WWE aired the first hour of the 2026 Backlash Premium Live Event (PLE) on ESPN. According to a report from WrestleNomics, this initial hour achieved a rating of 0.33 in the key 18–49 demographic, attracting 998,000 viewers.
These figures represent a decline of 49.2% in ratings and 45.2% in viewership compared to WrestleMania 42's second night, which garnered a 0.65 rating in the same demographic and a total audience of 1.82 million viewers.
The first night of WrestleMania 42 also drew a rating of 0.62 among the key 18–49 demographic, with 1.62 million viewers. It's important to note that WrestleMania 42 received much more promotional hype and is considered a larger event, so it was anticipated that Backlash would have lower numbers.
On the same Saturday night, the top-rated show was the NBA Playoffs on ABC, which was not competing directly with Backlash's first hour. The NBA Playoffs achieved a 1.69 rating in the key 18–49 demographic and attracted an audience of 5.856 million viewers.
The opening hour of Backlash included Trick Williams defending the WWE United States Championship against Sami Zayn, along with a singles match featuring Seth Rollins versus Bron Breakker.
