WWE Backlash 2023: Live updates, results from May event

The WWE held its Backlash Premium Live Event on Saturday, May 6 from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It’s the WWE’s first major event in Puerto Rico since New Year’s Revolution in 2005. The feature matches are a six-man tag between the Bloodline (Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso & Solo Sikoa) against Matt Riddle, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens; Damian Priest vs. Bad Bunny; and Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.

WWE RAW (??) Women’s Title - IYO SKY vs. Bianca Belair

Winner: Bianca Belair

Belair has been drafted to Smackdown and will assumably switch titles with Rhea Ripley, the current Smackdown women’s champion (that was drafted to RAW) during this week’s television, But as of Saturday, she was still the RAW champion. The crowd was strongly behind SKY, who controlled much of the match using some creative moves to work on Belair’s left arm. SKY looked to be in complete control after hitting a running dropkick that sent Belair to the floor. She also hit a couple of impressive moonsaults, including one to the arena floor. But even with one arm, Belair showed off her impressive strength and lifted SKY with her right arm and slamming her face first to the canvas and later hitting a second-rope powerbomb.

As the match progressed SKY’s buddies from Damage CTRL (Bayley and Dakota Kai) came to cause trouble and it looked like interference would cause a title change. SKY had Belair set up for another moonsault, but the official caught Bayley holding Belair’s signature braided hair down and interrupted the move. That gave Belair time to her the KOD finisher and get the three count.

Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Omos

Winner: Rollins

This was a typical big man vs. little man match with Omos controlling the match with his power and size, while Rollins used every trick in the book to get the big man off his feet. Rollins hit a super frog match that got a one-count. Later Omos got the two-handed chokeslam for a two-count, but Rollins won the match behind three stomps, the last one being a super stomp from the top rope.

U.S. Title Triple Threat: Austin Theory (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed

Winner: Theory

Lashley took control first and hit a suplex on Theory. Theory and Reed had a short alliance to handle Lashley, but Reed quickly ended that partnership by flattening Theory. Reed began to showcase his moveset, which is quite impressive for a man about 350 pounds. He went for a Tsunami (top-rope splash) on Lashley, but Theory put a stop to that. Theory tried to give Lashley the A-Town down (fireman’s carry into a GTS), but Lashley reversed it to a Hurt Lock (full Nelson) Theory escaped and that gave Reed the opening to hit the Tsunami on Lashley for two. Theory tried to hit the A-Town down on Reed, but couldn’t get him up. That gave Reed a chance to him a power slam and go for a moonsault that missed!

Lashley moved on the stunned Reed and hit the spear, but Theory dumped Lashley to the floor and stole the pin for himself.

WWE Smackdown Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Zelina Vega

Winner: Ripley

Amazing entrance for Vega, who draped herself in the Puerto Rican flag and was drawn to tears by the crowd's reaction. Despite being hot for Ripley on Smackdown that Backlash crowd was 100% in Vega’s corner.

The match was heavily worked around Ripley’s power and Vega’s ability to hit and run. Ripley, however, stayed in control for much of the first half of the match. Finally, Vega found an opening and started hitting her moves. Zelina hits a 619 and a Meteora from the top rope that got a near fall and Vega had the very partisan crowd rocking for a second, but she telegraphed a running knee and Ripley caught her with a front kick to end the run. Ripley decided to go for the kill and Riptide damn near broke Zelina in half. The three-count was academic. Ripley quickly left the ring to give Zelina a chance to get to her feet and soak in the cheers from the crowd. It was all very emotional.

San Juan Street Fight: Damian Priest vs. Bad Bunny

Winner: Bunny

Holy smokes this crowd is rabid for Benito!

After Bunny got off to a quick start Priest took control and worked the crowd. He hit his chokeslam finisher (South of Heaven) for what should have been an easy three count, but Priest pulled Bunny up at two. Priest considered using an axe handle but opted against it. Meanwhile, Bunny grabbed a chair and tossed it at Priest’s face. He then beat Priest with a kendo stick, added a tornado DDT, and clotheslined Priest to the floor. Bunny went to the top and hit Priest with a high cross body to the floor. Give this man a Grammy! More plunder as Bunny goes to town on Priest with some trash can lids and another Kendo stick. Bunny hits a falcon arrow (!!) for a near fall. When does a guy with Bunny’s touring schedule have time to train for pro wrestling like this? Priest baits Bunny to the floor and catches him with a trash can shot. They continued to fight around the arena and Priest gave Bunny a falcon arrow from the top of a road case through a very padded table.

