WWE Backlash Coverage, Highlights, & Reactions

Seth Rollins (Woahh! Ohh! Ohh!) had a decisive victory over the “Nigerian giant” Omos at tonight’s WWE Backlash event; however, it didn’t come without it’s hardships. When Rollins realized his normal stomp wouldn’t get the job done, he resorted to going to the top rope and hitting a super stomp for the 1-2-3!

After he was all finished up with Omos, Rollins stopped by for an interview with WWE.com, mentioning how much he’s fallen in love with the island of Puerto Rico during the conversation.

Megan, my hands are off the wheel. I am just along for the ride — I don’t really know any other way to describe it. All I’m saying is, I think I’m going to have to take residence here on the island because I am having a great time. I get why people come here and don’t leave now; I understand it. And let me tell you something about that giant — he proved how big he was out there tonight because it took the biggest stomp of all time to put him to bed.

EXCLUSIVE: @WWERollins is amazed at the WWE Universe in Puerto Rico and commends @TheGiantOmos for an incredible match that took him to his limit. #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/5aZlGQzOIx

— WWE (@WWE) May 7, 2023

Earlier tonight, we noted how the AEW Dynamite card was shaping up nicely, with five matches confirmed for the episode. Since then, AEW has added some more scheduled segments to the lineup, including a segment where AEW World Tag Team Champions Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler will answer the challenge laid down by Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal to have a title match at Double or Nothing against each other.

It was also announced that Christian Cage will appear on the show. Cage has been showing up in recent weeks and staring down TNT Champion Wardlow until finally revealing that he has his sights set on winning the belt from Wardlow.

You can see the updated card for AEW Dynamite below:

• Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega (Steel cage match)
• Rey Fenix vs. Claudio Castagnoli (Double jeopardy)
• International Championships: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Daniel Garcia
• Anna JAS vs. Julia Hart (No holds barred)
• World Trios Championships: The House of Black vs. Best Friends & Bandido (Open house match)
• FTR responds to Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal
• We hear from Christian Cage

Following the challenge put forth by @RealJeffJarrett and @TheLethalJay last week, how will the #AEW World Tag Team Champs #FTR @daxftr & @cashwheelerftr respond? Find out THIS WEDNESDAY on #AEWDynamite LIVE from the @LCArena_Detroit at 8pm ET/7pm CT on @tbsnetwork! pic.twitter.com/XLt8X2QKLU

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 7, 2023

After making it clear to TNT Champ @realwardlow that he deserves a shot at the title, we’ll hear from @christian4peeps THIS WEDNESDAY on #AEWDynamite LIVE from @LCArena_Detroit at 8pm ET/7pm CT on @tbsnetwork! pic.twitter.com/rlmWhVJI36

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 6, 2023

On tonight’s Backlash premium live event, WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley defeated Zelina Vega to retain her title. It was on Zelina Vega’s home turf of Puerto Rico, too, but that didn’t stop “The Eradicator” from dominating her way to another win.

Following the match, WWE.com caught up with Ripley to discuss what was going through her head when the crowd was so firmly behind Zelina.

I don’t really care if the crowd was strongly behind Zelina. I don’t care about these people; they don’t mean anything to me, just like Zelina doesn’t … It actually felt amazing [to win here] because, you know, yeah, they were behind Zelina Vega so much, and I shut them up for good when Mami walked out the SmackDown Women’s Champion still, and Zelina Vega was left in the ring like a little pretzel. So you could say, yeah, I’m pretty ecstatic

EXCLUSIVE: After defeating @ZelinaVegaWWE, #SmackDown Women's Champion @RheaRipley_WWE has some choice words for the WWE Universe in Puerto Rico. #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/KpngUKVrXT

— WWE (@WWE) May 7, 2023

Cody enters first, followed by Brock Lesnar. Before the match even starts, Cody rushes Brock on the outside with a suicide dive. He immediately goes to the weapons and wacks Brock with the steel steps and chairs. Once they enter the ring, the referee finally rings the bell and takes the weapons away. Cody mounts Brock to hit some punches, but he’s carried over into the turnbuckles.

Cody comes back with an uppercut and two disaster kicks, but on the attempt for a third, Brock catches him and hits the first German suplex of the match. Cody hangs Brock up on the top rope and hits a few strikes. Rhodes tries for a crossbody, but Brock catches him and gives him a fallaway slam. German suplex #2 from Brock! German suplex #3 from Brock! Brock is in absolute control now, hitting German suplex #4.

