Written by Mike Mueller & Kimmy Sokol
For the first time since 2005, a premium live event will be held in Puerto Rico! Now the build for this show has been rather interesting. The draft just concluded and has left many people confused as to what’s next, especially for the women’s division. Despite multiple people believing Cody Rhodes was going to finish the story in Los Angeles, he did not and we also have to mention the randomest match ever Seth Rollins vs Omos. Nonetheless here are our Wrestlemania Backlash 2023 predictions.
San Juan Street Fight: Bad Bunny vs Damian Priest
Kimmy: This match is gonna rock. If there is one thing Bad Bunny has shown us in his multiple WWE appearances is that he is all in, and he does not hold back. The entire Judgement Day will get involved with this one and Dominick will get the beating he deserves in this match. The other cool thing here is the amount of Puerto Rican pride on this card, Zelina, Bad Bunny, Priest, and the rest of the LWO who will also get involved here. This is a scenario however where the celebrity is going to win.
Winner: Bad Bunny
Mike: I have nothing but respect for this dude and the dedication he has to being the absolute best he can be at everything he does. Making this a street fight is a good way to cover up his limited experience, but there’s no doubt this is gonna be a banger. While we can certainly expect a boat load of outside interference, I have no doubt that the winner will be the people’s rabbit.
Winner: Bad Bunny
WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs Iyo Sky
Kimmy: This is where the WWE Draft continues to prove why we should not have a draft. The Raw Women’s Champion has been drafted to Smackdown as well as the rest of Damage CTRL. So why is this for the Raw Women’s Championship? Why can’t we just draft people to the correct brands? Too many questions and not enough answers. The Smackdown Women’s Division is so strong after the draft that it may be the best WWE Women’s Division we have seen in years. I can’t see Bianca losing here, but will this be the end of Damage CTRL? Maybe?
Winner: “And Still” Bianca Belair
Mike: The fact that Damage CTRL are glorified jobbers is the saddEST thing in wrestling right now. So much talent from these three, especially Iyo Sky, it’s a shame to see the way they are used. Whoever finally beats Bianca will be my new favorite female wrestler, because I am beyond tired of watching her steamroll everybody and give really horrible promos. Iyo, I’m sorry, you deserve so much more than this.
Winner: “And Still” Bianca Belair
WWE United States Championship: Austin Theory vs Bobby Lashley vs Bronson Reed
Kimmy: If there is one thing I can guarantee in this match is that Reed was put in this to take the pin. As the United States Championship has moved over to the blue brand, there are many people who can be feuding for this title when this event is over. Grayson Waller, Sola Sikoa, LA Knight, and Karrion Kross, amongst others. Since this is a triple threat Theory can lose the title and still be protected, besides don’t we need to satisfy our 2023 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner?
Winner: “And New” Bobby Lashley
Mike: Don’t ask me how, but Austin Theory is retaining here. It doesn’t really make sense, Bobby Lashley has all the momentum in the world right now, and as Kimmy pointed out, there is a slew of heels that Lashley could feud with over the title. However, I think we are continuing the Reed/Lashley feud beyond this, and that feud does not need a title. While Lashley may be logical, Theory NEEDS the title the most, and he’s gonna retain…somehow…
Winner: “And Still” Austin Theory
Stream every UEFA Champions League match live on Paramount+. Try it FREE! Click for your trial!
Seth Rollins vs Omos
Kimmy: No, I don’t know why this match is happening, and yes I think this is a waste of time. Rollins is going to give Omos the best match in his career, but this match has no build and the only time these two have interacted is in a promo on Raw last week after the match was already official. Rollins will get the easy win here as he moves towards championship gold in that brand new title announced for those on the red brand.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Mike: She doesn’t know it, but Kimmy answered her own question. Seth is headed toward becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion, so this match, while having no build, is great for Seth to get a victory over a much larger opponent. Rollins has spent much of the last year+ taking a lot of losses, so giving him as much momentum heading into Night of Champions is the right way to go. It’s gonna be super sad when he loses the title to Logan Paul cashing in his MITB briefcase, but that’s a story for another time. For now, let’s enjoy the rise of Rollins.
Winner: Seth Rollins
WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley vs Zelina Vega
Kimmy: If the draft never happened, I would have picked Vega. She deserves this moment as the only Puerto Rican woman on the roster and being able to go and represent your country would be such a moment in time. Now the entire Judgement Day has gotten drafted to RAW and Vega as well as the rest of the LWO is on Smackdown, and unless Ripley and Belair are going to wrestle for the Raw title it does not make sense for Ripley to lose here. One day Vega will get there I can assure you that.
Winner: “And Still” Rhea Ripley
Mike: This is the lock of the night. Draft or not, there was a 0% chance Zelina would win here. I am a huge Vega fan (both Zelina and the Street Fighter character), but there is no chance in hell that Rhea is gonna drop her title this soon after getting it. Ripley is gonna be champion for a LOOONNNGGGG time.
Winner: “And Still” Mami
Cody Rhodes vs Brock Lesnar
Kimmy: Now this is a match I never thought I would see. Now if you have been following along on social media, some people would argue that Rhodes is simply getting the John Cena 2012 treatment. After the biggest loss in his career and then getting destroyed by Brock Lesnar this eventually built Cena up to reclaim gold at Wrestlemania 29. For this whole theory to work Rhodes has to barely beat Lesnar as Cena did 11 years ago, for that reason alone all Rhodes lead to Cody picking up a win.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Mike: In the words of Vito Corleone “Look how they massacred my boy.” It’s a rough time to be a Cody Rhodes fan. Getting drafted to RAW means Cody has no chance of getting revenge on Roman any time soon, and I have a feeling Cody is going to be losing to Seth in the finals of the tournament to crown the new World Heavyweight Championship. So what do we do in the meantime? Well, a victory over Brock Lesnar here sure would help him out, but that’s not the story we are telling here. Cody needs to hit a spiritual rock bottom before he begins his ascension once again, and a crushing defeat to Brock Lesnar seems to fit that narrative really well. It’s not gonna be Summerslam ‘14 level of one sided, but I have a feeling Cody is gonna get beaten pillar to post. I really really hope I’m wrong.
Winner: *Sigh* Brock Lesnar
Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs The Bloodline (Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso & Sola Sikoa)
Kimmy: To me, this is where you split up the Usos and Sikoa. They have been hinting at this even before Los Angeles and the best place to do it is here. This can lead to Reigns coming back on Smackdown next week angry and choosing a side, and the side he will choose is the one of Sikoa. Plus if this is really the main event you want to send the crowd home happy, and Zayn and Owens are too hot right now to have lose. Oh, and Riddle he’s there too.
Winners: Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, & Matt Riddle
Mike: This really does feel like it’s going to be the nail in the coffin for the Usos. People want to cheer for them, and Solo needs to have a larger spotlight put on him. Betraying his brothers is a great way to do that. Plus, Zayn, Owens, and Riddle could use another big win to keep their momentum going. This seems like a lock, but picking against the bloodline is never a lock. Expect the good guys to win here, but don’t bet the farm on it.
Winners: Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, & Matt Riddle
Currently the Mike vs Kimmy series stands at 4-2-2 in favor of Mike, just in case you were keeping score at home
Comments are closed.