WWE Backlash 2023 *Spoilers*

JP Liz V1

From the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 6th

PPV Card:-

• Street Fight: Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest
• Seth Rollins vs. Omos
• United States Championship: Austin Theory (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed
• Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. IYO SKY
• SmackDown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Zelina Vega
• The Bloodline vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn & Matt Riddle
• Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes

JP Liz V1

I expect JD and LWO to get involved in the Bunny Priest match which should main event

J. Marston

Some hum of house show off this.

Sooner Bianca loses the title, the better. She's so bland.

6 man tag should be a good match though.

JP Liz V1

I think Solo might turn on his brothers tonight

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120563965#Comment_120563965

Not tonight though, she's due to break some record if she holds it past Backlash. Reckon the cash-in from MITB will be on her this year though.

JP Liz V1

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1654985828207153152

Am only one match goes on last so how a double main event 🤔

JP Liz V1

Iyo is over in Puerto Rico, the crowd behind her over face champion Bianca

Necro

Cracking match that. The seeds sewn for an Iyo face turn too.

Rollins doing some job selling for Omos here.

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120564469#Comment_120564469

Aye in fairness to him it was his best match by a long way. They'll actually start having to give him a few wins at some point for people to take him seriously though 😅

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120564451#Comment_120564451

A MITB winner top contender now

Necro

Predictable result there with Rhea/Zelina. Match was grand. Crowd were super into it and have been great tbf. Love the "If Damian wins we riot" sign

Necro

Well that answers that for the main event! Brock being on the card meant it was never going to be anything else imo. And that's fine too, seeing as the crowd were chanting "we want Lesnar" last night. Assuming Cody goes over the crowd will likely go home happy anyways.

JP Liz V1

Bunny vs. Priest should close the show, main event, wrong call by HHH

AEW boys Buddy and Malachy must be proud of their ladies

Surely WWE can be more creative when presenting a 'Street Fight'.

Necro

This is savage😂 Carlito and Savio Vega

I only saw an interview with Carlito last week and was thinking he looked in fantastic nick.

JP Liz V1

Muchas Gracias Bunny, a better wrestler than some real full time wrestlers, he has a passion and love for it

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120564526#Comment_120564526

I didn't know who Savio Vega was 😳🙈

Necro

Probably the only time you'll see a multiple Grammy award winner take a Broken Arrow through a stack of tables too. Crowd is absolutely electric, six man tag now should calm them down a bit before the main event.

JP Liz V1

WWE should do a yearly ppv from Puerto Rico

I wonder could we see Logan Paul vs. Bad Bunny down the line

Necro

Jey and Solo being in the same triple threat on Smackdown for the new belt would be tasty.

Necro

Balor busted up inside Hell in a Cell and match stopped taking us out of it altogether.

Lesnar absolutely a crimson mask at Backlash and nothing 😂

It's the inconsistencies that annoy me irrationally!

PTH2009

Interesting

JP Liz V1

I don't think Cody's story with Brock is over, a bit of a damp squid PPV ending, was Brock bleeding planned?

The White Wolf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120564558#Comment_120564558

They probably know if they send a medic near Lesnar he'll smash them up. 🤣

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120564567#Comment_120564567

100% not over, Brock will cost Cody in whatever triple threat he ends up in on Raw and they'll have another match in Saudi Arabia to end the feud

Lord TSC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120564571#Comment_120564571

Wouldn't be shocked if Brock wins the second match to tie it up, and that leads to a rubber match at Summerslam, or the likes.

The Bunny vs Priest match was incredible, made by a crowd and a celebrity who very clearly adores pro-wrestling and is willing to do anything to prove it.

Carlito was my jam back in the day, so I popped bigtime for that. Absolutely brilliant. Only vaguely aware of Vega (he was a little before my time in WWF), but the crowd reaction was brilliant too.

(Joking, not joking....Dom as the first WHC with the new belt? And have Rollins vs Judgement Day? Think of the heat! 😂)

Cody vs Brock was fine, but I've long since tired of Brock matches tbh. Super happy Cody won, but as Liz said, the story continues....

CastorTroy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120564570#Comment_120564570

I seem to remember someone getting really pi$$ed at an attempt to fix them up before. Was a while back I think. Maybe was Taker.

Delighted for Zelina but her introduction did feel a bit "pause for laugh" that didn't get the reaction expected. I mean they were meant to cheer for her because she was representing Puerto Rico and not because she's done much. And now she'll probably go back to not wrestling again.