Brock with two more suplexes, this time, vertical suplexes. Cody accidentally exposes the top turnbuckle as he gets thrown for German suplex #7. Brock puts Cody in a bear hug, squeezing all the air out of Rhodes’ lungs. He turns it into a belly-to-belly for suplex #8. Brock hits several shoulder tackles in the corner on Cody, but when Lesnar returns, Rhodes trips him and busts him open the hard way on the top turnbuckle. Cody cutter! Cody hits another disaster kick, following it up with several punches to the exposed wound. Another Cody cutter! Crossrhodes! He hits another one! Brock still kicks out!

Rhodes tries for his third Crossrhodes, but it’s turned into an F5. It’s still just a two-count! Rhodes kicked out! Cody hits Brock in the face some more, which triggers the Beast to secure him into the kimora lock. Cody struggles until he reverses all the weight of the hold on Brock, securing the pin! He out-wrestled him! Cody wins it!!!

The Usos and Solo celebrate their victory in the ring, but you can tell there is still tension between the three family members. Solo’s facial expressions are really selling the confusion and conflict.

We return from the commercial break with a video package of Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes. Part 2 of our “double main event” is next!

The Usos enter the arena with Solo Sikoa in tow. Riddle comes out next, followed by the Undisputed Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.

Sami and Jey Uso get the match started. Jey and Sami lock up, with Jey turning it into a headlock. He comes off the ropes with a shoulder tackle on Zayn, then taking a second to taunt. The lock back up with the same result, but this time, Sami escapes and delivers a running clothesline. Jey tags in Jimmy, prompting Sami to tag in Kevin Owens. He kicks Jimmy in the abdomen immediately and continues with stomps and kicks. An elbow and senton splash follow.

Riddle gets tagged in and stays on Jimmy, nailing a kick to the chest and a gut-wrench suplex. Zayn comes back in and slams Jimmy’s head off the turnbuckle a couple of times. He then jumps off the ropes with an elbow, causing Jimmy to stumble to his corner. Solo looks ticked off. He tags himself in, and The Usos look on in confusion. Solo stays on Zayn with several headbutts in the corner on Zayn. He throws Sami off the ropes and clubs him, impressing Jimmy Uso. The Usos do rapid tags to hit some tandem offense.

Zayn remains in the corner where The Bloodline continues trading tags to attack together. Solo, the legal man, gives stomps and headbutts to Sami. He continues by choking him on the second rope. Jimmy is back in, and he and Solo do a wishbone to stretch Zayn’s legs in opposite directions. Jimmy superkicks Riddle off the apron, but that moment of diverting his attention costs Jimmy. Sami nearly gets to the corner but has no one to tag now.

Zayn is again stuck in the corner, but he tries to rally. Jey catches him with a Samoan drop, which may have actually rocked Sami quite hard. Solo is tagged in and comes back with more headbutts and strikes. Finally, Sami manages to deliver a tornado DDT to ground Solo. He made it to the corner! Riddle comes in and takes everyone out with ripcord knees, running forearms, t-bone suplexes, and bro-tons. He’s on fire! He jumps to the ring apron and kicks Solo in the face, following it up with a springboard bro-ton on Solo and Jey. Riddle jumps back in the ring and immediately eats a superkick from Jimmy.

Riddle meets Jimmy on the top rope and tosses him across the ring with a belly-to-belly. Kevin Owens gets tagged in finally and nails the swanton bomb, but it’s not enough to put Jimmy away. Owens with a superkick! He avoids Jimmy’s superkick, which hits Jey in the face. Owens hits everyone else with superkicks and gives a pop-up powerbomb to Jey for a close two-count. Another attempt at the swanton bomb ends in failure as Owens’ back collides with Jey’s knees. The two men trade punches as they climb to their feet.

Once up, they keep trading shot after shot. They trade superkicks until Owens comes off the ropes with a stiff lariat that turns Jey inside out. Jimmy Uso and Sami Zayn get tagged in at the same time. Blue thunder bomb from Zayn to Jimmy, but it’s still another two count. Sami climbs to the top rope but he gets some kicks to the face for his trouble. The Usos want a double superplex from the top rope but he wards them off. Zayn leaps off the top but eats a double superkick for another close two-count!

