WWE Backlash 2023 results, match grades: Cody Rhodes wins, Bad Bunny shines in front of passionate Puerto Rico crowd

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Daniel Yanofsky
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• 15 min read
Bad Bunny - WWE
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WWE returned to Puerto Rico for the first time since 2005, and it was worth the wait. Thousands of passionate fans made Backlash a truly historic event, thanks in part to the talent in the ring.

There were two main events, both with satisfying endings. To end the show, Cody Rhodes beat Brock Lesnar, and is now ready to continue his story of attempting to win a world title. It was the other main event, featuring Bad Bunny, that truly made the show. 

Rhodes and Lesnar fought for the first time ever, and they didn't disappoint. Right from the start of the bout, Rhodes gave it his all. Though Lesnar got the upper hand at several points, Rhodes did not falter, forcing Lesnar to bleed at one point.

Towards the end of the match, Lesnar locked in a kimura, but Rhodes rolled him up for the abrupt win. The timing seemed off, but made sense as Canelo Alvarez was making his way to the ring for his fight. 

The win allowed Rhodes to get some momentum after losing to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title. It is unknown what is next for Rhodes. 

MORE: WWE's merger with Endeavor Group, explained

In what could have been the main event, Bad Bunny, the music recording artist, put on a show nobody will ever forget. The Puerto Rican beat Damian Priest in a Street Fight that featured tables, chains, chairs, and kendo sticks.

Bad Bunny competed in his first pro wrestling singles match, and looked like a natural. He showed he has what it takes to be a star in both music and wrestling. 

Thanks to the likes of Rey Mysterio, the LWO, a returning Carlito, and the legendary Savio Vega, Bad Bunny beat Priest to the delight of the crowd. 

In other action, Austin Theory, Bianca Belair, and Rhea Ripley all retained their titles, while The Bloodline showed some cracks that could affect the group in the future.   

The Sporting News provided match grades and analysis from Backlash. Check it out! 

WWE Backlash 2023 results, highlights

Welcome everyone to The Sporting News' live coverage of WWE Backlash in Puerto Rico!

The pyro has been set off, and the crowd in Puerto Rico is as passionate as any pro wrestling crowd out there. What an atmosphere. Michael Cole and Corey Graves welcome us to Backlash. 

Out first is Bianca Belair, defending the RAW Women's Title against Iyo Sky. Bayley and Dakota Kai are not in Sky's corner, for now. 

Bianca Belair defies the odds, beats Iyo Sky to retain title

The crowd in Puerto Rico was loud to start, cheering on Belair. Both women exchanged holds to start the bout. Now the crowd started to boo Belair and cheer Sky. Grabbing Belair's hair, Sky choked her by the ropes, and started to attack the arm. The crowd on her side, Sky dominated with arm holds. She drove Belair's arm into the turnbuckle and the floor. 

Sky landed a jumping gut shot as Belair attempted to find some momentum. They exchanged shots, with Sky getting cheered and Belair booed. Belair with a backbreaker and she landed a flurry of moves. Suplex by Belair and a kip up. On the ropes, Belair landed a one-handed military press. Wow! Moonsault but only for two. 

Sky blocked the KOD, and landed a missile dropkick. Belair missed a 450 Splash and Sky locked in the crossface to the delight of the crowd. Facebuster by Sky but only for two. Double knee by Sky, they exchanged finisher attempts, and Sky landed a moonsault from outside the ring. Sky with another moonsault attempt but Belair caught her, hitting a powerbomb from the ropes, but only for two. 

Kai and Bayley come out to distract Belair, and Sky grabbed the hair of Belair. KOD attempt by Belair but Sky rolled her up for two. Bayley went in the ring and Belair took care of her. Kai kicked Belair, Sky went for a moonsault but missed, and Belair landed the KOD for three. 

A great crowd can make a difference in a match. The Puerto Rican fans delivered, and so did the wrestlers. Bianca Belair is a star, and Iyo Sky proved why she is one of the best wrestlers in the world. 

Grade: A

Bad Bunny and Rey Mysterio speak to one another backstage. Savio Vega(!) comes out to give Bad Bunny a kendo stick. 

Omos comes out for his match against Seth "Freakin'" Rollins.

Seth "Freakin'" Rollins slays the giant in Omos 

The crowd was LOUD when chanting Rollins' theme song. It was going on for a while, so Omos ended it by kicking Rollins. He landed a shoulder tackle. Well, the crowd is singing the song in the middle of the match. Rollins tried to land any form of offense, but Omos slapped him down. He grabbed his head and pushed him outside. Rollins back in the ring and landed a suicide dive, but a second one turned into a chokeslam to the apron. 