The Bad Bunny match was a good match and not just for a celebrity match. Logan and Bunny have both upped the ante for celebs who want to take part. The run ins weren't necessary to keep people interested but added entertainment, gave others something to do, gave Bunny and Priest a rest and gave us Carlito, which was, for lack of a better word, cool. He looked great and got a great reaction. I'd say he would've made an appearance on Raw if they were still in Puerto Rico.

Solo not exactly subtle with his disdain of Jey.

Iyo was far more over than Bianca, that's for sure. I think Bayley and Dakota's involvement helped improve the reaction for Bianca winning.

hynesie08

Only vaguely aware of Vega (he was a little before my time in WWF), but the crowd reaction was brilliant too.

I remember getting a wwc compilation tape back in the mid nineties when I was in 6th class and just before I discovered ECW, and there was savio vega, Razor Ramon's fat mate had 50000 people losing their absolute minds while he got beaten down, it was chaos, I've never forgotten that tape and it's been over 25 years, he was Puerto Rico's Hogan.

CastorTroy

Iyo was lucky she didn't end up with a broken nose or worse from that one handed press.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120564549#Comment_120564549

With Reigns 😁

I'm kinda surprised The Bloodline won as was expecting Solo to turn in the SuperkickFest, maybe he will this Friday on SmackDown when Reigns returns

ThePott

That show was a blast! The absolute case for a crowd elevating what could be a filler show. I don't know what the consensus was but loved it even if it was a light show with no real surprises, PR might have an argument as the best crowd ever tbh.

The Iyo match was decent but man that was a star-making turn for her even though there was a few sloppy spots in there. Give a Iyo a chance to go please, have her split from Damage Control at least.

Easily Omos' best match so far, he actually seems quite likeable outside the ring and is getting a bit better but either way was better than expected. The kick during the intro music was gas. US title was forgettable enough. Zelina match was what it should be but thought both looked well out of it and seeing her get her flowers was a nice moment even still, crowd ate it up.

Bad Bunny man, he never fails to deliver. Should have been the main event although it probably wasn't for reasons but you'd be nearly deaf from all the pops. As people were saying this guy went from Coachella, to the Met Gala to this in like the last two weeks, he has not reason to be doing this but glad he does cause it was a great match, maybe my favourite celebrity match. Even though he nearly offed himself with the Sliced Bread at the end. The local legends pop was fun, fair play for WWE really catering to the crowd.

The Six man was probably the least interesting for me, it was ok. Cody/Lesnar was pretty good overall. Seeing Cody be a smart babyface is rarified air for WWE. Think Brock definitely wanted to bleed and launched himself into the turnbuckle to get it. Bit sudden and probably sent to crowd home a bit underwhelmed but still. Definitely not the end of the feud, Brock will cost Cody, round 2 in Saudi and then Summerslam maybe.

The WWE doing shows abroad really highlights how thoroughly sh*t American audiences are.

It certainly won't be another 20 years until they go back to Puerto Rico for a PPV - brilliant fans over the couple of days. They even managed to make that god awful press conference (I really hate when WWE & AEW do that bollocks) watchable.

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565297#Comment_120565297

There's a market that they've left unloved for years which is finally being tapped into (first with Clash at the Castle and now with MITB and AEWs All In). Even a glorified house show card like Backlash comes off looking like a top tier show when you have a rabid audience loving absolutely everything.

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120564994#Comment_120564994

Honestly, I'm not against them putting the strap on Dom - something I would have never seen myself type this time last year (Mami and Dom as top champs is printing money)! I think a MITB win and cash in on Rollins would be a better way to go for that scenario to play out though.

CastorTroy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565297#Comment_120565297

I think it was pointed out in the AEW thread that the attendance is getting smaller due to playing the same venues so close together so guess it's the same all over. Like I'm sure if they went to Puerto Rico more times a year the crowds wouldn't be as lively.

So not saying the American crowds aren't bad but I guess they just take it for granted now.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565336#Comment_120565336

Dom is a red hot heel magnet, I'm thinking it could be Finn vs. Rollins for the new Raw title with Dom and Priest going for the tag titles but I think if HHH is booking it could be Dom which wouldn't be bad as Finn has kinda gone down in the picking order in JD especially after losing to Edge

Rhea should be champ for a lengthy period

Bianca has become longest reigning Raw champion now

How come Indi had to give up her Nxt title but the Nxt tag titles or Raw or SD women's singles titles were not given up? I know Indi is injured

Did Priest and Rhodes pick up injuries last night?

Bianca and her hair is really annoying me, hope she loses soon

Necro

Well tbf, Indi is actually injured at the moment so she can't defend it!