Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest

[10.0] "This is with out a doubt the best celebrity match I've ever watched. Bad Bunny is someone who understands and adapts to the business so well. I have so much respect for Bad Bunny taking those kinds of bumps for someone who isn't even a wrestler. The crowd being red hot made this even better. It's such a fun experience in pro wrestling that I recommend every fan to watch at least one time in their life."

[8.0] "Properly overbooked, all in good fun. This is definitely a match you have to watch live to fully appreciate, as I thought this was one of the better matches of 2023 at the time. It's not as good as I remember, but it is far and away the best celebrity match ever done in professional wrestling. Priest utilized perfect heel psychology, and Bad Bunny was the biggest babyface. That crowd was something else. ****1/4"

[8.0] "8.5 for me, maybe 8, 75. Bad Bunny had an amazing performance, congrats to him. He also understood the rythm of selling, which is not so easy even for some of the actual wrestlers. However, you have to congratulate Priest for managing to make him shine so much, he was the perfect anatgonist. He gratly sold his left leg injury. The interference part was funny, a lot of fanservice but ths match needed it. The crowd was amazing, they elevated the entire PLE. Incredibly enojoyable match even beside the interferences an the atmosphere, good usage of the weapons and some great moves. Best celebrity match in WWE history in my opinion."

[9.0] "Chambea, ¡jala, cabrón! Ya no te quedan balas. Man, this was fun and a blessing asf. One of the most entertaining matches WWE has ever created."

[8.0] "Holly hell that Puerto Rico crowd was something else! From the beginning til the very end they were on their feet for this match. I could've never imagined Bad Bunny being this good in the ring, even the way he sold moves was impressive as hell. Damien Priest had a phenomenal performance as well, being the professional in the ring carrying Bad Bunny through this absolute banger of a match. Everything about this match is awesome. From the venue, to Bad Bunny's entrance, even the interferences! This match ruled! Kudus to everyone involved. ****1/2"

[9.0] "This match shouldn't be this good, but what can I say? It's fantastic, it's very entertaining, it's spectacular. Honestly, it's obviously not the best match you'll ever see, it's overbooked, maybe even exaggerated, but it's entertaining, it has a story to tell, and honestly, Damian Priest and Bad Bunny, BAD BUNNY, put on a great match."

[9.0] "Pretty easily the best celebrity match I've ever watched to this point, and also had a buildup that made sense. Bad Bunny's entrance was electric, and he looked like an absolute pro in the ring. Priest did a good job working with him and the heel work was great. Bunny targeting the leg was a veteran move and he took some hard bumps. Carlito getting a pop like he's Stone Cold was electric, and the LWO/Savio Vega coming out to help fend of TJD was a great moment. Great finish too. (9/10)"

[9.0] "The story telling in this match is pure perfection. The big man vs little man, veteran vs rookie story is perfect. And the way they logically created a scenario where Bad Bunny could create a perfect storm by damaging Damian Priest's leg was great. The stuff with the LWO & Sadio Vega vs The Judgement Day was a fun and entertaining detour too. Perfect length match and story, especially when you consider this was only the 3rd match of one of the wrestlers. Cinema"

[8.0] "This had no freaking right to go as hard as it did. I've only enjoyed 2 things he's done, star in Bullet Train, one of my favorite movies, and had this random banger. Damien Priest worked his ass off to get a good match outta Bad Bunny and man he overworked himself here."

[9.0] "This match was waayyyy better than it had any right to be. Bad Bunny is a natural who could've easily been a pro wrestler had he gone into the business and fully committed to it. Solid match from both of these guys. It was pure fun and all of the run-ins added to it. But the best part was the crowd. Puerto Rico was the best audience WWE had in at least a decade. Deafening pops for everyone and the energy never stopped all night. It should be a go-to destination for the company every year for at least Raw and SD episodes. They made this match, and really the entire show, feel like an Attitude era crowd or Rock vs Hogan at WM 18."

[9.0] "One of the best crowd matches of all time. While its not surprising that Bunny got a massive pop, Priest did his best to help Bunny to his best match. Reminded me of an Attitude era brawl in terms of crowd, interferences and wild brawling."

[9.0] "[4.5*] I just saw a video of Carlitos return and had to go here to rate it. It is one of my favorite matches of the year, I love this spectacle stuff and this match was surely a spectacle. Starting off with Bunnys SICK entrance, then all the big spots, interferences and Carlitos return to a absolutely insane pop. This is the main event of the people and was 1000 times better than Brock vs Cody. One of the best experiences I have ever had with wrestling. Not talking about workrate here, just the feeling."

