Damian Priest looks back on Backlash.
WWE traveled to Puerto Rico for Backlash 2023, performing in front of one of the hottest crowds in WWE history. The show was highlighted by Grammy winner Bad Bunny facing Damian Priest in a street fight.
Speaking on the Rob Brown Show, Priest reflected on performing in Puerto Rico and how he and Bad Bunny pushed for the show.
"It's one of those things that it goes beyond one match, one performance, one win or loss. What we did culturally was big. We set the tone for the idea that WWE would do all these events outside of the United States and have success. You listen to the crowd; you saw the records that were broken. It's obvious that this could be done everywhere. Not to say that the company wasn't going to go in this direction anyway, but I think it made everybody feel a little more comfortable knowing that there is a positive to come. You had Bad Bunny and myself doing something special on the island. We fought for the show, by the way. It wasn't guaranteed that Backlash was going to be in Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny and I specifically fought for it. We fought to get others like Savio Vega and Carlito involved and other Latinos, in general, on the show. We needed them to represent. No matter where their heritage was from, we needed representation. That set the table for things like Rhea Ripley headlining in Perth and that show revolving around her. We have Berlin coming up, and that's going to be Gunther's domain. He was Scotland, and that's Drew McIntyre's domain. It's cool that we're going to all these different places internationally and having someone to represent them. That shows the expansion of the company, the individuals, and our fanbase growing," he said.
Bad Bunny was victorious in the match with Priest.
Priest is now the reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He is coming off a victory over Jey Uso at WWE Backlash 2024, which took place in France.
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