Jey confronts Sami in the corner, telling him that this is all of his fault. He throws his shirt at Zayn as he’s passed out in the corner. Jey prepares for the running hip attack in the corner, but Solo tags himself in once more. Jey climbs on the apron and then does an aggressive tag in of his own! Solo looks pissed off but he does what he’s told. Sami runs in with a helluva kick but Solo took it instead of Jey! Sami uses the exploder suplex and the helluba kick on Jey, but at the last second of the count, Solo broke it up. How will this one end?!

Solo looks conflicted about who to attack now. He appears to be walking toward Jey, but Riddle comes in and knees Solo in the face. Kevin with the stunner on Jimmy! Solo with the Samoan Spike on Kevin! Solo nearly Samoan Spikes Jey! They stare each other down as Jey asks, “You’re gonna hit me? I’m your brother! He’s not!” The action picks back up, with Riddle nearly winning the match with the Broderick, but Solo got a blind tag. He surprises Riddle with the Samoan spike for the win! But dang, things were getting messy there with The Bloodline.

Bad Bunny and the LWO celebrate with the crowd as his music plays and the crowd sings. We see an ad for Night of Champions, followed by a hype video about how The Bloodline vs. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Matt Riddle came about.

Damian Priest makes his entrance first, followed by Bad Bunny. Bunny’s entrance is spectacular, with everyone in the arena singing his song as he enters. There’s pyro and all! He brings a shopping cart full of weapons down to ringside along with the special Puerto Rican kendo stick. The crowd is lit as crap, y’all!

The bell rings, and it’s underway! Bunny and Priest come face to face, with Damian immediately pushing him down to the ground. Bunny gets up and faces Damian again. As Priest goes for a punch, Bunny shudders, so Priest makes fun of him. Priest slaps him in the face and hits a michonoku driver into the mat for the first 1-count. Bunny escapes the ring and pulls out some kendo sticks from the shopping cart.

Priest tackles him down before he can get hit with the kendo stick. He then breaks it over his knee and delivers a scoop slam to plow him into the mat. Priest keeps Bunny in a wrist lock as Bunny keeps trying to punch him off. He finally rakes at the eyes to get out, but Priest thwarts him off again with a knee to the gut. Bunny goes for some punches in the corner, but it doesn’t last long. Priest with forearms to knock Bunny back down into the mat.

Priest runs across the ring and delivers an elbow to the side of Bunny’s head. He hits his finishing move — the South of Heaven — but doesn’t even let the referee count three. He pulls Bunny up to delve out more punishment. Priest tries for his signature dive to the outside, but Bunny stops him by throwing a chair at his face. Bunny grabs the stick and whacks Priest several times, following it up with a tornado DDT. Bunny clotheslines Priest over the top ropes to the outside.

Bunny climbs to the top rope and hits a crossbody to the outside on Priest! He’s finally got a bit of an advantage now. Bunny hits Priest several times with the trash can lids, finally delivering a conchairto of sorts with the lids. He continues attacking the kendo stick until Priest pulls it away. Bunny returns with more shots and another falcon arrow for another close 2 count!

Bunny challenges Priest to come get him, but Damian starts walking up the ramp to leave, apparently. As Bunny chases after him, Damian turns suddenly and goes on the attack. Priest grabs trash can lids and a kendo stick, hitting Bunny several times as he writhes in pain. Priest tosses Bunny over the barricade, forcing him into the timekeeper’s area. Bunny and Priest are making their way into the audience now, battling on the arena floor. Priest sets Bunny up on some crates and raises him to his feet.

Bunny tries to fight back with shots, but Priest grabs him and hits the falcons arrow through multiple tables. They slowly make their way back to the ring, with Bunny trying to regain some sort of control by using the kendo stick on Priest’s leg. Bunny hits a legbreaker that causes Priest extreme pain. He then takes Priest’s leg and hits it against the post multiple times. Bunny hits the leg with a chain! Furthermore, he ties the leg up in the chain and throws it against the post. He continues with a chair to the leg. Priest can’t take it anymore — he acts like he’s sorry and begs for forgiveness from Bunny.

The trick works. Bunny gets kicked in the face. Priest nearly hits him with the chair, but Bunny fights back with a low blow. Balor and Dominik run down! They team up and start beating down Bunny together. Rey Mysterio runs down! He’s not alone, though!!! CARLITO IS HERE!!! He’s back! The crowd is losing it!!! He takes a bite of the apple but gets attacked by Dom. Rey takes care of Dom with a 619, followed by Carlito spitting the apple in Dom’s face. Now, Savio Vega is walking out! This is a trip!

