Professional wrestler Damian Priest and Bad Bunny faced off at WWE’s Backlash 2023 battle on Saturday (May 6) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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The highly anticipated match became WWE’s highest-grossing and most-viewed Backlash event in company history. The San Juan Street fight between the “Coco Chanel” artist and Priest trended at No.1 “across the entire evening of sports,” according to Wrestle Zone.
As Priest waited in the ring, the international superstar walked out to his 2017 smash single “Chambea.” During the fight, the two were allowed to use tables, kendo sticks, and chairs as “weapons.” The Puerto Rico native was announced to the crowd, as the venue erupted with supportive cheers.
Priest is also from the United States territory and told People that the fight against Bad Bunny marks a massive milestone in his career.
“I truly believe it’s going to be the most special thing I do in my career,” said Priest ahead of the historic night. “I fell in love with wrestling in Puerto Rico. It’s like religion out there. I looked up to these superstars like they were superheroes, and it’s wild to me that I get to bring that feeling to the island, and maybe some kid sees me and thinks the same. That means the world to me.”
Leading up to the match, Priest declared that they worked closely together to train. The two are far from strangers, as they worked together during WrestleMania in 2021. The athlete mentioned that he was blown away by Bad Bunny’s abilities in the ring.
“I saw the work he put in,” Priest said in the exclusive interview. “I saw how quickly he picked it up. I would explain things to him once, and he’d be able to just do it. He showed up at WrestleMania.”
Their hard work paid off, as they brought home the victory at WrestleMania 37 match. Priest confirmed that Bad Bunny’s appearance at the WWE Backlash event wasn’t to promote himself or his music but to support the franchise.
“He loves the business,” Priest pointed out. “He’s a big fan. And he’s treated it with respect. So, I know for him to come back now, he’s not here promoting anything, and he wants to be involved in the product. So, I would imagine he’s just as happy now as he was for his first match at WrestleMania. He was like a little kid, excited, and nervous, I remember that. It was awesome.”
The show marks the first time WWE has returned to Puerto Rico since 2005. The global superstar turned wrestler recently released “Un x100to” with Grupo Frontera. The artist previously made history at Coachella 2023, becoming the first Spanish-language artist to headline the music festival.
(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