[9.0] "Pitch perfect booking, the best celebrity match EVER had in wrestling, the audience are on fire, the night is electric, the interferences add to rather than distract from... Honestly, wow. Rewatching this was an absolute treat."

[9.0] "[****1/2] This match was incredibly fun. First off, that crowd was hellacious. Bunny came out to "Chambea, " and the crowd ate it up. When the match started, he showed off a lot of athleticism and quickly hit a Michinoku Driver. Priest dominates, hits South of Heaven, and breaks the pin himself, disrespecting Bunny even more. Bunny does a comeback throwing chairs, hitting Priest with kendo sticks, a tornado DDT off the middle turnbuckle, and clotheslining him out of the ring. He went up to the crossrope then did a crossbody to the outside! Priest fakes leaves the match, then punt kicks a trash can into Bunny. They brawl into the crowd, and Priest hits a BROKEN ARROW OFF 2 CRATES INTO A TABLE! Bunny then targest the injured leg of Priest. Priest sells beautifully. Bunny falls for Damian pleading for mercy, but he hits a low blow on Priest. Judgement Day interferes, Rey Mysterio comes to help, then Carlito returns to one of the biggest pops I've ever heard. When Dom and Finn retreat, Savio Vega and the LWO come and help to another big pop. When they all leave after 4.5 minutes, Bunny puts the figure four and Priest sells it hilariously. Bunny hits a Bunny Destroyer and wins. Incredibly fun made legendary due to the crowd."

[9.0] "Solo tengo palabras para reconocer el increíble trabajo de Bad Bunny, respeta el negocio y se sabe que es un gran fanático, lo que hizo frente a más de 10k personas fue totalmente superior a lo que se esperaba. Increíble performance y un gran trabajo de Damián Priest cargando con el cuerpo del combate"

[6.0] "This was an OK street fight until there were a dozen run-ins in the middle of it. The crowd was hot for Bad Bunny and the run-ins. Average use of weapons by Priest and Bad Bunny, and Bad Bunny actually did some good-looking work on Priest's knee. I think it's pretty lame for someone to come out wearing all white in a street fight and not have any color by the end of it, especially if the commentators claim that Puerto Rico is where hardcore became famous."

[9.0] "Dawg this match is so good, I cannot really comprehend how much fun it was to watch. Bad Bunny and Damien commit so hard to this and the crowd is all over every second, imbuing every inch of action with so much passion and heat it's crazy no belt, relationship, or career on the line, yet it has all the stakes/tension in the world. The action as well is straight-up awesome, with a wonderful balance between wild spots, genuinely well-executed sequences, and very strong narrative work, and, obviously, Bad Bunny blows it out of the water, with all of the side players with LWO and TJD nailing their roles as well."

[9.0] "A wild overbooked extravaganza of a match, and a damn fun one at that ! From Bad Bunny's SENSATIONAL entrance and the HEATED Puerto Rican crowd, this absolutely delivered and exceeded all expectations. Bad Bunny proved a dedicated performer, putting on an electrifying show, taking some big bumps and pulling out some big moves all while playing his role to perfection, just like Damien Priest, who brought the heat and made Bad Bunny look like a damn babyface superstar. The whole interference segment dragged quite a bit but Rey Mysterio coming to the rescue was nice, Carlito's return was great, LWO's appearance was cool, and Bad Bunny picking up the big win (Uno! Dos! Tres! ) all made for a special moment of pure entertainment. [ = 9.0/10 ] **** 1/2"

[9.0] "This match defines for me all the magic of WWE, you only see these things there and when they are well done, they are REALLY well done. At no point did this match have any reason to be so cool and yet it ruled hard, the stipulation certainly helped but they all did a phenomenal job especially Damian Priest who deserves all the praise in the world. His performance that night gave HHH the confidence to give him the championship run he's had this year, I'm sure. Bunny did the job too, with the crowd in the palm of his hand. His entrance is just legendary, as is Carlito's return. It was the epic spectacle that WWE knows how to do when they feel like it, so damn fun. (****1/4)"

[8.0] "Very entertaining match and Match of the Night for sure for Backlash. The crowd was completely electric which made the atmosphere very special... Porto Rico haven't had an event for so long so they enjoyed every single moment. The production of the match was on point as they focused more on weapons to relieve Bad Bunny from more technical responsibilities. Carlito and Savio Vega appearances will forever be a great moment - {****}"

[10.0] "One of the greatest entrances ever in the history of the sport in front of one of the hottest crowds ever and arguably the best celebrity match of all time. Near the very top of the list of matches you'd show a non-fan to get them curious about wrestling"

[10.0] "This is just pure fun from Bad Bunny's entrance, to the drone shots, to the crowd and to the actual match itself and it solidify Bad Bunny as one of, if not the best celebrity wrestlers in all of WWE."