Omos with a big boot in the ring, egging the crowd on to sing Rollins' song. Rollins with a knee to the face of Omos, and attempted to chop the giant down. Superkick by Rollins, but a Pedigree attempt was thwarted. DDT by Rollins and a splash, but only for two. He went for the Stomp but Omos stopped it with his neck. A double chokeslam attempt by Omos, but Rollins tried a sleeper hold, but it didn't work. MVP in the ring and Rollins landed the Stomp. He took out MVP (who handed Omos a cane) and landed another Stomp but only for two. 

Rollins went for a top rope stomp, and got the three. 

This was a match that showed how big Omos is and how good Seth Rollins is as a wrestler. Like most Omos matches, it didn't do much to impress. He is now 0-2 when it comes to big matches on PPV. The top rope Stomp and Omos blocking a stomp was cool. 

Grade: C+

The United States Title is now on the line, as Austin Theory defends against Bobby Lashley and Bronson Reed. 

Austin Theory survives, retains U.S. Title against Bobby Lashley and Bronson Reed

Theory went after Lashley right away, big mistake. Lashley went for the Hurt Lock on Reed, but Theory attacked him to break it up. Theory and Reed teamed up on Lashley, with Reed stomping on Lashley. Reed then turned on Theory, showing it's every man for themselves. One armed chokeslam by Lashley and a spear to Theory but Breed stopped it. Splash by Reed on the outside. Hurt Lock by Lashley to Theory, but Theory countered. Big slam by Reed from the top, but Theory stopped the count. 

Theory with a blockbuster to Reed. He attempted to lift Reed up, but Reed with a powerslam. Top rope moonsault by Reed misses and Lashley landed a spear. Theory kicked Lashley out the ring and pinned Reed to retain. 

The match was quick and just started to get momentum before it ended. Theory winning by taking advantage of others dominance is on brand. 

Grade: B- 

Rhea Ripley defends the WWE SmackDown Women's Title against the LWO's Zelina Vega next. An emotional Vega, of Puerto Rican decent, came out with a big flag honoring PR.  

Rhea Ripley spoils homecoming for Zelena Vega, retains title

Ripley attempted to use her power right away. Vega threw a a chancla (slipper) at Ripley to a loud ovation (if you know, you know). She tried to attack but Ripley brought her down right away with a powerbomb. Ripley mocked Eddie Guerrero and LWO while Vega was by the ropes. Backbreaker by Ripley and she held her in a clinch. 

Vega finally recovered and pushed Ripley into the ropes. They exchange shots, and when Vegas is put to the ropes, she almost took Ripley down. Ripley with a headbutt. Looking for the Riptide, but Vegas landed a DDT. She hit the 619 and landed a Meteora off the ropes but only for two. 

Ripley landed a counter kick and a Riptide for three. 

A very solid outing by Zelena Vega, who continues to prove how good of a wrestler she is when given an opportunity. Ripley continues her dominant run. 

Grade: B+

Vega gets a nice ovation as she leaves the ring. The LWO badly needs a win at some point. 

Damian Priest is out first for his match against Bad Bunny. The latter is a music artist who might be the best celebrity-turned-wrestler. The crowd went WILD for Bad Bunny, singing his entrance song. He brought weapons with him. 

Star Power: Bad Bunny shines against Damian Priest

This could have been the main event. Priest shoved Bad Bunny down right away. He slapped Bad Bunny, and the latter returned the favor. A Michinoku Driver by Bad Bunny. He grabbed weapons and danced with the kendo stick. Priest held Bad Bunny down and went for the arm. Bad Bunny recovered and landed counter moves. Going for the punch, and Priest hit a hard blow that put Bad Bunny down to the floor. 

Priest landed a chokeslam, but lifted Bad Bunny's shoulders off the mat before the referee counted three. He grabbed an axe handle but threw it away. As he went for a dive, Bad Bunny hit him with a chair and then a kendo stick. Priest on the outside, and Bad Bunny landed a top rope splash. Bad Bunny hit him with various trash can tops. Back with the kendo stick. Bad Bunny landed a Falcon Arrow for two. 

Bad Bunny drew a line in the sand in the ring and Priest walked away. The former tried attacking him with a trash can, but Priest tricked him. Priest hit him with trash can holders and kendo sticks. Now Bad Bunny went over the guardrail. On top of WWE equipment, Priest hit Bad Bunny with a Falcon Arrow through tables. 

Priest carried Bad Bunny into the ring. He missed a kick, hitting the post. Bad Bunny hit the injured leg with a kendo stick and continued his attack, using chains, chairs, and the ring. The referee was checking on Priest, and he tried to reason with Bad Bunny. Priest kicked him down to the floor, but Bad Bunny landed a low blow. Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor attacked Bad Bunny, Rey Mysterio came to the rescue. Carlito returned and helped Rey out. Rey landed the 619 to his son Dominik, and Carlito spit an apple to his face. Savio Vega now came out to a loud ovation, blocking The Judgement Day.