Judgment Day is trapped between Savio on one side and Carlito/Rey Mysterio on the other. Savio calls out the rest of the LWO, who gang up on Dom and destroy him on the ramp. Finn thinks he got away, but he’s hit with multiple chops and his signature martial arts kick. Back inside the ring, Priest tries to finish Bunny with a roundhouse kick, but Priest’s knee gave out! Bunny puts Priest in the figure-four leg lock! Damian nearly gets pinned because he can’t stay up. He nearly taps, but no, he instead grabs Bunny by the throat. The south of heaven chokeslam is reversed! Priest tries to tackle Bunny but hits his head into the steel chair. Bunny with sliced bread number 2 but hits his head pretty hard on the way down.

Bunny grabs a chair from the outside and starts unloading on the back of Priest. He hits him about half a dozen times, adding a finishing code red for the 3! Bad Bunny wins!!!

We come back to the show, and guess what’s next?! Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest in the San Juan Street Fight!

Ripley exits with the Championship, leaving Zelina in the ring. The crowd gives her such a loving, heartfelt reception as Zelina sheds tears inside the ring. They sing songs for her as she blows them kisses.

Y’all ready for some more action?! It’s the biggest match of Zelina Vega’s career! Mami enters first, followed by Zelina. We get the proper introduction, with Zelina shedding tears while the crowd goes wild. The bell sounds off!

Vega uses her speed to avoid Ripley at first. The crowd is electric right now! Zelina grabs a chancla (a flip flop/shoe) and tosses it at Ripley! A fun tribute to Latin culture. Ripley stops the momentum with a powerbomb into the mat for a two-count. Ripley beats Zelina down and hits shoulders in the midsection as she’s trapped in the turnbuckles. Ripley mocks the crowd, acting like Eddie Guerrero.

Ripley with a hard Irish whip that drops Zelina, then another. Backbreaker from Ripley, followed by a torture rack of sorts. She attempts to tackle Zelina in the corner turnbuckles, but Vega moves out of the way, forcing Ripley into the ring post. Zelina hits several forearms, followed by two clotheslines. All momentum is stopped with a stiff headbutt from Ripley. She tries to finish Zelina with a riptide, but she eats a tornado DDT instead!

Ripley climbs into the ropes and gets hit with a 619! Vega follows up with the meteora for a close two count! The crowd wanted it so bad! Vega is first back up, but she comes off the ropes and eats a kick. Ripley with a Riptide for the 3 count!

Lashley enters first, followed by Reed, and lastly, the Champion, Theory. This one gets started off intensely! Lashley hits shoulder tackles and clotheslines on everyone around him, also going for the hurt lock on Reed. Theory stops it and pushes Reed out of the ring. He focuses his attention on Lashley, but the strikes aren’t enough to keep Bobby down. He hits Theory with a delayed vertical suplex. Theory swipes the feet out from under Lashley, allowing Reed to hit a splash on him while he’s down.

Theory and Reed begin working together, trading shots on Bobby (Let’s see how long this lasts). Reed with a senton on Bobby, followed by a stomp to Lashley from Theory. Reed turns on Theory and splashes into him. He comes back with a clothesline in the corner, but Lashley shows up and hits one-arm spinebusters on both men. A spear from Lashley to Theory, but Reed manages to break it up. Reed with a superkick on the outside of the ring to Lashley. Holy s***! Reed jumped off the ring apron and just squashed Lashley while he was standing up on the outside.

Reed tosses him back inside and climbs to the top rope, but Theory stops him from hitting the tsunami. Austin turns to Theory and tries for the A-Town down, but it’s reversed into the hurt lock. Theory is fading away, but he breaks out at the last second, leaving Lashley susceptible to the tsunami for a close two count! Each man struggles to return to their feet, but Austin is up first. He delivers forearms and a running blockbuster, but Reed clapsback with a powerslam. He climbs to the top rope and attempts a moonsault. He’s speared by Lashley! Theory steals the pin from Bobby! Theory retains!!!

Seth Rollins gets a great ovation from the crowd!

We head to some commercials, and when we get back, we see the confrontation between Damian Priest and Bad Bunny at the press conference. Priest pushed Bunny down, so Bunny gave him a slap in return. They’ll collide later on tonight in the San Juan Street Fight!

Next up is Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed vs. Austin Theory for the United States Title!

