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

6. Vega Homecoming Moment

Zelina Vega
WWE.com

Let’s face it: No one outside of Zelina Vega’s family thought she was going to leave Backlash with the SmackDown Women’s Championship in hand.

But getting a PLE match in front of friends and family in Puerto Rico was a pretty big victory in and of itself for Vega, and she milked it for everything it was worth, wearing the island’s flag and soaking in the cheers from tens of thousands of fans.

Zelina did manage to get a couple hope spots, but the outcome was never really in doubt. Rhea Ripley was in her first title defense after a tremendous match at WrestleMania 39 against Charlotte Flair. Winning this bout was a necessity for Ripley.

The match was fine for what it was, but this was all about the moment for Vega, and it was a nice little moment for her.

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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.