Backlash 2008 Backlash 2008 was the tenth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay - per - view ( PPV ) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) . It took place on April 27 , 2008 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore , Maryland . The event starred wrestlers from the Raw , SmackDown , and ECW brands . Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event ' s card , which featured a supercard , a scheduling of more than one main event . The first was a Fatal Four - Way Elimination for the WWE Championship match featuring wrestlers from the Raw brand , in which all four men fought in the ring at the same time , with competitors being eliminated by pinfall or submission . Triple H defeated WWE Champion Randy Orton , John Cena , and John " Bradshaw " Layfield to win the championship . The other main event featured wrestlers from the SmackDown brand , in which defending World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker defeated challenger Edge in a standard wrestling match , also known as a singles match . The main event from the ECW brand was a standard match in which defending ECW Champion Kane defeated challenger Chavo Guerrero . In addition , a featured bout was scheduled on the undercard , in which Shawn Michaels defeated Batista in a standard match . Backlash 2008 had an attendance of approximately 11 , 277 and received 200 , 000 buys , more than the previous year ' s event . When the event was released on DVD , it reached a peak position of second on " Billboard " ' s Recreational Sports DVD Sales Chart . Background . The event featured seven professional wrestling matches with outcomes predetermined by WWE script writers . The matches featured wrestlers portraying their characters in planned storylines that took place before , during and after the event . All wrestlers were from one of the WWE ' s brands – SmackDown , Raw , or ECW – the three storyline divisions in which WWE assigned its employees . Wrestlers from the Raw brand were featured in the main event at Backlash : a Fatal - Four Way Elimination match , in which four men wrestled each other and could be eliminated only by pinfall or submission . The match was contested for the WWE Championship , and featured the champion , Randy Orton , defending against Triple H , John Cena , and John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) . The buildup to the match began at WrestleMania XXIV , where Randy Orton defended his title against Triple H and John Cena in a Triple Threat match , in which the three men competed against each other , and the first man to score a pinfall or submission would win . Orton won the match and retained his title after pinning Cena . On the following night ' s edition of " Raw " , with the WWE Championship shining on his shoulder , Randy Orton crowed about defeating both Triple H and John Cena at WrestleMania , declaring his reign as champion the “ Age of Orton . ” But John “ Bradshaw ” Layfield had other ideas , telling Orton that he deserved a title match as a reward for proving that he was the toughest Superstar on Raw in his Belfast Brawl victory over Finlay also at WrestleMania . On the following week ' s edition of " Raw " , WWE Champion Randy Orton began the night believing he would go one - on - one with JBL at Backlash , but the tide quickly turned on him . Due to Triple H ' s complaint about himself being kicked in the head by Orton when he was about to pin Cena to win the WWE title at Wrestlemania , Raw General Manager William Regal placed Triple H into a Handicap match against Orton & JBL , and when Triple H won , Regal made the Triple Threat match for the title . Not to be outdone , John Cena also pleaded his case to Regal , who gave him the same Handicap Match ultimatum . After Orton ’ s intended interference failed , Cena pulled out the win , thus , the championship match at Backlash is now a Fatal Four Way starring three former WWE Champions challenging Orton . On the following week ' s edition of " Raw " , after his victory over William Regal , Orton felt compelled to meddle in the bout between Triple H and JBL . In an attempt at eliminating Triple H from Backlash , Orton ran in and nearly took off Triple H ’ s head . He administered an RKO before then teaming with JBL against him . As Orton was set to punt Triple H ’ s noggin again , however , JBL turned on him and laid him out with a vicious Clothesline From Hell . The main feud heading into Backlash on the SmackDown brand was between The Undertaker and Edge , over the World Heavyweight Championship . In February , at No Way Out , Undertaker won an Elimination Chamber match to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXIV . At WrestleMania , Undertaker defeated Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship and extend his WrestleMania undefeated streak to 16 - 0 . On the April 4 , 2008 episode of " SmackDown " , SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero booked a WrestleMania rematch between Undertaker and Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash . The primary feud on the ECW brand was between Kane and Chavo Guerrero , with the two battling over the ECW Championship . Before WrestleMania XXIV aired live on pay - per - view , Kane won a 24 - Man Battle Royal to earn an ECW Championship match against Chavo Guerrero later that night . Kane would go on to defeat Guerrero and become the new ECW Champion . On the April 4 , 2008 edition of " SmackDown ! " , SmackDown ! General Manager Vickie Guerrero booked Kane to defend the ECW Championship against Chavo Guerrero at Backlash . The feud intensified on the April 8 , 2008 edition of " ECW " , where during a contract signing for Backlash , Guerrero , with assistance from Bam Neeley , Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder , delivered a Frog splash on Kane through a table . Two weeks later on April 22 , 2008 , the feud again intensified during an edition of the " Cutting Edge " , in which Edge , Hawkins , Ryder , and Neeley ganged up against Kane . The gang - up allowed Guerrero to attack Kane with a steel chair . Another feud leading up to Backlash was between Shawn Michaels and Batista . Upset over the retirement of Ric Flair at the hands of Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV , Batista interrupted Michaels ' address on the April 4 , 2008 edition of SmackDown ! and called him a " selfish " person for what he did at WrestleMania . Batista blamed Michaels for not laying down for Flair and thus protecting his career instead of retiring him . Michaels defended his actions by saying Flair had called upon him to bring his best to WrestleMania , which he did . The conflict continued on an edition of Chris Jericho ' s " Highlight Reel " interview segment that featured both men on the April 7 , 2008 edition of Raw . Following another tense verbal standoff , Batista left the ring saying he had something in store for Michaels . Moments later , Raw General Manager William Regal said he had confirmed a match with SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero between Michaels and Batista at Backlash . In addition , the following week Jericho had a confrontation with Shawn Michaels who ended up kicking Jericho in the face . Frustrated , Jericho went to Regal in an effort to possibly add himself to the match . Regal did indeed add Jericho to the match , but not as a competitor . Instead he announced Jericho as a Special Guest Referee for the match . The Divas feud was between Mickie James and Beth Phoenix , but it would involve the rest of the WWE Divas leading up to Backlash . On the April 14 edition of " Raw " , James defeated Phoenix to win her fourth WWE Women ' s Championship . A week later , James celebrated her victory with the rest of the face Divas , but they were interrupted by Phoenix and the rest of the heel Divas , which led to a huge brawl in the ring . It was later announced that a 12 - Diva tag team match would take place at Backlash , with James and Phoenix leading their respective teams . Event . Before the event began and aired live on pay - per - view , a dark match was featured in which WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz defeated Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore . Preliminary matches . Following the dark match , the pay - per - view event began with a standard match for the WWE United States Championship , in which the champion , Montel Vontavious Porter ( MVP ) defended his title against Matt Hardy . Throughout the match , both Hardy and MVP performed a number of offensive maneuvers on each other , but Hardy eventually gained the advantage when MVP charged Hardy and Hardy dodged him , followed by Hardy performing a front facelock dropped into a cutter , a move Hardy refers to as the Twist of Fate , on MVP . He followed this with a cover for a successful pinfall , giving Hardy the victory and the championship . The second bout was a standard match for the ECW Championship , in which the champion , Kane defended his title against Chavo Guerrero , who was accompanied by Bam Neely . Guerrero spent much of the match attacking Kane ' s leg , and toward the end of the match he performed a body splash , or Frog Splash , on Kane . Before he could cover Kane for a pinfall , however , Kane grabbed Guerrero by the throat , and lifted him to slam him to the mat , a move called a chokeslam . Kane then covered Guerrero for a pinfall , thus retaining his championship . The following contest featured The Big Show against The Great Khali in a standard match . Both men wrestled inconclusively until The Big Show performed a body slam onto Khali , after which Khali attempted to perform a two handed chokeslam on The Big Show . The Big Show countered , however , and delivered a chokeslam to Khali . He then covered him for a successful pinfall , winning the match . The fourth match was a standard match between Batista and Shawn Michaels , with Chris Jericho as a special guest referee . The men performed a number of offensive moves on one another throughout the match , including Shawn Michaels locking his hands together and pulling back on the face of Batista , a hold commonly known as a crossface . The match also briefly went to the ringside area , where the ringpost was used as a weapon by Michaels . The end of the match came when Batista lifted Michaels in the air as a setup to his signature move , a powerbomb , referred to by Batista as the Batista Bomb . The maneuver sees Batista lift his opponent and then slam them back first onto the mat . Michaels , however , escaped from the hold in the air , and when he fell , suffered a storyline knee injury , which caused Jericho to check on Michaels and stop Batista from acting . Michaels eventually got to his feet , and used Sweet Chin Music on Batista . Michaels then covered Batista for a successful pinfall , winning the match . Afterward , Michaels returned to the backstage area while limping heavily , making his injury appear realistic . The next contest was a twelve - Diva tag team match featuring the team of Beth Phoenix , Melina , Natayla , Victoria , Layla , and Jillian Hall against the team of Mickie James , Ashley , Maria , Michelle McCool , Kelly Kelly , and Cherry . The match began with Michelle McCool against Beth Phoenix , and over the course of the match , all of the women participated in the contest . The end of the match came when Beth Phoenix performed a fisherman suplex on Ashley , and then covered her for a successful pin , giving her team the victory . Main event matches . The sixth match of the event was a standard match for the World Heavyweight