WWE’s Return To Puerto Rico Was Pro Wrestling At Its Best

Professional wrestling is at its very best when the audience feels an emotional connection. That connection between fans in Puerto Rico and the WWE has remained intact over the last 18 years since their last live event, and you could feel Backlash was going to be something special from the moment WWE announced its return to the island.

Puerto Rico is a slice of paradise, from the colorful buildings that line the streets of Old San Juan to the numerous restaurants and coffee shops that serve up local delicacies. But the weekend was built around Backlash at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, which turned out to be one of my most surreal WWE experiences to-date.

I’ve been to some of WWE’s big showcase events like WrestleMania and Royal Rumble. I’ve attended mad scenes like NXT TakeOver: Dallas and a few Raw after WrestleMania shows that involved offbeat chants and the occasional beach ball toss. But those experiences didn’t have quite the same energy Puerto Rico brought this past Saturday night. Maybe that’s recency bias, but a rewatch of the event on my flight home seems to back up this claim that it was, in fact, a night no one will forget.

What’s unquestionable is how proud Puerto Rico is of its heritage, and WWE built a card that allowed that to shine through. The island’s own Bad Bunny was the clear standout star of the show. Despite performing roughly midway through Backlash, it was appropriately billed as part of the double main event. Without his presence, the event still would have been incredible, but the energy for his entrance in San Juan is something WWE couldn’t recreate if it tried anywhere else.

This wasn’t a show that relied on being labeled as one of the traditional big events of the year — at best Backlash has historically reset rivalries that took center stage at WrestleMania. Instead, it had the energy of an old ECW show, unexpected crowd reactions like Raw after ‘Mania (it was lovely to see Iyo Sky get her flowers, unfortunately at the expense of the supremely talented Bianca Belair), and we even had a few nostalgia acts typically reserved for moments at WrestleMania.

Sky and Belair set the tone for the night with an absolute banger of a match. It felt WrestleMania-worthy both in quality and in reaction, with the locals living and dying on every false finish.

Stars like Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, and Sami Zayn got the reaction consistent with what we’ve seen in recent months. But the love Puerto Ricans showed for their own was unmatched. Zelina Vega previously described the reaction she expected as “a big welcome hug from everyone” before she battled Rhea Ripley in what was ultimately an unsuccessful bid for the WWE Smackdown Women’s championship.

Of Puerto Rican descent, Vega indeed received a hero’s welcome, with her family front and center for such a significant opportunity.

“I take that with such pride because it’s representation, not just for Latinos, but for the women as well to have somebody to look up to, somebody that relates to us in so many different ways,” Zelina Vega tells Uproxx Sports. “It’s cool to have those moments where you have people saying you’re an inspiration, because I just want to be what Rey Mysterio was for me growing up.”

The emotions, electricity, and energy from Vega’s match carried over to Bad Bunny’s showdown with Damian Priest, which pitted two Puerto Rican stars against each other in a perfect encapsulation of what the area is as a destination: a beautiful blend of past with the present.

The duo tore down the house, with Bad Bunny making headlines due to his commitment to perfecting his wrestling technique, taking bumps, and putting on a show. Priest was a perfect dance partner who kept the crowd restless and on its toes. Priest’s fellow Judgement Day members, Dominik Mysterio and Finn Bálor, hit the ring, and it didn’t feel like it could get much louder than when Rey Mysterio and the LWO made the save.

But when Carlito, a former WWE superstar and the son of legendary Puerto Rican wrestler and promoter Carlos Colón, made a surprise return in support of Rey, it felt like the roof was going to come off of the building.

Savio Vega’s cameo offered just the right touch of nostalgia to pop the crowd once more. And the image of the LWO, Carlito, and Savio Vega carrying Bad Bunny on their shoulders after his win while holding the Puerto Rican flag as the audience lost its collective mind should be one that makes WWE highlight reels for years to come.

“Puerto Ricans are so passionate, especially for their own. The response has been massive,” Zelina Vega said. “The Rock always said, (WWE has) the most electrifying fans in sports entertainment, but I never really understood what he meant fully until I experienced it while I was in the ring and felt that electricity from the fans. This is what he meant.”

That passion is what has solidified professional wrestling as an integral part of the island experience over the last 50 years. The event became WWE’s highest-grossing and most-viewed Backlash in history, with back-to-back sellouts for both Friday night Smackdown and Saturday’s premier live event. And for Puerto Rico, Backlash was another showcase that there’s more to the island than just the beaches and food, as its people can bring the energy to make for an unforgettable event.

Uproxx was invited on a hosted trip to Puerto Rico by Discover Puerto Rico for reporting on this piece. You can find out more about our policy on press trips/hostings here.