WWE Executive “Bothered” By Unhappy Fans Leaving Early

Backlash in 2023 will take place in Puerto Rico on the 6th of May with Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar as the presumed main event for the show but WWE will be hoping a repeat of what happened in 2018 doesn’t take place.

At Backlash 2018 the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships were both defended while AJ Styles put his WWE Title on the line against Shinsuke Nakamura, but despite this WWE only had eyes on match main eventing the show, Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe.

Reigns was not The Tribal Chief that fans know now but was still a very unpopular figure with fans despite WWE trying their best to make him such. As a result of his match going on last, many fans in Newark, New Jersey left the show early to express their unhappiness.

Speaking on his Oh You Didn’t Know podcast, WWE executive Road Dogg reflected on Backlash 2018 and says the fans leaving early did bother him but doesn’t know if Vince McMahon felt the same way:

“Look, truth be told it bothered me. I don’t know if it bothers him [Vince] personally. I can’t imagine from a business man’s point of view, which is why how I tried to look at it, but my personal feelings get in the way all the time. But like, it’s the first thing I said was you paid your money, like you paid that, you can do and John Cena used to say that the best you paid your money, you can do anything you want to when you come in here, I mean, within reason.

“You can leave, you can chant this thing, you can chant that thing, you can do whatever you want, or turn your back, but we got your money. And that’s what we were shooting for.”

Roman Reigns will not be on the card for Backlash 2023 but the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion has been added to advertising for a major show later in the year.

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