The 2016 Backlash was the 12th Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's SmackDown brand division. The event took place on September 11, 2016, at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. It was the first Backlash held since the 2009 event, subsequently making it the first to livestream on WWE's online streaming service, the WWE Network, which launched in 2014, and it was the only Backlash to be held in September. Following the reintroduction of the brand extension in July 2016, Backlash was the first brand-exclusive PPV of the second brand split and was the first brand-exclusive PPV held since No Way Out in 2007. The original concept of Backlash was based on the backlash of WrestleMania, however, the 2016 event dropped this theme as it was instead held after that year's SummerSlam—the post-WrestleMania theme would return with the 2021 event.

Seven professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card, and an additional one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, AJ Styles defeated Dean Ambrose to win the WWE World Championship, making him the first wrestler since Kurt Angle to hold world championships in WWE, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (now Impact Wrestling), and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The event also determined the inaugural champions for SmackDown's women's and tag team divisions, which were won by Becky Lynch and the team of Heath Slater and Rhyno, respectively.

Unlike a large majority of WWE pay-per-view events, the 2016 Backlash did not see a DVD or Blu-ray release.