Damian Priest has a lot of love for a WWE match that some were not as fond of.
Sponsorship in wrestling has become a hot topic for discussion in recent years. While most have no issue with a brand logo being on the ring skirts or being used for a special entrance, many draw the line when the match itself is significantly altered to fit in with the sponsorship tie-in.
In 2021, WrestleMania Backlash was sponsored by the Netflix movie Army of the Dead, which starred former WWE Champion Dave Bautista. The action movie sees Bautista and co take part in a Las Vegas heist while fighting off hordes of zombies. With this in mind, the sponsorship played a huge part in the match at the show between Damian Priest and The Miz.
Changing a traditional lumberjack match to the Zombie Lumberjack match, the 7-minute encounter saw the undead take over the ringside area for the duration of the match. Priest would be victorious as Miz and John Morrison were attacked by the zombies.
The sponsor tie-in match did not sit well with fans, with many ridiculing the match and some believing it to be the worst match of 2021. Having been a part of the match and seen the reviews, Priest has a different perspective.
“It Was Ridiculous But It Was Very Cool”: Damian Priest
Speaking with Inside The Ropes’ Kenny McIntosh, Priest was asked about the match and the negative feedback it received. Priest, who is a massive fan of zombie movies, stated that he understands those who did not like it but in the moment it was a lot of fun and something he is proud to have been a part of:
I knew the feedback, what it was going to be. It’s hard when you do something different. People are accustomed to one way and some are open to change, but most aren’t. Just in general, that’s what it is. For me personally, fighting zombies was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I’m a big zombie fan, zombie movies and everything. I loved Army of the Dead. So for me, getting to fight zombies while I was doing it, I was like, this is pretty cool.
I know most people disagree with me, but they weren’t in my shoes in that moment when you see these professionally done-up zombies coming at you. And just me kicking them and doing wrestling moves. I mean, it was just ridiculous but it was very cool. I loved it. I understand the feedback because it’s just not the norm of what we do.
I get it. I sympathise with the purists who were like, This is not what we want to see. And I get it. But sometimes it enhances everything else that much more. You see that and then you see a great match that follows right after, it enhances that match even more. So there’s different ways to look at it. And I’m proud that we did that.
During the same interview Damian Priest, who currently reigns as one-half of the Undisputed Tag Team Champions, reflected on the titles being taken more seriously.
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