Omos enters first, followed by a thunderous ovation for Seth Rollins. Rollins is getting the crowd to sing out his theme music as he stands in the ring, but suddenly, Omos cheap shots him with a kick. He shoulder tackles Seth and sends him flying across the ring. He stays on Rollins with attacks in the corner, but as Omos tries to get him on the ropes, Seth bounces his head off the top.

He springboards back in but is met with a strike to the stomach. Omos grabs Rollins’ face with a vice grip and shoves him out of the ring. He climbs to the outside and attempts to run Rollins into the ring post, but Seth launches him into it instead. Seth hits one suicide dive and goes for one more, but he’s caught and choke slammed on the apron. Omos presses Rollins over the top rope with ease.

Seth stumbles and can’t get his footing. Omos picks him up with snake eyes and a big boot (a la The Undertaker). Rollins finally gets in a flurry of offense, bringing Omos down to his knees. He hits a superkick and attempts a pedigree, but Omos tosses him off with a big back body drop while still down. Omos comes in for a running attack, but Rollins dodges it, forcing Omos’ head into the ring post. Rollins with a tornado DDT to send Omos off his feet!

Seth climbs up to the top and hits a frog splash! But it’s only a one count! Rollins hits more forearms and a rolling elbow, following it up with a flying forearm off the second rope. Seth tries the stomp Omos but it doesn’t even work! Omos with a chokeslam, but it’s still just a two! This match is wild! Seth avoids the double chokeslam and rolls around Omos into a sleeper. He’s relentless with it until Omos falls down to the mat. Suddenly, he powers back up and hits a sidewalk slam on Seth to level the field again.

MVP distracts the referee as Rollins hits the stomp! He kicks MVP off the apron and delivers one more stomp, but still, it’s only a two count! Rollins uses the top rope and hits a super stomp to win! That was sick!

Belair celebrates in the ring as the crowd remains mixed toward Bianca. The commentators also applaud Iyo for a great match (and it was! That was fire!)

Bad Bunny is backstage and meets up with Rey Mysterio. They exchange some words in Spanish before Savio Vega walks in and gives Bad Bunny a kendo stick with the Puerto Rican flag on it. We also get a rundown of the Raw and SmackDown rosters, which is followed with ads for the World Heavyweight Title tournament starting on Raw.

Coming up next is Omos vs. Seth Rollins!

Iyo makes her entrance next. The crowd is electric right now! The bell rings, and this one is off to the races!

Belair and Sky lock up, with Bianca powering her to the ropes. They exchange some holds, but Bianca turns it into a headlock takeover to maintain control. The crowd is actually mostly behind Iyo Sky! They’re booing The EST for some reason. Bianca isn’t letting it faze her, though. They start trading reversal after reversal, flipping all over the ring. Belair with a dropkick followed by some scoop slams.

Iyo avoids a third one and brings her to the apron. She bounces her arm off the top rope and then ties Bianca up in the ropes. She hits a double stomp on Belair and keeps on the same arm. Iyo has a key lock on Belair as the crowd continues rallying behind her, but Belair hits another scoop slam to get Iyo off. Sky nails multiple forearms to Belair. She then picks The EST up by her own arm and throws her into the turnbuckle.

Iyo with a dragon sleeper and a falling knee to Belair’s arm. “IYO! IYO!” the crowd chants. She misses the double knees in the corner, which allows Belair to hit her with an elbow and shoulder to the midsection. Iyo reverses into another double stomp to the gut of Bianca and gets a two-count. They both struggle to get to their feet, trading punches along the way. Belair catches Iyo in an attempt at the leg scissors and spikes her with a backbreaker.

Belair uses the ropes to stand back up. She hits clotheslines, a dropkick, and a delayed vertical suplex before nipping up and staring down the hostile crowd. EST with a shoulder tackler in the corner. Belair rains down ten punches in the corner on Iyo, adding a final running shot. She picks up Iyo with a one-handed press! Iyo’s face hit the mat hard! Wow!! That was sick. Belair with a back handspring moonsault but it’s still a two.

Belair with a snapmare but Iyo comes back with several forearms. She jumps from the top rope to the outside with Belair’s arm in her hand. Iyo with that springboard missile dropkick, but it sends Belair all the way out of the ring. Iyo gets to the top rope to follow up, but Belair rallies and pushes her off. She tries a 450 splash, but Iyo had the knees up! Sky locks in the cross-face! Belair still manages to break it and pick her up into a powerbomb, but Iyo turns it into a facebuster and plants her down into the mat.