[6.0] "This match was great for Bad Bunny, but I have a feeling that Damian could have done better considering what a great wrestler he is, so personally I was a bit disappointed with this match, too few spots the guys showed in almost 30 minutes, if you rate it like Dave Meltzer, it's no more than 3 stars."

[6.0] "Kinda boring, especially during the 1st half, the match is way longer than it must have been. But I still appreciate the fact that Benito and Damian both had their moment of domination, that Broken Arrow spot on the table was cool, and I don't mind much the overbooking at the end, as it's justified for a celebrity match. Props to Bad Bunny, who showed great stamina and can actually put some cool moves"

[9.0] "Watched this with a friend who hasnt watched wrestling since about 2008. He was very disappointed at the lack of headshots with weapons. He was also wanting Hornswoggle to pop up from under ring whenever someone went to get a weapon. When Savio Vega came out he referred to him as a random guy who looks like he owns a restaurant. Very good match"

[9.0] "A fantastic match where the white hot crowd only amplified things. It's truly incredible Bad Bunny and Logan Paul already are this good in the ring. Absolutely the match of the night and the crowd was white hot from start to finish. Carlito's return and Savio Vega coming out with The LWO for the save felt epic and by the end of the match this felt like a celebration for the live crowd more than anything else. This should have been the main event of the night and was a solid 4 star match."

[8.0] "Ridiculously fun. The Puerto Rican crowd was on another level and pushed this match into an even higher gear. Bad Bunny had no reason to be this good in the ring. 4.5"

"500000% my favourite celebrity match ever and up there for match of the year in my opinion. Bad bunny covered all areas of the art that is professional wrestling starting off with his killer entrance which was topped off with a huge praise from Puerto Rican crowd. Incredible match."

[9.0] "If you put a gun to my head, I'd slightly prefer Knoxville vs. Zayn from Mania 38 (which was, in any case, an episode of Jackass in disguise) for my personal favourite celebrity match, but this is a close second, because it's a masterclass in how you book them. Get a white hot face in Bad Bunny with a crowd baying for him to spill blood, get a competent ring general in Damien Priest, get some old hands like Carlito in to smooth the edges, and give it a stipulation where the edges that remain become part of the charm. It's so good that Priest looked spectacular in defeat, so much so that he was given the briefcase just two months later. WWE's international non-Saudi PPVs go from strength to strength, and Backlash 2023 is no slouch."

[4.0] "Oh wow, I am definitely in the minority here because I found this a bit dull and boring. There was a non wrestler being impressive and a very hot crowd which helped things but I found it all rather unconvincing and just waiting for it to end and it just went on a bit too long really. I almost feel bad for not really enjoying it but then you can't enjoy everything. Perhaps if it was more a standard one on one like say Logan Paul vs Roman Reigns type of thing like the match they had I would have been more invested"

[8.0] "Overbooked and off the wall and absolutely the perfect vehicle for introducing a new audience to wrestling. The LWO/Judgement Day run-ins killed the pacing a tiny bit but it was necessary for the performers, I'm sure, since this ended up being a pretty long affair. Doing this in front of the PR crowd was the obvious choice, and they were red-hot basically from start to finish. Bad Bunny nails his spots and continues to show his passion in the ring despite being "the celebrity guest", and Damien Priest's selling is a virtual master class. It's really easy to see why WWE decided to put Priest front and center in their programming off the back of his performance here. Easily the best match on the card, and I'm not sure its even close. This is an extremely easy match to return to any time, with any level of fan."

