Damian Priest, the commanding and enigmatic WWE Superstar, achieved a career-defining milestone at WrestleMania XL by capturing the World Heavyweight Championship.
Known for his exceptional power and mastery of martial arts, Priest’s path to championship glory was punctuated by significant victories, including a triumphant win at WrestleMania alongside Bad Bunny and a decisive triumph over Sheamus for the United States Championship at SummerSlam 2021.
Embracing a darker persona, Priest’s alliance with The Judgment Day and his intense rivalry with former ally Bad Bunny culminated in a historic San Juan Street Fight at WWE Backlash 2023 in his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Exhibiting unwavering determination, Priest further solidified his status as a formidable force in WWE by emerging victorious in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, earning the esteemed title of Señor Money in the Bank. Eventually, he capitalised on this opportunity by “cashing in” his winnings at WrestleMania XL, swiftly defeating Drew McIntyre to claim the world championship.
Notably, a former teammate had foreseen Priest’s destined greatness years prior, a testament to his undeniable talent and perseverance. Speaking on Tuesday with The Taskmaster, legendary wrestling mind Kevin Sullivan recalled working with Damian Priest in ROH…
“I was in Ring of Honor for a short time when I had a little group, it was [Damian Priest], Steve Corino, and B.J. [Whitmer]. I told him then, and this had to be three or four years ago, I told him, ‘You’re going to be in a main event at WrestleMania someday.’ And if you watched him, he’s very smart in the ring because he’s one of the few guys that can get away with talking in the ring and people don’t even see him when he’s on camera. He directs everything. Like that ladder match, I could see him directing things. He gets rid of the wrong ladder at the right time. He’s very, very smart business-wise. He’s got a great personality. He works very hard and he trained very hard to become a wrestler. He deserves this, but I think they’re just scratching the surface with him. I’m looking forward to watching his work progress.”
Damian Priest Reflects On Unlikely Journey To Winning World Heavyweight Championship
Despite winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, a world championship victory was never guaranteed for Damian Priest. After the WrestleMania XL press conference, he spoke about his story to the top. Priest said that he didn’t even know if he would be in WWE at this point but credited his team mates in the Judgment Day.
H/t to TJRWrestling.net