Moving Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul for the World Heavyweight Championship from a PLE such as Backlash to Saturday Night Main Event is the smartest decision WWE has made all year. Shortly after WrestleMania 41, WWE began teasing Paul as Uso's next challenger, and the move divided audiences. Some would say Paul was the best choice for number one contender, while others felt the match was bound to fail.
However, on the night of WWE Backlash 2025, viewers were shocked to see the promotion start advertising Jey Uso defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Logan Paul for Saturday Night's Main Event (airing on May 24) instead of an actual Live Event. This particularly comes as a shock when, as recently as last Monday's Raw, WWE teased them wrestling seemingly sooner than later when Paul punched Uso in the face after the show went off the air.
There's no apparent reason why the decision was made, but in all truth, to pull a slogan from The Authority, moving a proposed PLE bout to television is what's best for business.
Did WWE Remove the World Heavyweight Championship Match from Backlash?
Fans Were Expecting to See Jey Defend His Title at the First PLE After WrestleMania
It's hard to say that WWE canceled Logan Paul vs. Jey Uso or removed it from Backlash when the match was never formally announced for the PLE. Granted, when the match has been built up since the week after WrestleMania 41, it's easy to assume that it was going to be a part of the card of the first PLE, especially after their last segment closed out the go-home show before Backlash. In actuality, despite the story starting on the road to Backlash, an actual match never manifested.
Truth be told, with only mere weeks to build such a high-profile match, an argument can be made for Backlash being too soon for these two to wrestle. While the gap between WrestleMania and Backlash was always short, keep in mind that most matches on the card have the luxury of pre-dating months or years' worth of history. Randy Orton vs. John Cena was years in the making, while "Dirty" Dom Mysterio vs. Penta started on the road to Mania. Even Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria had its roots in NXT before Lynch's post-Mania turn. A World Heavyweight Championship match with two weeks' worth of cheap shots needs more to build intrigue.
The WWE Universe Didn't Want to See Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul
The World Heavyweight Championship Match Produced Controversy for WWE Fans
Beyond how much time was put into building the match, the prospect of Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul has not been an exciting match-up for WWE fans to ruminate on. One glance at social media reveals fans complaining about Logan Paul being Jey Uso's first challenger, and the combination of both men facing off in the ring. Many complaints stem from questioning their respective in-ring ability, as well as their potential chemistry. Simply put, most fans expect a bad match out of these two.
In fact, Seth Rollins wrestling Jey Uso on the go-home episode of last Monday night's Raw seemed to be a direct response to online criticisms regarding Jey Uso as a competitor. Uso holding his own against Seth Rollins, someone who many would call WWE's best in-ring performer, showcased Main Event Jey actually looking like a WWE World Champion for once by having a nearly pitch-perfect in-ring classic as his first title defense. Still, though, some fans remain skeptical that he could create similar in-ring magic with Paul.
WWE Has a Chance to Save Logan Paul vs. Jey Uso
Their Match at Saturday Night Main Event Could Prove WWE Fans Wrong
The collective pushback from fans regarding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match may have been enough to make WWE think twice about putting the title match on the Backlash card. This isn't a match that fans were ready to invest in streaming it at home or buying a ticket to see it in person, but putting it on free television may warm audiences up to the idea a little more easily. The free component at least lowers expectations enough that Uso vs. Paul has the opportunity to surprise fans, while at the same time, SNME's legacy carries the prestige and reputation of a PLE-quality TV show.
Furthermore, prolonging Paul vs. Uso gives the storyline a couple of extra weeks to build on something that's more than just surprise attacks. WWE now has the chance to sell audiences on a story for the match in a way that they could not do with just two weeks' worth of time before Backlash. When Jey Uso and Logan Paul face each other at Saturday Night Main Event on May 24, it will be a chance to make the WWE Universe care about this World Heavyweight Championship match, which deserves a high-stakes storyline.
