7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Backlash 2023 (Review)

2. A Barnburner Opener

Bianca Belair IYO Sky
WWE.com

A super-hot crowd obviously is going to elevate a match, but when it’s a class battle between Bianca Belair and Iyo Sky, you’ve really hit on something.

Belair defended her Raw Women’s Championship in what was decidedly hostile turf, with the Puerto Rico fans entirely in Sky’s corner, cheering everything she did and booing if Bianca would so much as escape a hold.

The two wrestlers had a brilliant match, with Iyo targeting Belair’s left arm, trying to neutralize the EST’s power game. It worked exceptionally well due to Sky’s unique and countless ways of attacking her arm, and Bianca’s writhing on the mat. Several times, it legit felt like Sky had the champ’s number, which is something you can’t fake.

Although Iyo came up short, this worked to really establish her as a threat, and you could make the argument that Bayley cost Sky the match when her interference backfired. Hopefully, that will be followed up on SmackDown.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.