WWE finds success at Backlash in Puerto Rico; Bad Bunny leads memorable moments from event
Bad Bunny defeated Damien Priest and Cody Rhodes pinned Brock Lesnar in the main event
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The WWE returned to Puerto Rico for the first time since 2005 and put on a good show for wrestling-starved fans in San Juan at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot.
WWE said in a statement Monday that Backlash was the highest-grossing and most-viewed Backlash in the company’s history. The company said viewership saw a 28% increase from the 2022 event with a total of 34,800 showing up between "Friday Night SmackDown" and the premium live event.
Though Roman Reigns had the weekend off and was not in action a month after defeating Cody Rhodes to retain his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, there was no shortage of action-packed moments that energized the electric crowd.
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Read below for some of the top moments of the event.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}5). The Bloodline’s inner rift grows deeper
The Bloodline enters the ring during the WWE Backlash at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on May 6, 2023 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Gladys Vega/ Getty Images)
The Bloodline, represtened by The Usos and Solo Sikoa, defeated Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a six-man tag-team match. While Jey Uso is still trying to prove that he is not going to turn on his family and "The Tribal Chief," he was nearly met with a Samoan Spike from Sikoa.
Jimmy Uso tried to play peacemaker after the match, as Sikoa looked at Jey Uso with an annoyed scowl.
The Bloodline faction has been on top of WWE for a few years and each week the cracks in the family appear to grow deeper and deeper.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}4). Cody Rhodes busts Brock Lesnar open
Cody Rhodes enters the ring during the WWE Backlash at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on May 6, 2023 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Gladys Vega/ Getty Images)
Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar’s singles match continued their recent feud as "The American Nightmare’s" path back to Reigns appears to have taken a detour.
Rhodes ended up defeating Lesnar via pinfall, but not before he busted Lesnar open. Lesnar was bleeding badly during the match. Lesnar thought he had Rhodes dead to rights with a Kimura Lock, but somehow Rhodes was able to reverse it and put Lesnar’s shoulders onto the mat.
Rhodes escaped San Juan with the win as he looks to "finish the story" and get back into the undisputed title picture.
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3). Seth Rollins delivers a Super Stomp to Omos
Seth "Freakin" Rollins celebrates his victory during the WWE Backlash at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on May 6, 2023 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Gladys Vega/ Getty Images)
Seth Rollins needed a valiant effort to topple the 7-feet-3-inches Omos and broke out all the stops to do it. A basic frog splash and a Curb Stomp were not going to be enough to do the trick.
Rollins went to the top rope and hit a Super Stomp onto Omos’ head and pinned the giant for the victory.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rollins now has the momentum behind him ahead of the World Heavyweight Title Tournament. Rollins is one of the 12 competitors who was put into the pool for the new championship last week.
2). Zelina Vega’s emotional moment
Zelina Vega enters the ring during the WWE Backlash at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on May 6, 2023 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Gladys Vega/ Getty Images)
Zelina Vega told Fox News Digital before Backlash that it was a "dream come true" to perform in Puerto Rico for the first time in her career.
On Saturday, Vega came to the ring in a Puerto Rico-inspired outfit and received an incredible reaction from the crowd. Vega was emotional in the ring as the crowd cheered her on. Then, the bell rang and Vega needed to really dig deep to upset Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, Ripley was just too dominant and was able to defeat Vega in her first title defense since defeating Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39.
1). Bad Bunny energizes the crowd, Carlito returns
Bad Bunny celebrates his victory on the ring during the WWE Backlash at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on May 6, 2023 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Gladys Vega/ Getty Images)
Bad Bunny entered the ring against Damien Priest for their San Juan Street Fight to a huge crowd reaction. The Grammy Award-winning music superstar stunned audiences in Puerto Rico and at home watching from the couch with how good of a performance he put on against Priest.
Bad Bunny even took a Broken Arrow from Priest through a table as their match went into the stands and the area around the arena. While it looked as though Priest was going to pick up the win with help from his Judgment Day stablemates, the Latino World Order (LWO) evened things out.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Puerto Rican wrestling legends Carlito and Savio Vega returned for the moment. Carlito hit the Backstabber on Finn Balor and Vega, with the help of some other LWO members, made sure that Balor and Dominik Mysterio were going to leave the ringside area.
Once the dust cleared, Bad Bunny set up Priest and hit the Bunny Destroyer and picked up the pinfall victory.
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Backlash full results
- Bianca Belair defeated IYO Sky via pinfall to retain the RAW Women’s Championship.
- Seth Rollins defeated Omos via pinfall in a singles match.
- Austin Theory defeated Bobby Lashley and Bronson Reed via pinfall to retain the United States Championship.
- Rhea Ripley defeated Zelina Vega via pinfall to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
- Bad Bunny defeated Damien Priest via pinfall in a San Juan Street Fight.
- The Bloodline defeated Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn via pinfall in a six-man tag-team match.
- Cody Rhodes defeated Brock Lesnar via pinfall in a singles match.