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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 01: Bad Bunny attends The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 01: Bad Bunny attends The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Updated 2023 WWE Backlash Match Card Ahead of PPV

Mike ChiariMay 5, 2023

For the first time in 18 years, a WWE premium live event will emanate from the island of Puerto Rico this weekend.

The city of San Juan will play host to Backlash, and it will feature one of the biggest stars Puerto Rico has ever produced in Grammy Award-winning musician Bad Bunny.

Bad Bunny was originally scheduled to serve as host of the event, but he will instead face former friend Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight, which could headline the show as the main event.

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Undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns is not part of the card, but there will still be three title bouts and a major grudge match between Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar.

Here is everything you need to know about how and when to watch Backlash, plus a full rundown of the match card.


Where: Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico

When: Saturday, May 6 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: Peacock


WWE Backlash 2023 Match Card

  • Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
  • San Juan Street Fight: Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest
  • The Bloodline (The Usos and Solo Sikoa) vs. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and 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
  • Seth Rollins vs. Omos

Top Backlash Matches to Watch

Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest

Bad Bunny has impressed during his limited WWE in-ring appearances, but Backlash will represent a new challenge for him.

He made his in-ring debut at WrestleMania 37, teaming with Priest in a win over The Miz and John Morrison. Bad Bunny later made a surprise appearance in the 2022 men's Royal Rumble match as well.

Backlash will represent the first one-on-one match of his career, but all signs point toward him being placed in a situation where he can thrive.

Bad Bunny is highly familiar with his opponent in Priest, which suggests they should be able to communicate well and mesh properly in the ring.

Also, the street fight stipulation means it is a virtual guarantee that several other Superstars will get involved.

Priest is part of The Judgment Day, while Bad Bunny has been backing the Latino World Order, and the environment will be conducive to the two stables causing chaos.

With Bad Bunny pulling off some big spots in front of his home crowd, and The Judgment Day and LWO adding another layer to the match, it has a great chance to be the most entertaining contest of the night.


Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

If Bad Bunny and Priest do not main event Backlash, that spot will likely belong to two of WWE's biggest stars in Rhodes and Lesnar.

After Rhodes fell to Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39 following interference from Solo Sikoa, it initially seemed as though Lesnar was going to join forces with The American Nightmare to combat The Bloodline.

Instead, Lesnar viciously attacked Rhodes, leading to a match to potentially settle the score between them at Backlash.

Rhodes has made it clear that if he is going to "finish the story" and get another shot at Reigns, he must go through The Beast Incarnate in order to do it.

At that same time, WWE is telling an underdog story of redemption with Rhodes, so he could lose in an effort to create even more adversity.

The result is truly uncertain, and given the status of Rhodes and Lesnar as two of the best in-ring performers WWE has to offer, they could put on a classic at Backlash.


Rhea Ripley vs. Zelina Vega

Much like Bad Bunny vs. Priest, the SmackDown Women's Championship match between Rhea Ripley and Zelina Vega will have a decidedly Puerto Rican flavor.

Vega is of Puerto Rican descent and part of the babyface LWO stable, meaning she will almost certainly receive a massively positive reaction in San Juan.

Meanwhile, Ripley has been a dominant force and arguably the best heel in the women's division for quite some time, so she is the perfect Superstar to go up against Vega in Puerto Rico.

It is widely expected that Ripley will beat Vega in her first major title defense since beating Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, but that doesn't mean she and Vega can't deliver a special match.

Vega hasn't received many opportunities at this level during her WWE career, but she has shown herself to be an exciting in-ring worker when given the chance, much like a female version of LWO stablemate Rey Mysterio.

Ripley's size and strength should play well with the diminutive Vega's speed and athleticism, and even if Vega loses as expected, she will likely deliver a performance that the Puerto Rican fans greatly appreciate.


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