Consider “The Dragon” slain

After Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat thanked Chris Jericho six days earlier on Raw, the first-ever Undisputed Champion returned the appreciation in his own way at Backlash by making the WWE Hall of Famer tap out in the middle of the ring with the Walls of Jericho. (PHOTOS)

As Jericho was bidding adieu to Raw and all the WWE Universe members in attendance a week after being drafted to SmackDown, Steamboat interrupted the tongue of the nefarious Superstar to thank him for letting him know he still has what it takes to step in the ring. However, Jericho did not see this as a sincere gesture and thought Steamboat was there to steal his spotlight once again, which prompted the new SmackDown Superstar to challenge the WWE Hall of Famer to the Backlash match.

In recent months, Jericho has made himself an adversary of WWE’s Legends and thought that he had ended his crusade at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania. But Steamboat also proved that night that he still had the legendary ring warrior prowess that made him a Hall of Famer. “The Dragon” further displayed those skills the following night in a 10-Man WrestleMania All-Star Tag Team Match in which Steamboat’s team was victorious and Jericho was the victim of the pin.

Once again at Backlash, and perhaps infuriating Jericho even further, Steamboat proved that he has the chops to stand toe-to-toe with any of WWE’s best Superstars in one-on-one action as he did against the nefarious Superstar. Unfortunately, in the end, “The Dragon” may have showcased his in-ring abilities that are still as crisp as they were in his prime, but just like at WrestleMania, proved not to be crisp enough to outshine the first-ever Undisputed Champion. Though he wasn’t victorious in his efforts, the WWE Universe still showed him the respect that he deserves as he left the ring in Providence to a standing ovation following the match

BACKLASH :Chris Jericho vs.WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

At Backlash, Chris Jericho will attempt to extinguish the fire of a legendary Dragon when he faces his former hero, WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat.

The match came to fruition as Jericho was using his farewell from Raw – following his draft to SmackDown - to belittle the WWE Universe once more for not appreciating him. Steamboat interrupted, choosing to thank his recent WrestleMania opponent for reawakening his passion for the squared-circle. When Jericho challenged the Hall of Famer to a match at Backlash, Steamboat was more than happy to accept. 

The bad blood has been building to a boil between Jericho and Steamboat since the first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion started speaking very disrespectfully toward Superstar Legends of the past. Despite the fact that Steamboat had once been an idol of Jericho’s, the arrogant Superstar systematically attacked Steamboat and fellow Hall of Famers “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and Ric Flair. When the conflict escalated, Jericho challenged the legendary Dragon, Piper, and Snuka to a 3-on-1 Handicap Match at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, with The “Nature Boy” Ric Flair himself in their corner. Although Steamboat gave Jericho the fight of his life – outlasting both Piper and Snuka - in the end he fell short of the victory.

Will Jericho put Steamboat "out of his misery"? Or can The Dragon once again summon the mighty fires of triumph that have served him so well throughout his illustrious career. Find out as Backlash comes to you from Providence, R.I., live on pay-per-view.