Backlash was originally booked to take place in Kansas City, Missouri on June 14, 2020. However, the event was not announced or promoted until May 10 during WWE's Money in the Bank PPV; the advertisement had no reference to a city or venue, but confirmed the event for June 14. It was WWE's first event to be announced after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began affecting WWE's programming in mid-March. The pandemic forced the promotion to move the majority of its shows for Raw and SmackDown to a behind closed doors set at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, though in late May, WWE began using Performance Center trainees to serve as the live audience.