Roman Reigns was reintroduced in the fall of 2020 as The Tribal Chief to the WWE Universe, and the rest was history.
Reigns picked up dominant wins over several big names at that time, including Bryan Danielson, whom he sent packing from WWE. Bryan wrestled his final WWE match on SmackDown after WrestleMania 37 against The Tribal Chief. He would later sign with AEW.
Bryan Danielson urged WWE to bring in Damian Priest during the COVID-19 pandemic ThunderDome Era, as he wanted Priest to have a faceoff with Roman Reigns, who was ruling the roost at that time.
Why Bryan Danielson Wanted WWE To Bring In Damian Priest As Roman Reigns’ Opponent
Damian Priest was a rising star in NXT, and Bryan thought he would be a worthy antagonist against the dominant Tribal Chief. That way, Priest, who was in his late 30s at that time, would have had a great start in his career.
Another reason, as Danielson revealed on Downunder The Ring, was that the ThunderDome Era allowed WWE to manipulate sound, which would have helped the new star, as a boost from that department would enhance his aura. Bryan also noted that the former World Heavyweight Champion is taller than Roman Reigns.
Let’s debut [Damian Priest] against Roman [Reigns], where–not in a match, but it’s like this thing.
I saw Vince [McMahon] do this, and it was really weird. He was like, ‘Okay, louder. I want the crowd noise louder’ for a certain wrestler. And then other guys go out there and he goes, ‘No, no, no. That’s too loud. Quieter.’ And I was like, ‘Why would you ever make it quieter?’
And so I was like, ‘Lets have Damian Priest go out there, let’s hit that noise button and bring it up! Because he looks like a star and he is taller than Roman. And Roman at that time was super dominant.
Damian Priest debuted on WWE’s main roster in January 2021. Two years later, he became Mr. Money in the Bank. At WrestleMania XL, he successfully cashed in on Drew McIntyre to win his first world title at 41. Priest, Cody Rhodes, and LA Knight are consistently proving that age is only a number and that with hard work, lightning can strike.