Jacob Fatu Leads Backlash Start at 6:00 pm ET in Tampa
jacob fatu headlines the Backlash start at 6:00 pm ET on Mar. 9, 2026, from Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. The opening stretch put Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins in the ring first. Fans in the United States watched on Unlimited, with the first hour also on ESPN2, while the event streamed on Netflix elsewhere.
Benchmark International Arena Opens
Backlash began live from Tampa with the opening match already moving fast. Breakker charged in with a spear at the start, and Rollins answered by leapfrogging him, sending him to the floor and diving on him.
That sequence set the tone immediately. The match coverage showed both men down on the floor soon after, and referee Danilo Anfibio counted them there as the crowd got its first sense of how physical the night could get.
Rollins And Breakker Trade Shots
The opening match centered on Rollins and Breakker trading offense rather than one man settling in early control. Breakker’s first burst came with the spear, but Rollins pushed back quickly and forced the action outside the ring.
The live coverage format mattered here because it captured the match as it unfolded, not as a packaged highlight. CagesideSeats.com provided blow-by-blow, match-by-match coverage, and the excerpt stopped before any final result from the opener.
Unlimited And ESPN2
For viewers in the United States, the event was split across Unlimited and ESPN2 for the first hour, with Netflix carrying it elsewhere. That left the opening match available as it started at 6:00 pm ET, the same point at which Backlash went live from Tampa.
What came next inside the arena depended on the rest of the card, but the opener already established the pace. Breakker and Rollins traded early shots, and Backlash’s first match arrived without delay.