They’re both taking their time to get up, but when they do, Iyo hits the double knees in the corner on Sky. Iyo goes for another standing double stomp, but Belair rolls out of the way and sets her up for the KOD. Iyo actually forces Belair out of the ring before she can hit it. As Bianca goes for a move on the apron, Iyo kicks her in the abdomen. She hits her signature moonsault on the outside on Bianca! She pushes Belair back into the ring and wants the pin, but it’s still only two! This one is one hell of a battle!

Sky attacks Belair in the corner, but as she goes for an avalanche hurricarana but Belair catches her and hits an avalanche powerbomb! But it’s STILL only two! No! Damage CTRL is coming down now! Belair tries to fight them away, which inspires Iyo to pull on her ponytail. Belair pulls her in with the hair and rams her with a forearm. She almost hits the KOD but Iyo rolls through and gets a 2 and 7/8 count! Belair is tired of Damage CTRL, grabbing Bayley and trying to throw her out. The momentary distraction allows Dakota to kick her. Iyo goes for the moonsault but Belair rolls out of the way and hits her finisher! KOD for the 1-2-3!

We see a video package that shows off the beautiful city of Puerto Rico and the anticipated matches for tonight. Michael Cole welcomes us to the show while a drone camera flies through the arena! It’s packed to the rafters! This is the first WWE PLE in Puerto Rico in 18 years! Cole and Graves welcome us to the show and briefly go over the top matches of the night.

First out tonight is Bianca Belair! She’ll face Iyo Sky for the Raw Women’s Title next!

We go to our final video hype package — Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar. This one has that big fight feel, y’all! Camp points out how hard it will be to actually defeat “The Gatekeeper” if he’s a beast. Rosenberg comments on how difficult the years have been for Cody, especially after his pec, but can he overcome this obstacle too? Camp questions if Cody is even ready for a match like this after the WrestleMania match and post-attack by Brock.

Rosenberg realizes why Cody is putting so much emphasis on winning this match. They think Cody will have to put on the best match of his life if he’s going to defeat someone as powerful as Brock. When the dust settles, Camp picks Brock. The other two pick Cody!

Here we go! It’s Backlash time!!!

We come back from a quick break with the video package hyping up The Bloodline vs. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn & Matt Riddle. Matt Camp is surprised that at this point, Riddle and KO/Sami might be a bit more cohesive. Rosenberg applauds how these men keep putting on great matches, but acknowledges that they probably are tired of seeing each other.

Camp points out how Solo is fully committed to Roman Reigns even though The Usos are his relatives, too. Rosenberg comments on how it looked strange when The Usos didn’t have the Unified Tag Titles anymore.

Camp thinks The Bloodline wins it tonight. Rosenberg is picking Riddle, Sami, and Kevin Owens. We’re getting one more rundown of the card before putting some focus on the other main event: Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes.

Camp talks a bit about Rhea Ripley’s recent conquests, including going after LWO, beating Charlotte Flair, and now defending her SmackDown Women’s Title against Zelina. Rosenberg is extremely excited for Zelina Vega because she’s spent her entire life dedicated to pro wrestling, and this evening, she’s getting to wrestle in her home with WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio.

Camp is glad that Vega got a match on SmackDown last night because she assumes she probably has some strong butterflies. Rosenberg emphasizes once more that this is a huge opportunity for Vega.

Camp chooses Rhea Ripley. Rosenberg also chooses Ripley. Jackie chooses Zelina

Wade Barrett is doing a report from the beach in San Juan, even getting delivered a drink by a beautiful woman. He says he’s hyped up for the street fight and thinks it will be a huge night in general.

Rosenberg is jealous now! He wishes he could be at the beach. Camp jokes around and says he’s hyped to be there in Stamford, Connecticut. We head into replays over recent weeks that play into Rhea Ripley vs. Zelina Vega.

Camp says we don’t know if Seth Rollins or Omos will be in the tournament for the World Heavyweight Title, but this match will help them get there. Rosenberg claims that Omos “needs to win” in this situation because he hasn’t won in big match situations, like against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 39. Camp thinks it’s a great deal that Omos is a free agent with MVP so he can go all over the place.

Camp thinks this would be the biggest victory of Omos’ career if he wins it. If he can beat someone that important, MVP will be able to make any deal he possibly wants to with Omos. Rosenberg says the free agency deal was a great start, but now he definitely needs a “w” now.