That brought at several referees and WWE official Adam Pearce to check on Bunny, but Priest wasn’t having it and dragged Bunny back to the ring. Priest, however, missed a spin kick against the post and Bunny grabbed another kendo stick and whacked Priest in the knee a couple of times. Bunny continued to work on Priest’s knee like he was Ric Flair but with an extra 100 million in record sales. Bunny grabbed a chair and Priest begged for forgiveness...only to kick Bunny square in the face. But Bunny rebounded and gave Priest a shot in the jewels. The rest of Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Dominik Mysterio) came to help Priest, but Rey Mysterio and Puerto Rican legend Carlito made the save. This crowd is about to explode. Then Savio Vega came and the LWO came out to completely dispose of the Judgment Day. Meanwhile back in the ring Priest misses a kick and Bunny puts him in the figure four. Priest fought out and went for another chokeslam that Bunny reversed into a rollup for two. Bunny hits a Sliced Bread No. 2 for two count. More chair shots on Priest and a Puerto Rican Destroyer got the three count!

The Bloodline (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa) vs. Matt Riddle, Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens

Winner: The Bloodline

Kind of a slow start until Kevin Owens comes in the ring and takes it to Jimmy Uso with a senton splash. Riddle gets the tag and hits a front kick and a gut wrench suplex. Tag to Zayn, who hits an elbow from the top. Finally Solo tags in and beats the hell out of Zayn to turn the tide. The crowd is chanting “we want Roman” LOL. The Bloodline cornered Zayn and began cutting the ring off. The side story here is that the Bloodline are bickering (despite the Usos and Sikoa being real-life brothers) and whenever one of the Usos is in control, Solo tags himself in and gives them a death stare. The match is moving fairly slow, which is a nice change after the last spectacle. The Bloodline continues to beat up on Zayn until Zayn hits Solo with a tornado DDT. Hot tag to Riddle and he cleans house on both of the Usos. Riddle hits T-Bone suplexes and sentons on both USOs and then a springboard moonsault to the floor takes out the whole group. Back in the ring Riddle runs into a superkick from Jimmy Uso that gets two. Jimmy goes to the top but Riddle catches him with a belly-to-belly superplex. Tag to Owens, who hits a swanton on Jimmy for two. Brotherly miscommunication leads to Jimmy accidentally kicking Jey. Owens hits a pop-up powerbomb on Jey for two. Owens tries another swanton and it hits his knees. They continue to trade blows until Owens hits clothesline for a double knockout. Both sides tag. Zayn gives Jimmy a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Zayn to the top but Jimmy kicks him, Zayn fights off both Usos until they hit a double superkick. Solo tags himself back in and Jey responds by slapping his brother back on the chest. Zayn hits a helluva kick to Solo and an exploder on Jey. A helluva kick on Jey gets two. Solo is up and not sure if he wants to beat up Zayn or his brother. It looks like Solo is heading to teach his brother a lesson, but Riddle cuts him off with a knee. Owens hits a stunner on Jimmy and eats a superkick and Samoan Spike from Solo. Solo grabs Jey and threatens to spike him, but Jey talks some sense into his brother. Zayn tries to jump them from behind but gets rolled up for two. Jey tries the top-rope splash and it hits knees that gets two for Zayn. Tag to Riddle, who hits a ripcord knee, and Bro Derek on Jey, but Solo made the blind tag and gets the spike on Riddle for a three count.

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

Winner: Rhodes

The crowd likes Cody a lot ... but they are in awe of Brock. Rhodes hits Brock with a suicide dive before the bell and takes Brock down with ring steps. Cody grabs a chair and gets in some more shots as Brock rolls into the ring and the bell rings. Brock tries to overpower Rhodes, but Rhodes battles back with two disaster kicks. A third kick, however, gets stopped and now we go to suplex city. Cody continues to fight, but Brock overpowers him with a fall-away slam. More nasty belly-to-back suplexes and the crowd is starting to enjoy Brock’s destruction of the American Nightmare. Two snap suplexes from Lesnar bring the suplex count to a half dozen. Cody grabbed the turnbuckle pad and ripped it off as Lesnar hit his seventh suplex. Bearhug from Brock that leads into a high-angle belly-to-belly. Cody catches Brock charging with a drop-toe and Brock goes into the exposed buckle drawing blood. Cody hits a cutter and a disaster kick. Cody works on the cut and hits a knee to the face. He continues to the onslaught with a Cody Cutter and hits two CrossRhodes for a two count. Brock is bleeding like a stuck pig. Third CrossRhodes is countered into an F5 for two. Brock slaps on the Kimura arm lock, but Cody reverses it into a rollup and gets the three count! Lesnar is left stunned in the ring.