Rhea Ripley retained the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship at Backlash 2023, but Zelina Vega shined in front of the raucous crowd in Puerto Rico.
Vega paid homage to her heritage with her gear inspired by the Puerto Rican flag, and even her hair color paid tribute to her home island. However, despite her best efforts and the use of a chancla and the 619, Ripley would get the victory with Riptide.
After the match, Vega received yet another standing ovation from her home crowd.
What a performance by @ZelinaVegaWWE at #WWEBacklash! pic.twitter.com/6Sw7ewl4rG
— WWE (@WWE) May 7, 2023
The way we see it, @ZelinaVegaWWE is already a winner. ----#WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/P8ux3re6HB
— WWE (@WWE) May 7, 2023
Ripley will become exclusive to Monday Night Raw following the WWE Draft. Bianca Belair, who is now set to be exclusive to WWE SmackDown, also retained the WWE Raw Women's Championship at Backlash. It remains to be seen how they will decide to swap the championship belts.
On Twitter, AEW's Malakai Black, Vega's husband commented on the ovation she received.
Your moment in the sun, win or loss, your moment.
— Malakai Black (@malakaiblxck) May 7, 2023
Fans can find Fightful's coverage of WWE Backlash by clicking here. Check out the post-show podcast for a full review of the action by clicking here. Join the Fightful crew for a watch along by clicking here.
