Time to Go All-In on Seth Rollins, and Biggest Takeaways of WWE Backlash 2023 Results

WWE and Puerto Rico made for an electric tag team Saturday night when Backlash rolled into San Juan, headlined by the latest extraordinary performance from the world's biggest musical artist, Bad Bunny.

The musician turned in another awe-inspiring performance and solidified himself as one of the greatest celebrities to set foot inside a WWE ring.

That takeaway is just one from a night of fantastic professional wrestling, with an audience that quickly established itself as one of the loudest and most energetic in WWE history.

Iyo Sky Arrives, Bianca Belair Makes History in Red-Hot Opener

For the uninitiated, Saturday night marked Iyo Sky's official arrival as a main roster competitor in WWE.

Sure, she has been a two-time women's tag team champion and one-third of Damage CTRL since her call-up last July at SummerSlam, but she had yet to really be afforded the opportunity to showcase the style and ability that made her one of the most acclaimed competitors in NXT history.

That changed at Backlash by way of an early show-stealer with Raw women's champion Bianca Belair in which the fans in San Juan, Puerto Rico were red-hot for the challenger, favoring her over the babyface titleholder from the opening bell.

Sky ultimately lost the match, thanks to botched interference from teammates Dakota Kai and Bayley, but her performance was undeniable. She was great when she needed to be, overcoming questionable bookings leading into the show and delivering a performance that reflected the unwavering support the audience greeted her with.

It will be interesting to see if any of the momentum carries over when she makes her first SmackDown appearance next Friday. At the very least, it should have earned her more opportunities to work singles matches. The inevitable split of Damage CTRL should make that even more possible.

As for Belair, she thrived despite the first real rejection of her as a babyface Saturday night. As she has done countless times over the last two years, she showed out under the bright lights, turning in another defining performance and making history as the longest-reigning women's champion in the modern era of professional wrestling.

She is as good a choice as anyone to break that record, having been a rare consistent on WWE television for the duration of her reign. She has been great between the ropes, a phenomenal ambassador for the company and remains over with the audience.

Belair has put in the work and is a genuine success story as one of the legitimate home-grown stars in the company.

The Time is Now to Go All-In With Seth Rollins

Beyond the chorus of fans in arenas around the globe singing along to his theme song is a Seth Rollins who has waited patiently for another opportunity to run atop WWE as the guy.

His run in 2019 was ruined by the company's booking of The Fiend and, despite getting over two different characters since then, he has spent the majority of his time in midcard programs with everyone from Rey Mysterio to Logan Paul.

If his work with Paul at WrestleMania 39, the incessant singing by fans around the globe, the enormous pop that greeted his entrance Saturday night and the best match of Omos' career is any indication, the time is now for WWE to go all-in with The Visionary as the face of Raw.

The company has booked itself into a corner somewhat with Cody Rhodes sharing the same roster with Rollins but, with The American Nightmare still vowing to finish his story, there is room for him to still dethrone Roman Reigns while Rollins ascends to the top of the red brand and captures the World Heavyweight Championship.

It is an honor The Visionary has earned through his tireless efforts to deliver in the ring and the lengths to which he has reinvented himself to remain relevant and, more importantly, as over as ever with the WWE Universe.

Bad Bunny Makes His Case for Greatest Celebrity Competitor Ever

Is Bad Bunny the best celebrity wrestler of all time?

The argument for the award-winning musician grew stronger following Saturday night's San Juan Street Fight victory over Damian Priest, a sports-entertainment spectacular that would have enthralled even the harshest of skeptics and captivated fans.

Bad Bunny matched his rival's physicality, took big bumps and let things breathe when necessary. He worked a match befitting a more experienced pro wrestler, not the world's biggest recording artist and celebrity participant.

He fed off the red-hot crowd and, after an unforgettable sequence that featured cameos from Carlito and Savio Vega, he put Priest away with a Puerto Rican Destroyer for the win.

Bad Bunny's performance signified the continued evolution of celebrity wrestlers in WWE.

In the past, they have been sent to the ring with hopes that they would not embarrass the industry or hurt themselves. Anything else was considered a success.

Today, it is not uncommon for Bad Bunny or Logan Paul to have a 20-minute banger of a match with the best wrestlers in the world, a stark contrast to the days of Mr. T being applauded for executing an airplane spin on Roddy Piper.

Paul may still hold the edge on the singer based on the quality of his matches with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, but one would be hard-pressed to find a more fun and crowd-pleasing highlight reel than the one we got out of Bad Bunny on Saturday night.

Puerto Rico, WWE Make An Electric Tag Team

Puerto Rico and WWE are a match made in heaven, as we saw both Friday and Saturday night at SmackDown and Backlash, respectively.

The fans in attendance Friday were electrifying and set the stage for what would be one of the hottest PPVs in recent WWE history the following night at Backlash at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot.

The audience made it clear from the get-go, with their support for Iyo Sky in her pursuit of the Raw Women's Championship, that they would set the tone for the rest of the show. And they did just that.

They were lively, excited and into everything that unfolded from that point on, including an emotional moment for Zelina Vega that saw her treated like the star she is.

However, it was the San Juan Street Fight between Bad Bunny and Damian Priest where the fans came into their own. An ovation reserved for the greatest heroes in pro wrestling history accompanied the singer, while the twists and turns in the match that followed generated their own deafening reactions.

The best part? Even after an exhausting first main event, the fans stayed right there with the rest of the action, never tiring and giving Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Riddle and The Bloodline the response and respect they had earned.

There was love and respect for everything WWE presented inside the arena, and the Superstars on the show returned it in kind. The result was a phenomenal night of professional wrestling that all involved should be proud of.

Cody Rhodes Outwrestles Brock Lesnar in Great Finish

The main event of Backlash should have been the San Juan Street Fight between Bad Bunny and Damian Priest, but that is a discussion for another time as Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar closed out Saturday's show with a physical battle that concluded with a creative, effective finish.

Both men spent the main event throwing everything they had at each other. Even when Lesnar busted himself open after colliding with a turnbuckle, The American Nightmare failed to put him away, despite multiple Cody Cutters and consecutive Cross Rhodes.

After wrestling the type of signature and finishing move-heavy main event match that has come to define Lesnar over the last decade, Rhodes found himself trapped in the Kimura and proceeded to do something few have during that stretch: He shifted his body weight, rolled up The Beast Incarnate and earned the pinfall victory.

He outwrestled the brute, overcoming the physicality and strength of Lesnar by being the smarter wrestler.

Some will argue it was not definitive enough a finish befitting the main event spot on the card or that it was not beneficial to Rhodes. But that would be inaccurate.

Rhodes was tough and beat Lesnar like all great wrestlers win matches: clean in the middle of the ring by capitalizing on an opening.

The looks on both men's faces at the end indicated their story may not be over, so it will be interesting to see if we see another chapter at Night of Champions on May 27.