Damian Priest just dropped a major behind-the-scenes nugget about WWE Backlash 2023—revealing that the company almost pulled the plug on Bad Bunny’s San Juan Street Fight in Puerto Rico. That match became one of the most talked-about performances of the year, but it wasn’t always locked in.
Appearing on Prince St. Pizza, Priest admitted WWE was hesitant about holding the event in Puerto Rico at all.
“They were thinking about moving the event, and ultimately it came down to ‘No, we want it to be in Puerto Rico.’ We wanted this match, and specifically Bunny. He wanted the match to happen in Puerto Rico.”
Priest said there was even internal discussion about turning the match into a tag bout—especially since WWE still had concerns about him at that point. But it was Bad Bunny who pushed hard for a one-on-one fight in his home country.
“They didn’t trust… a lot of it had to do with me because I hadn’t proven myself in that sense yet. But he was adamant that it had to be one-on-one, on the island,” Priest said, adding that he trained Bunny in LA every week to prepare for the fight.
The match wasn’t just another main-event slot for Priest—it was something bigger than titles and stats.
“This is a dream I didn’t know I was having,” he said. “I can retire right now, I’m okay with it.” And he gave full credit to the Grammy winner for earning his flowers the hard way: “The only reason it was good is because he busted his ass to make sure it was good… he has to go full throttle, and it has to be good because he doesn’t want to embarrass or [embarrass] his people.”
Priest’s story adds even more weight to one of the most iconic moments of Bad Bunny’s wrestling run—and proves the global megastar wasn’t about to let WWE water it down.
Do you think WWE should book more events in locations like Puerto Rico to showcase local pride? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
December 15, 2025 11:18 am