WWE Announces Backlash 2023 Broke Several All-Time Backlash Records

WWE announced that this past Saturday’s Backlash 2023 event in San Juan, Puerto Rico broke several all-time WWE records.

It was announced that this year’s event broke the records for being the highest grossing and most viewed event in Backlash series history. In regards to viewership, it was announced that this year’s event viewership was 28% higher than last year’s event WrestleMania Backlash event, which previously held the record.

It was also announced that this year’s event also generated the highest ever live gate revenues for a WWE event held in Puerto Rico and in Backlash series history.

It was also announced that this year’s event all broke the all-time WWE records for most social media interactions and highest merchandise and sponsorship revenues in Backlash series history.

Official press release:

WWE^® Delivers Record-Breaking Backlash in Puerto Rico

05/08/2023

STAMFORD, Conn. –(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE^® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that WWE Backlash^®, which emanated from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, became WWE’s highest-grossing and most-viewed Backlash in company history.

Viewership of Backlash saw a 28 percent increase versus the record set in 2022. The event, which featured Bad Bunny, the most-streamed music artist in the world, marked the largest gate ever for any WWE event held in Puerto Rico and the largest gate in the history of Backlash.

More than 34,800 fans descended on San Juan, Puerto Rico, for back-to-back sellout nights of SmackDown (16,896 attendees) and Backlash (17,944 attendees). It also marked the most social Backlash of all-time, led by over 40 million views of the San Juan Street Fight featuring Bad Bunny vs. Damien Priest. The hashtag #WWEBacklash, accompanied by a custom Bad Bunny emoji, trended No. 1 across the entire evening of sports.

In addition, Backlash broke merchandise and sponsorship records. As the first-ever WWE event under the expanded partnership with Fanatics overseeing the on-site event retail experience, top-selling items included the WWE Backlash and LWO Puerto Rico t-shirts. Sponsorship revenue surpassed any Backlash event in history, breaking last year’s record with a 98 percent year-on-year increase through partnerships with Netflix’s FUBAR, Mike’s Harder Lemonade and Xfinity.