sikoa turning on Fatu. Those were additional storyline predictions, not details confirmed by the preview itself.
Fatu retained by pinfall. The event record confirms the result but does not establish those forecast finish details.
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Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta: Mysterio to retain
Both outlets expected Intercontinental Champion Mysterio to keep the title. CBS Sports connected the championship to the ongoing Judgment Day story and raised Finn Bálor as a possible complication. DraftKings Network argued that Mysterio’s reign was too new for a quick title change and predicted Judgment Day help. Those possible complications were not evidence that interference would happen.
Mysterio defeated Penta by pinfall and retained.
Gunther vs. Pat McAfee: Gunther to win
Both previews selected Gunther after his WrestleMania loss. CBS Sports argued that a McAfee victory would undermine Gunther’s standing. DraftKings Network expected a nontraditional match and forecast involvement from Ludwig Kaiser; that detail, too, was speculative.
Gunther defeated McAfee by TKO.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the predictions compared with the results
Each preview correctly picked four of the five winners. Cena, Fatu, Mysterio and Gunther won as both outlets predicted; Valkyria’s retention over Lynch was the lone miss for each. This scorecard is calculated by comparing the published picks with the event record, rather than a statistic reported by either outlet.
The agreement rested on familiar forms of storyline reasoning: a newly won title may be unlikely to change hands quickly, a multi-person match can protect challengers while keeping a champion strong, and a wrestler’s current character direction can shape expectations. Such reasoning can explain a pick, but it does not make the result certain. Specific forecasts about interference or a later betrayal are more fragile than a winner pick because they predict extra story beats as well as the outcome.
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