Championship , in which the champion , The Undertaker , defended his title against Edge . The match was contested back and forth between the two men , with the early portions of the match featuring The Undertaker controlling much of the action . Edge eventually took an advantage when he exposed the turnbuckle in the corner , and The Undertaker ran head first into it . Curt Hawkins then struck The Undertaker with the World Heavyweight Championship belt , which was followed by an unsuccessful cover by Edge . Edge then attempted to drive his shoulder into the Undertaker and tackle him to the mat , a move called a Spear , but The Undertaker countered the maneuver by grabbing Edge ' s head and falling backward to drive his head into the mat , a move referred to as a DDT . Zack Ryder then attempted to interfere on behalf of Edge , but The Undertaker threw Edge into Ryder and then caught Edge in an attempted Tombstone Piledriver , in which The Undertaker would have held Edge upside down and knelt , driving Edge ' s head into the mat . Edge countered the move , however , by flipping The Undertaker over and attempting to pin him , a move known as a sunset flip . While Edge was pinning The Undertaker , however , The Undertaker performed a gogoplata submission hold , which caused Edge to submit , giving The Undertaker the victory . The Undertaker continued to apply the hold after the match ended , injuring ( in storyline ) Edge . Edge was removed from the ring on a stretcher by medics , making his injury appear realistic . The main event was a Fatal Four - Way Elimination match for the WWE Championship , in which the champion , Randy Orton , defended his title against Triple H , John Cena , and John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) . The match began with Orton attempting to attack JBL , but JBL countered and threw Orton out of the ring . JBL then attacked Cena , before being attacked by Triple H . Cena then attempted to swing Triple H by the arm into the corner , but Triple H reversed the move and sent Cena outside of the ring . Triple H and JBL then fought in the ring , while Cena and Orton fought outside . Cena was later sent off the ring apron into the " Raw " announcer ' s table , and Orton and JBL teamed up to attack Triple H in the ring . Triple H eventually struck both of them with his forearms , and JBL went to the outside of the ring while Triple H and Orton fought inside . Triple H later went outside of the ring and fought with JBL , while Cena returned to the ring and fought with Orton . After the men fought each other for several minutes , Cena wrapped his arm around the neck of JBL in a sleeper hold , a submission referred to as an STFU . This caused JBL to submit , eliminating him from the match . Immediately following JBL ' s submission , Orton kicked Cena in the head , which he followed with a cover for a pinfall , eliminating Cena from the match . Triple H and Orton then began to fight on the outside of the ring , with Orton taking control and sending Triple H back into the ring , where he dominated Triple H with a series of maneuvers for several minutes before Triple H struck Orton with his knee . The men fought outside the ring again , and when they returned , they fought for several more minutes until Orton performed a jumping cutter , or RKO , on Triple H . He covered Triple H but was unable to pin him . Orton then attempted to kick Triple H in the head , but Triple H dodged the maneuver and performed a double underhook facebuster , or Pedigree , on Orton , followed by a cover and successful pinfall . Triple H thus won the match and became a world champion for the twelfth time . Aftermath . The feud between Triple H and Randy Orton continued . On the April 28 edition of " Raw " , Orton challenged Triple H for the WWE Championship later on in the night . William Regal stopped the match midway through , however , and later booked the two in a Steel Cage match for the title at Judgment Day . On the May 2 edition of " SmackDown " , Vickie Guerrero cancelled a scheduled World Title match between Undertaker and The Great Khali and stripped The Undertaker of the World Heavyweight Championship , and Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder stole the physical belt and handed it to Guerrero . The next week on " SmackDown " , Guerrero booked a " Championship Chase " where the winner would face the Undertaker for the vacant World Championship at Judgment Day . Batista originally won , but his victory was cut short after Guerrero came out and announced that Edge had been medically cleared and would be able to compete . Thus , the match continued , and Edge defeated Batista , gaining the championship match at Judgment Day . On an edition of " Raw " the following day , Mickie James ' team defeated Beth Phoenix ' s team in a 12 - Diva rematch from Backlash . The following week , James retained the Women ' s Championship against Phoenix in a lumberjill match after Melina ' s interference on Phoenix ' s behalf backfired . James would go on to retain her Women ' s Championship against Melina and Phoenix at Judgment Day . Reception . The event had a final attendance of 11 , 277 . Canadian Online Explorer < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s professional wrestling section rated the entire event a 6 out of 10 stars . The Fatal Four - Way main event match from the Raw brand was rated a 6 out of 10 stars , while the SmackDown brand ' s main event , a standard match for the World Heavyweight Championship , was rated an 8 out of 10 stars . The event was released on DVD on May 27 , 2008 by Sony Music Entertainment . The DVD reached second on " Billboard " ' s DVD Sales Chart for recreational sports during the week of June 21 , 2008 , and remained on the chart until the week of July 26 , 2008 , when it ranked 13 .