Rosenberg thinks Omos actually beats Seth Rollins tonight. Camp says with the run Rollins is on, he thinks the momentum continues with a victory tonight.

They discuss the new World Heavyweight Title some more and how it’s important to win tonight so you can secure a place in the tournaments that begin this week. We then head into a video package of Seth Rollins vs. Omos.

We return with the focus on Bronson Reed vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory for the United States Championship. They show replays from the past few weeks where Reed has taken out both Lashley and Theory, making it clear how much of a threat he is. Camp emphasizes how much Theory has actually proven himself throughout this time with victories over Seth Rollins and Lashley.

Rosenberg agrees that Theory is a big deal, but how many matches can he honestly win against Lashley? There’s also the Reed factor — they agree that there is a behemoth involved that has been coming after Lashley. If either of them pin one another, Theory isn’t even a part of the ending. Rosenberg believes Theory will only win it if he lets the big boys beat each other up and then slide in at the end.

Rosenberg thinks Lashley wins; Camp thinks Theory will win it.

We see a video package for Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship. Jackie Redmond is very excited about this one because of how aggressively Sky was trying to get this opportunity. Camp agrees and points out how the rest of Damage CTRL has a Women’s Tag Team Title match to focus on next week. Rosenberg thinks this is a humongous opportunity for Iyo tonight because it will show everyone in the locker room, including Damage CTRL.

They all agree this is a massive chance for Iyo to break through any glass ceiling she’s under. If Belair defends this title, she’s the longest-reigning Raw Women’s Champion of the modern era, but Camp thinks it’s a mistake to count the chickens before they hatch. Rosenberg says it might need to be looked at a different way, and he also says that he has learned not to vote against Bianca. Camp goes with Iyo, and Redmond goes with Bianca.

Rosenberg thinks Gunther is going to become a main player on Raw because of everything he’s done on SmackDown already. Matt Camp has his eyes on The O.C. after they moved over to SmackDown, especially if AJ Styles vs. Roman Reigns happens again. Additionally, Rosenberg loves that Edge went back over to SmackDown, too.

The hosts give us a reminder about how the tournament for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament works.

Back to the hosts, they discuss Bunny and Priest’s history. They’re “frenemies” because they teamed up in the past, but now they’ve become bitter enemies. Rosenberg is hyped up! He is excited to see a huge celebrity like Bad Bunny in a street fight vs. Priest. They think the LWO and Judgment Day will make their presence known in the match. Rosenberg adds that he thinks Bad Bunny is much more of a dangerous competitor than people may be giving him credit for.

Matt Camp talks a bit about the crowd and how they were giving a wild reaction to Bunny when he came out to the arena on SmackDown. It’s not necessarily the same.

Rosenberg believes Bad Bunny will be the winner here. Camp thinks it’s Damian’s night tonight because he has to prove it’s his world. Jackie Redmond chooses Bad Bunny this time around.

We go to a recap of the WWE draft.

We get a welcome to the show and San Juan by Jackie Redmond with Matt Camp and Peter Rosenberg. They’re in the WWE control room, so they discuss how they wish they could be in Puerto Rico right now. They think it’s beautiful there. Rosenberg is wearing a gold chain, so he explains that it’s like a premium live event and a Bad Bunny concert, so he’s dressing accordingly.

According to the hosts, there’s a double main event tonight: The Bloodline vs. KO/Sami Zayn and Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes. We get another rundown of the card before going into a video package for the Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest street fight.

It’s that time, ladies and gents! The pre-show for WWE Backlash is getting going right now, so we’ll keep you updated on what’s going down along the way!

Stay tuned 😄

Before we focus on the WWE Universe for the rest of the night, let’s take a look at how that card has shaped up for this Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. We already knew that the main event would be Kenny Omega, representing The Elite, versus Jon Moxley, representing Blackpool Combat Club, in a steel cage match.

• Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega (Steel cage match)
• Rey Fenix vs. Claudio Castagnoli (Double jeopardy)
• International Championships: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Daniel Garcia
• Anna JAS vs. Julia Hart (No holds barred)
• World Trios Championships: The House of Black vs. Best Friends & Bandido (Open house match)

It's a PPV-worthy #AEWDynamite THIS WEDNESDAY and it's coming to you LIVE from the @LCArena_Detroit at 8pm ET/7pm CT on @tbsnetwork! pic.twitter.com/ReCwKZO6ro

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 6, 2023

The LWO has a big night ahead of them at Backlash — not only is Zelina Vega challenging Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in her home island of Puerto Rico, but LWO is also expected to be in the corner of Bad Bunny when he battles The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight.