[10.0] "This was an OVERBOOKED MADNESS of a match, and I loved it. Bad Bunny came out and turned a pro wrestling crowd into a concert, with the Puerto Rico crowd singing Bad Bunny's song 'Chambea.' They had a staredown, which was applauded by the crowd. Damian pushed Bunny away, clearly underestimating the musical artist. Damian then pushed Bunny into the corner, faked a punch, and started chuckling while mockingly slapping his face. Bad Bunny retaliated by slapping Damian and executing a Michinoku Driver, but Damian kicked out at 1. Damian snapped a kendo stick in half after Bunny tried to use it on him. Damian hit a South of Heaven on Bunny and was about to win, but he lifted Bunny's shoulder because he wanted to inflict more damage. Damian attempted a Tope Con Hilo, but Bunny threw a chair at Damian's head. Bunny then started hitting Damian with a kendo stick, followed by a Tornado DDT and a clothesline out of the ring. Bunny then performed a diving crossbody on the outside and continued hitting Damian with a garbage can lid, finishing with a Bell Clap using the lids. Bunny executed a Broken Arrow on Damian. Damian tried to leave but tricked Bunny into following him, hitting a big boot. Damian then started hitting Bunny with the garbage can lid. Bunny and Damian ended up outside the ring on top of crates, where Damian executed a Broken Arrow through the tables. Damian attempted a spinning kick, but Bunny dodged, causing Damians leg to hit the ring post. Bunny then targeted Damian's injured leg with a kendo stick and a chair. Damian begged for mercy and apologized, tricking Bunny into lowering his guard, allowing Damian to kick Bunny in the face. Damian tried to hit Bunny with a chair, but Bunny low blowed Damian. Dominik and Finn interfered, attacking Bunny, but Rey Mysterio's arrival stopped them. Carlito then made his return to WWE, receiving a massive pop and hitting the Backstabber on Finn. Rey executed a 619 on Dominik, while Carlito spat an apple onto Dominik, leading to Dominik and Finn retreating. Savio Vega then came out with LWO and attacked Judgement Day, striking both Finn and Dominik. Bunny locked in the Figure 4 Leg Lock on Damian's injured leg. Bunny then drove Damian's head through a chair, executed a Sliced Bread #2, and Damian kicked out. Bunny continued hitting Damian with chairs and finally ended the match with a Canadian Destroyer. Overall, this match was a 10/10. Overbooked, but fun, and it truly embodied sports entertainment."

[8.0] "Very good match, Bunny does very well solo and the work on Priest's leg is good. A very cool atmosphere with overbooking which goes well despite the fact that we are made to forget the match for 5 minutes. It's very pleasant. (4*1/4)"

[8.0] "[4.25*] This match is memorable for the insane crowd in Puerto Rico, who were going crazy cheering for Bad Bunny in his home country. Bad Bunny is not a wrestler but his performance here was good, Priest did some of his best work in his WWE career, carried the match and made Bunny look good at the end of the match. Priest's Falcon Arrow through the table was an insane spot. Normally I hate interference in matches but here they would work, the Judgment Day interference served for incredible moments of Fan Service for the Rican people with appearances from Carlito and Savio Vega which helped in the incredible atmosphere that the match had. Bad Bunny still needs a lot of experience to be able to perform at a high level but he is certainly a great sport to entertain."

[6.0] "I dont think this match lives up the hype people are giving it when watching it months later. Was very slow at times and I thought the highlight was the crowd. The match was booked mainly for the live crowd with all the returns and LWO coming out. Bad bunny is good in the ring for his limited time in wrestling"

[7.0] "MOTN was completely made by the atmosphere. The crowd loved Bunny, and Priest did a hell of a job to carry him through this match. It's cohesive and chaotic like all street fights should be, and one of the top spectacles in wrestling this year. Kind of a shame this elevated Priest to winning MITB, because that's been awful thus far. 3.75 Stars."

[9.0] "Bad Bunny is the best celebrity investment WWE has done in a very long time and the benefits were reaped through this spectacle. It's overbooked at a crucial stage, but when an easily annoying aspect like that fits the story & the aura perfectly, it won't affect the fans at all. That's what happened here with the involvement of Judgment Day, LWO & the returns of Carlito and Savio Vega. Apart from those catalysts, the main heroes would be the ones to remember deeper through the emotional turmoil and the classic creativity of action through weaponry. Rad props to Priest for pushing the award-winning artist to the pinnacle of his ability and bringing out the maddest version to the turf. 4.5 out of 5 stars!"

[6.0] "There are some interesting spots but it drags on and on and on *forever*. Way overbooked, it was clearly just meant to get over with the Puerto Rican crowd, which it did. Nothing memorable and it wears out it's welcome, it would have been more enjoyable if it was 10 minutes shorter."

[6.0] "A good action match with a molten crowd behind Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny but also with the weird psychology of a street fight where the heel dominates whilst refusing to us weapons whilst the face uses eye gouges and plunder to stay in the fight. It was overbooked with run ins and missed it's peak but the crowd stayed with it. Dumb fun ***1/4"

[10.0] "A spectacular 5-star match unfolded, transforming a mere backlash into the main event spectacle of Wrestlemania. The moment when Carlito metamorphosed into Stone Cold and Bad Bunny channeled the essence of HBK at his peak was nothing short of extraordinary. The sheer brilliance of this match, coupled with the electric atmosphere of the crowd, encapsulates why I hold a deep love for Pro Wrestling. It was a mesmerizing display of wonderful synchronicity that left an undeniable mark."

