WWE Legends To Appear At Backlash 2026

Published: May 4, 2026 by SP3 | Last Updated: May 5, 2026 by SP3

Born in Harlem, New York and now living in the Bronx, Sid Pullar III aka SP3 is a lifelong wrestling fan who has been covering the industry for over nine years as a podcaster and writer. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as WrestleTalk, Sports Illustrated and more.

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WWE

On May 4, John Cena confirmed that he would be making a special appearance at the WWE Backlash 2026 premium live event.

With the event taking place in Tampa, Florida, it means a lot of legendary names could be showing up to make their presence felt.

From former WWE Champions or Hall of Famers, there could be plenty of familiar faces who make their mark on the Backlash 2026 show on May 9.

Here are seven WWE legends to potentially appear at Backlash 2026.

7. The Undertaker

While he retired from in-ring competition six years ago, The Undertaker has made several surprise appearances over the past year.

Whether it be just adding a bit of star power to a show or making a special announcement, “The Deadman” is always a welcome sight to the fans.

Considering that John Cena has been announced as a special guest for the Backlash event, it could be interesting to see Taker also show up on this show,

Taker appearing to announce Cena into the WWE Hall of Fame would be a fun way to highlight both of these legendary stars at Backlash.

6. Shawn Michaels

The location of WWE Backlash 2026 is not too far away from the Performance Center, which can open the door for one of the company’s biggest stars to appear.

Shawn Michaels spends most of time running WWE NXT and the PC, but he could be a special guest at Backlash 2026.

“The Heartbreak Kid” appearing to interact with some current talent would be an intriguing way to use the iconic star.

Considering Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker mentioned his name during their promo to set up their match at the show, Michaels could make a surprise appearance to insert himself in their match at the Backlash 2026 premium live event.

5. AJ Styles

During WWE WrestleMania 42 weekend, AJ Styles was the headliner for the Hall of Fame class of 2026.

Since then, Styles has recently reported to start his new coaching role at the WWE Performance Center.

“The Phenomenal One” showing up at WWE Backlash 2026 could be quite intriguing and set up some interactions that fans want to see.

While he is not yet announced for the PLE, GUNTHER arriving on the show could lead to Styles interrupting to further his former rival’s feud with Cody Rhodes over the Undisputed WWE Championship.

4. Trish Stratus

Back at WWE Evolution 2025, Tiffany Stratton defeated Trish Stratus to retain the WWE Women’s Championship.

Stratus has only made brief appearances in the crowd at several notable events over the past year.

The WWE Hall of Famer is someone who can still contribute in a number of different ways when needed.

With Liv Morgan currently without a challenger for the WWE Women’s World Championship, Stratus could show up to confront The Judgment Day member for a match or to set up a future encounter.

3. The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott Steiner)

Shawn Michaels was not the only legend that Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker brought up during their promo to set up their WWE Backlash 2026 match.

After Breakker stated that Rollins was the best in the world at being #2, Seth responded by bringing up Bron’s famous family lineage.

The Steiner Brothers being in attendance for arguably one of Bron’s biggest matches would be appropriate considering this recent mention.

Breaking getting an assist from Rick and Scott Steiner to beat Rollins would offer WWE Backlash 2026 a bit of a family reunion and nostalgia all at the same time.

2. Rikishi

Ahead of the May 1 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, WWE released a video of Jacob Fatu talking to someone over the phone.

Getting advice from this mystery caller, Fatu seemed to express his anger towards Roman Reigns heading into their World Heavyweight Championship match.

With this title bout at WWE Backlash 2026, there could be members of the Samoan family dynasty in attendance.

Fatu revealing Rikishi as his cornerman for this showdown with Reigns would show that “The Samoan Werewolf” has the support of the family to take his cousin’s spot coming out of WWE Backlash 2026.

1. The Rock

Another Bloodline family member who could make a surprise appearance at WWE Backlash 2026 is The Rock.

“The Final Boss” is someone who has stood side-by-side with Roman Reigns in the past, but he has also shown that he will always have the family’s best interest in mind.

Wanting a new “Tribal Chief,” The Rock could shock everyone by aligning with Fatu instead of Reigns at WWE Backlash 2026.

The Rock being the difference maker and helping Fatu defeat Reigns would be a massive moment that will have the fans talking about the WWE Backlash premium live event for years to come.