To add to the excitement, The LWO got some matching ink together! A video was posted to the WWE Twitter page earlier today showing Zelina, Rey Mysterio, Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz del Toro getting tattoos with the LWO logo on different parts of their bodies.

We are getting LWO tattoos. We are solidifying the awesomeness of LWO with me, and Rey, and Santos, and Cruz, and Joaquin.

The LWO all got matching tattoos together ahead of #WWEBacklash!@ZelinaVegaWWE @reymysterio @EscobarWWE @joaquinwilde_ @deltoro_wwe pic.twitter.com/qhbGtxhPvb

— WWE (@WWE) May 6, 2023

The Bloodline has been the main focus of WWE programming for years now, with no signs of that slowing down anytime soon. The same applies to this evening when Solo Sikoa and Jey & Jimmy Uso will join to battle Matt Riddle and the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn in one of the top matches at Backlash.

A fun fact pointed out by the WWE Stats and Info Twitter account pointed out that when Sikoa and The Usos compete tonight, the trio will become the second team exclusively made up of three or more siblings to feature in a tag team match on pay-per-view. The Hart Family was the only other faction to achieve such a feat when Bret Hart, Bruce Hart, Keith Hart, and Owen Hart teamed up to defeat Shawn Michaels and his Knights at the 1993 Survivor Series.

You can read more about this story here.

This past year at WrestleMania, The Judgment Day faction each had various roles on the show. Rhea Ripley defeated Charlotte Flair to become the SmackDown Women’s Champion, Finn Balor unsuccessfully battled Edge in a hell in a cell match, and Dominik Mysterio got his butt literally whipped by his father, Rey. One member of the stable, Damien Priest, didn’t compete inside the ring but remained a vital presence when called upon.

Because of how things played out, Rhea Ripley thinks this street fight at Backlash between Bad Bunny and Priest is on the same level as a WrestleMania bout. And, for her, she believes that’s precisely what Priest deserves.

When it came to WrestleMania 39, Priest didn’t have a match. Dom had a match, Finn had a match, and I had a match, and he was still there supporting us and helping us throughout the day and just being what a true family member should be, you know? Just being overall supportive and happy for us. Today, here in San Juan, for Backlash, this is going to be Priest’s WrestleMania.”

And Ripley is confident in her teammate, too. Like Priest has been saying for weeks, this is a physical sport that Bunny doesn’t have much experience in, so it will be interesting to see if he shines in the ring like before.

I am so extremely happy for him. I can only imagine how excited he is to be out here taking on Bad Bunny in a San Juan street fight of all matches. Bunny is definitely going to get cooked.”

The #SmackDown Women’s Champion explains what the San Juan Street Fight with @sanbenito means to @ArcherOfInfamy as she and her #JudgmentDay cohort take in the sights of the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/ZyKBo87E2k

— WWE (@WWE) May 6, 2023

We’re back for the first premium live event after WrestleMania: Backlash! And it’s a stacked card, too, with three Championship matches, a street fight between Bad Bunny and Damian Priest, and Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar for the very first time. And though Roman Reigns isn’t expected to be in the house, The Bloodline will still be represented by Solo Sikoa and Jimmy & Jey Uso, who will battle Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Matt Riddle in a six-man tag team match.

You can see the full card below:

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

By visiting this link here, you can let us know which match you’re most excited about and why!

It’s all about REDEMPTION tonight for #TheBloodline at #WWEBacklash in Puerto Rico ☝️😤🇵🇷 pic.twitter.com/KTyGrKx0mJ

— WWE (@WWE) May 6, 2023

We’re back, folks! The kickoff show for WWE Backlash is only a couple of hours away, so keep with us in the meantime for all the latest news emerging.

There were reports earlier this year that Colby Corino, recognized as one of the top free agents on the indie wrestling scene, was on his way to WWE. However, when Endeavor purchased the company, a hiring freeze was placed on the roster as they continued outlining their moves following the merger. It wasn’t believed this would affect Corino, but since his deal was reportedly verbal, he will be unable to continue with the hiring process for the foreseeable future.

In the realm of AEW, beloved UK wrestling star Nigel McGuinness is hinting that he might come back for one more match when AEW arrives in The UK for their All In pay-per-view on August 27, 2023.