WWE’s recent Premium Live Event Backlash made headlines after breaking multiple records in terms of viewership, attendance, and merchandise sales. The event was held at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was the highest-grossing and most-viewed Backlash in WWE’s history, according to a press release from the company.
The viewership for Backlash saw a 28% increase compared to the previous record set in 2022, indicating a growing interest in WWE events. The event marked the largest gate ever for any WWE event held in Puerto Rico, with more than 34,800 fans attending the back-to-back sellout nights of SmackDown (16,896 attendees) and Backlash (17,944 attendees) in San Juan.
The success of the event can be attributed to the highly anticipated San Juan Street Fight between Bad Bunny and Damian Priest, which garnered over 40 million views and made Backlash the most social media-engaged Backlash of all time. The hashtag #WWEBacklash, accompanied by a custom Bad Bunny emoji, trended No. 1 across the entire evening of sports.
Moreover, Backlash broke merchandise and sponsorship records, with top-selling items including the WWE Backlash and LWO Puerto Rico t-shirts. The event was the first-ever WWE event under the expanded partnership with Fanatics, which oversaw the on-site event retail experience.
Sponsorship revenue for Backlash surpassed any previous Backlash event, with a 98% year-on-year increase through partnerships with Netflix’s FUBAR, Mike’s Harder Lemonade, and Xfinity. While WWE has not disclosed the total amount of revenue generated by Backlash, the record-breaking figures suggest that the company made a substantial profit.
