Backlash in Puerto Rico was a massive success for the area.
There was tons of news emerging from the show, that WWE was understandably happy about. From the jump, we were told that IYO SKY and Bianca Belair got a great ovation backstage.
There were rumors that Brian Kendrick helped Jamie Noble produce the Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest match, but that isn’t the case. Kendrick was not listed internally and didn’t produce the match. However, he did help Damian Priest train Bad Bunny for the show. The original plan called for a tag team match, but we’re told the parties involved were confident in Bunny’s training. It goes without saying, but WWE higher ups were ecstatic about how the match turned out. We’re told that the spot “paid for itself in publicity.”
Another spot that WWE sources were very happy with was the return of Carlito. Several backstage spoke about how much Carlito had matured since his WWE run, and said that the reaction from the crowd was “even better than expected.” There have been numerous pitches over the last couple of years to bring Carlito in for runs or even full-time. Fightful has been told that as of this weekend, Carlito’s appearance with WWE was a one-off, but that could always change.
The Cody Rhodes match with Brock Lesnar was faced with a lot of questions. We’re told that blood was planned for the match. WWE sources at least claimed that things went the way they were supposed to. Contrary to rumors, Cody Rhodes was never scheduled to be squashed at Backlash. There were discussions of Bad Bunny and Damian Priest headlining the show instead.
There were also incorrect rumors that there was a stretcher job and ambulance spot planned. Fightful was able to get a look at the preparation plans for the weekend’s shows, and ambulances weren’t mentioned, and every prop had to be cleared by Triple H himself. Also, additional clearances would have been required there in Puerto Rico.
Former WWE star Lana, Rick Bassman and boxer Amanda Serrano were in attendance. Trinity Fatu and Mercedes Mone posted that they were nearby training at Beast Mode Wrestling.
Several of the WWE talent told us they were late to the show, but put over the atmosphere, the environment, the crowd, and the overall experience. We’re still working to get some additional notes from the live events reports.
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