[10.0] "Wow this is probably my match of the year! When I first saw this live it was one of my favourite matches of all time, and still is! The Bad Bunny entrance was absolutely amazing and the pop when Chambea hit was insane, also Carlito's return showed this Puerto Rico crowd up as being fantastic. Let alone the amazing moments, the in-ring work was excellent as well! Easy 10 for me :)"

[8.0] "Bad Bunny is the best celebrity to fight in WWE, another good match for him and even with little experience he is already better than many within the industry who cannot deliver or entertain anyone, yet another case of a match that I didn't like so much because of interferences that I can't like in any context (****)"

[8.0] "Oh it's so wonderfully booked. WWE can be at their peak when they have to take care of the celebrity's match and this was no different. The match made sense, Priest had no problems with putting Bunny down and rapper got his offense only when Damian put his guard down and then got injured. They didn't go for a hardcore spotfest but used the weapons to give the advantage to Bunny and it felt like an actual street fight. Then the run ins were paced great with the crowd going nuts for Carlito and Vega and even though Bunny won it didn't bury Priest at all. Well done, we don't see many No DQ Matches like this anymore."

[9.0] "I can't believe I'm rating a celebrity match this high. Was it the best worked match of the night? Lolno of course not. Was it the most fun match of the night? Absolutely. Spectacle from start to finish. Run-ins from every wrestler in the history of Puerto Rico. Felt like a mania match and wound up being better than the main event. As far as the WWE goes, one of their more entertaining No DQ matches in recent years."

[8.0] "Bad Bunny chose the wrong career. The guy is a natural for Wrestling. He takes bumps, he sells great, has some cool moves, understands psychology... I like him better than Logan Paul, actually. Priest is a pro, not just for putting over Benito, but how he took care of him while selling the storytelling. Savio Vega and Carlito appearances were amazing, the crowd went nuts (like all night, what an all time great crowd). Not a dull moment in the whole match, they knew exactly how to slow the pace for Benito to keep up, and they booked the match right to make Bunny's victory credible with that limbwork to the leg. What a wrestler did the business miss with Bad Bunny, but the guy already makes a lot of money with his thing, so my respect goes to him (**** 1/4)"

[8.0] "The Hometown Puerto Rican crowd was the best part of this match in my opinion. They felt so alive with every move and every count. The Returns of Carlito and Savio Vega was also pretty cool. (no pun intended). The Match itself was pretty good. You can tell that Bad Bunny genuinely loves the wrestling business and is committed to training as he gave it his all in that ring. Overall I will say that this is my favorite match of the night."

[9.0] "A celebrity match with such a high rating? There were a few factors working in favor of this match. First, the PPV was in Puerto Rico and the crowd was crazy hot, especially for this match featuring native son Bad Bunny. Second, it's very obvious that Bad Bunny takes this stuff seriously as he worked extremely hard to hold up his end, while Priest of course carried the structure and set him up well for success. Lastly, they did the right thing by adding every bell and whistle possible to this, from the obligatory weapon stuff to plenty of Attitude Era-esque run ins, not just from Priest's allies in the Judgment Day stable but also Rey Mysterio and the recreated Latino World Order, and even Puerto Rican legends and former WWE superstars Carlito (Caribbean Cool, spit that apple! ) and Savio Vega. Was it a wrestling clinic? Hardly. Was it extremely entertaining? Definitely."

[9.0] "an all time brawl, heavily enhanced by the crowd and the interferences. bad bunny and damian priest showing their teaming at mania 2 years prior wasn't a one time fluke."

[8.0] "What that hell didnt they pick it to close out the show ! ? Youve got two Puerto Rican, a big wrestler and an international star doing hard battle in a fire atmosphere ! Folks went hella nuts when Carlito showed up it was so perfect ! The storytelling was so great as Priest was alongside Bunny for his first wrestling contest and hes also his first opponent for his first singles action! Both men did a strong job in that namely the big Broken Arrow ! Its still crazy how awesome Bad Bunny is in the ring mostly at the end displaying his big moves!"

[8.0] "Solid match from a non-wrestler, and a very fun one as well. Bad Bunny and Damian Priest use all the chemestry they have together to pull out a solid brawl, enhanced by the crazy crowd. Slight bémol, even though I like the presence of Carlito ans Savio Vega, the whole interruption part tooks way too long and disrail (just a bit) the pacing of the match."