Tag: Backlash 2023

Savio Vega credits Bad Bunny and Damian Priest for WWE Backlash appearance

Posted on by Joseph Currier

At Backlash in Puerto Rico, Savio Vega got to take part in a special moment as he returned to WWE.

Vega and Carlito both made cameo appearances during Bad Bunny and Damian Priest’s San Juan street fight at last Saturday’s pay-per-view. While being interviewed by Cultaholic, Vega credited Bad Bunny and Priest for wanting him involved with their match.

“[WWE] got in contact with me because this is the mastermind of Damian Priest and Bad Bunny,” Vega said. “They’re both fans of me and I discovered that when I went to the farewell of The Undertaker. I saw Damian Priest there and I went to him, ‘Hey man, how you doing? I want to take a picture with you.’ He said, ‘No, I want to take a picture with you.’ So I talked to him a little bit there. We don’t talk too much but we keep in touch by phone. This idea was them, more Damian Priest.”

The 58-year-old Vega told Cultaholic that he was “in shock” at the massive reaction he received from the audience when he appeared during a backstage segment at Backlash.

Vega, Carlito, and the LWO fended off interference by the Judgment Day in the Bad Bunny vs. Priest match. That allowed Bad Bunny to get the victory after hitting a Bunny Destroyer.

Vega wrestled for WWE from 1993-1999. He made an appearance for the company in 2020 during The Undertaker’s retirement ceremony at Survivor Series.

Bad Bunny says WWE Backlash was ‘a dream,’ thanks Puerto Rico crowd

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Wrestling in his home of Puerto Rico was a dream for Bad Bunny.

Two days removed from defeating Damian Priest at Backlash, Bad Bunny made a post on his Instagram Stories looking back at the moment. Bad Bunny wrote that he’s still processing it, but there are no words to describe what he felt. Bad Bunny wrote that it was “a dream” for him.

Bad Bunny also thanked the red-hot crowd in San Juan, calling them the best wrestling fans in the world. Bad Bunny said the Puerto Rican fans were the stars of the show at Backlash and at SmackDown last Friday.

He wrote (translated from Spanish):

I’m still processing this. There are no words to describe what I felt that day… wow! it was a dream

Thank you PUERTO RICO!!! You were the stars these two nights! There is no energy like the one you provided!! people now know who the best wrestling fans in the world are!!

P FKN R!!!

Backlash was Bad Bunny’s third time ever competing in a WWE ring. His San Juan street fight against Priest included cameos by Carlito and Savio Vega, who helped the LWO fend off interference by the Judgment Day.

Backlash was the first time a WWE pay-per-view has been held in Puerto Rico since 2005.

Bad Bunny’s match at Backlash took place less than a month after he became the first Latino artist to headline the Coachella music festival.

WWE touts success of Backlash 2023: Highest-grossing Backlash in history

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE is touting that Backlash 2023 was a record-breaking night for the company.

In a press release issued on Monday, WWE announced that this year’s Backlash was the highest-grossing and most-viewed Backlash event in history. The pay-per-view took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico this past Saturday.

“Viewership of Backlash saw a 28 percent increase versus the record set in 2022,” WWE wrote. “The event, which featured Bad Bunny, the most-streamed music artist in the world, marked the largest gate ever for any WWE event held in Puerto Rico and the largest gate in the history of Backlash.”

This was the first WWE PPV to take place in Puerto Rico since New Year’s Revolution 2005.

WWE added that Saturday’s PPV also broke merchandise and sponsorship records for Backlash. With a focus on increasing sponsorship revenue, that category was up 98 percent from last year.

It also marked the most social Backlash of all-time, led by over 40 million views of the San Juan Street Fight featuring Bad Bunny vs. [Damian] Priest. The hashtag #WWEBacklash, accompanied by a custom Bad Bunny emoji, trended No. 1 across the entire evening of sports.

In addition, Backlash broke merchandise and sponsorship records. As the first-ever WWE event under the expanded partnership with Fanatics overseeing the on-site event retail experience, top-selling items included the WWE Backlash and LWO Puerto Rico t-shirts. Sponsorship revenue surpassed any Backlash event in history, breaking last year’s record with a 98 percent year-on-year increase through partnerships with Netflix’s FUBAR, Mike’s Harder Lemonade and Xfinity.

Saturday’s PPV was headlined by Cody Rhodes defeating Brock Lesnar.

Carlito & Savio Vega help Bad Bunny defeat Damian Priest at WWE Backlash

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With the help of a pair of Puerto Rican wrestling legends, Bad Bunny was victorious at Backlash.

Carlito and Savio Vega both made appearances during Bad Bunny’s street fight against Damian Priest at Saturday night’s pay-per-view in San Juan. Carlito, Vega, and the LWO helped fend off interference by Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio.

As Balor and Dominik were beating down Bad Bunny, Rey Mysterio ran out to make the save. Balor and Dominik were able to fight off Rey, but Carlito’s music then hit. Carlito made his way out to a huge pop from the crowd and then worked with Rey to take out Balor and Dominik.

Balor and Dominik tried to retreat but were stopped by Vega, who also appeared in a backstage segment earlier in the show. Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro joined Vega in taking Balor and Dominik out of the equation.

That allowed Bad Bunny to defeat Priest, winning the match with a Bunny Destroyer. There were spots where Bad Bunny used a Figure Four and hit a Sliced Bread #2 leading into the finish. 

After his victory, Bad Bunny celebrated in the ring with Carlito, Vega, and the LWO.

This was Bad Bunny’s third time competing for WWE. One of the hottest recording artists in the world, he made his in-ring debut by teaming with Priest against The Miz & John Morrison at WrestleMania 37 in 2021. Bad Bunny’s second match was as a surprise entrant in the 2022 men’s Royal Rumble match.

Cody Rhodes issues challenge to Brock Lesnar for WWE Backlash

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Cody Rhodes has issued a challenge to Brock Lesnar for WWE Backlash. 

In a promo on Monday’s WWE Raw, Rhodes addressed last week’s attack against him by Lesnar in the main event segment of the show, ending with a challenge for Lesnar to face him at Backlash. 

Rhodes said that being as honest as he could be, that he was scared of Lesnar, but that he wanted Lesnar to look in the mirror and see a victim, Rhodes’ next victim. He demanded that Lesnar “answer the call” for his challenge at Backlash. 

Backlash is set for Saturday, May 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It will air on Peacock in the United States, and on WWE Network internationally. 

Rhodes also spoke directly on his WrestleMania 39 loss to Roman Reigns during his Raw promo. 

“I lost and I’m sorry,” Rhodes said. 

Rhodes also called attention to the viral moment of a rubber chicken being thrown into the ring as he lay defeated at WrestleMania, saying that being turned on by Lesnar last week after offering Lesnar a partnership was more embarrassing than laying next to a rubber chicken when he had expected to be holding the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Lesnar has yet to respond to the Rhodes challenge for Backlash.