The Grammy winner stole the show at Backlash
by Jason Ounpraseuth
10 minutes ago
WWE has relied on celebrity involvement to promote its product since the first WrestleMania in 1985, but it wasn’t until Saturday that the company experienced the “flash in a bottle” moment.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, hosted Backlash at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan on Saturday, and the Grammy winner easily stole the night in his home country. He took on Damian Priest in a “San Juan Street Fight” and did more than stand his ground.
Far too often, WWE hires celebrities to match or exceed their talents, which tends to hurt a full-time wrestler’s personality. The street fight was booked as it should be. Priest showed that he was better at all aspects of pro wrestling as he had more experience in the business. In order to gain an advantage in the match, Bad Bunny had to use his gun carriage.
The match featured well-crafted spots, run-ins from The Judgment Day and LWO, and surprise performances from Carlito and Savio Vega. Bad Bunny wowed the audience from his magnificent performance – which could be considered one of the best in a premium live event – until the very end of the game.
It was everything it needed to be, with the only flaw being that it wasn’t the main event of the Premium Live Event. Audiences in Puerto Rico hadn’t seen a WWE show since the 2005 New Year’s Revolution, so that was one of the reasons they had a hot reaction. But the match also showed Bad Bunny’s commitment to WWE.
The 29-year-old rapper took a few hits throughout the match, including a Falcon Arrow that ricocheted through a table as the match broke into the crowd. He also did his part in promoting the match by appearing on television weekly, which is likely why WWE relied on a one-on-one match rather than a tag match with the Mysterios.
An important point is that he doesn’t have to do any of this. Fans have seen celebrities come and go over the decades, and many of them were clearly there for a quick payday, like when Jeremy Piven dubbed “SummerSlam” a “SummerFest.”
Cyndi Lauper and Mr. T helped start the boom in the ’80s, but the former didn’t compete in the ring often and the latter is more iconic with the worst celebrity moments, like his boxing match against Roddy Piper.
Mike Tyson had his legendary moment at WrestleMania 14 and Floyd Mayweather’s WrestleMania 24 match against Big Show was fine for what it was. The last decade has brought fans Ronda Rousey and Logan Paul, but the former seems to have peaked with his triple threat match at WrestleMania 35, and the latter still seems to be carrying the baggage of his negative inspirations to impacting culture.
But Bad Bunny is arguably the biggest celebrity star WWE has had in a long time. He’s shown dedication in and out of the ring, even when he doesn’t really have to. Bad Bunny could do whatever he wants to make a lot of money and gain the fame he desires.
However, he clearly loves pro wrestling and will defend his authenticity even against Jay-Z and LeBron James. The man lives his dream and fulfills it every time he appears on screen.
Lawrence Taylor and Stephen Amell have proven themselves capable in the ring, but out of kindness to them, Bad Bunny outshines them in star power, and unlike Rousey, that won’t wane anytime soon.
WWE’s mistake would be to push him to win a title. He won the Gimmick 24/7 Championship, but that should be it when it comes to titles. Paul Levesque, aka Triple H, and Vince McMahon must be smart when it comes to picking Bad Bunny’s opponents and not feel the urge to put him in a match against one of their mid-card champions or Roman Reigns to send.
Bad Bunny should win matches, not lose them. The point is to give someone the crowd can go crazy for, and that’s exactly what Bad Bunny did during his WWE tenure.
Thumbnail photo by Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports Images
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