The rest of the LWO came out, and Vega attacked Balor . The crowd is going wild. Meanwhile, Priest tried a kick and his leg gave out. Bad Bunny landed the Figure-Four Leglock. Priest got out of it, but landed face first into a chair. Bad Bunny landed a Slice Bread #2 but only for two. Multiple chair shots to Priest, and Priest landed a Canadian Destroyer for the three.  

What a match full of so much nonsense. Bad Bunny is a natural at this pro wrestling thing. A monster star, WWE hit the jackpot. Even with a loss, Damian Priest looked great. 

Grade: A+

Good luck to anyone trying to top that. Oh wait, there are two more matches tonight. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Matt Riddle face The Usos and Solo Sikoa. 

A cracked Bloodline beats Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Matt Riddle

The crowd is still active following the Bad Bunny match, which is a great sign. Zayn and Jey to start things off. The Usos tried to egg on the crowd, while Sikoa just watched. Following some stalling, Jey tagged in Jimmy and Zayn tagged in Owens. They trade shots, and Owens got the better end of the exchange. Riddle in, and he took over. Zayn in, and Jimmy finally tagged in Sikoa, who was tentative to start. He then took over and beat up Zayn. 

Jimmy back in and attacked Zayn by his corner. The Usos team up on Zayn, who attempted to fight back. Sikoa tagged himself back in, and then Jimmy, as Zayn played the face in peril. Zayn stopped Jimmy's attack, stopped Jey, but Jey attacked Owens before Zayn could get the tag. Zayn finally found an opening with Sikoa in the match, and he tagged Riddle, while Sikoa tagged in Jimmy. Riddle attacked both Usos, landing multiple suplexes. A spinning moonsault by Riddle on the outside took everyone out.

Jimmy landed a superkick on the inside. He went up top, but Riddle landed a top rope suplex. Swanton by Owens to Jimmy but only for two. Jimmy accidentally superkicked Jey, Popup Powerbomb by Owens to Jimmy but only for two. Swanton by Owens but Jey had his knees up. Owens and Jey trade shots and are both down. Jimmy and Zayn are in and Zayn landed a Blue Thunder Bomb. 

The Usos and Zayn in the ring, and Zayn got hit with a double superkick. Jey yelled at Zayn for breaking up his family. As he went for a move, Sikoa tagged himself in again, much to the dismay of Jey. He tagged himself in, and there is tension in The Bloodline. Jey ducked and Zayn hit Sikoa with a Helluva Kick. Zayn hit Jey with one, but Sikoa broke it up. Sikoa looked at Jey but Riddle attacked him. Owens hit Jimmy with a Stunner, Sikoa with a Samoan Spike, and he almost hit Jey with the Spike. 

Zayn took Sikoa out the ring. Jey with a superkick, but a splash missed. Superkick to Riddle, Sikoa tagged himself in, and landed a Samoan Spike for the win. 

Very solid match that didn't lose the crowd following Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest. The cracks in The Bloodline are starting to look very obvious with tension between Jey and Sikoa. 

Grade: A-

The main event is up next, as Cody Rhodes faces Brock Lesnar. Even with all they've seen, the crowd is not tired. 

Cody Rhodes survives, beats Brock Lesnar

Rhodes with a dive to Lesnar on the outside before the bell rang. He attacked Lesnar with parts of the announce table and steel steps. Back in the ring, and the bell rang. Lesnar tried to take over, but Rhodes landed a Disaster Kick, and another. Suplex by Lesnar. Rhodes attempted to attack while outside the ring, but Lesnar caught him with a fallaway slam. German Suplex by Lesnar and Rhodes went down. 

Another suplex by Lesnar. It was Suplex City, as Rhodes couldn't avoid trouble. We are up to eight suplexes by Lesnar. Rhodes finally recovered and put Lesnar's face into an exposed turnbuckle. A bleeding Lesnar got hit with the Cody Cutter. Disaster Kick by Rhodes to a bloody Lesnar. Another Cody Cutter and a Cross Rhodes. Another Cross Rhodes but only for two. Lesnar back up and landed the F-5 for two. 

A kimura lock by Lesnar but Rhodes pinned him while in the move for the win. 

That was abrupt. No big comeback by Rhodes or Lesnar destroying him in the end. One must think WWE knew Canelo was making his way to the ring. Good win for Rhodes, but unsure where this leaves both men. 

Grade: B

WWE Backlash 2023 results

  • Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
  • The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso) def. Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn
  • Bad Bunny def. Damian Priest in a Street Fight
  • Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Zelina Vega for the WWE SmackDown Women's Title
  • Austin Theory (c) def. Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed for WWE United States Title
  • Seth "Freakin" Rollins def. Omos
  • Bianca Belair (c) def. Iyo Sky for the WWE RAW Women's Title
Author(s)
Daniel Yanofsky Photo
Daniel Yanofsky

Daniel Yanofsky is a combat sports editor at The Sporting News.