Facing the bully - 4 signs Damian Priest may have a longer reign as World Heavyweight Champion following WWE RAW

Damian Priest has been toeing the line between heel and face on WWE RAW. He began as a dastardly heel as The Judgment Day ruled over Monday Nights.

Over the course of the last year, however, fans have seen a slight character shift for The Archer of Infamy. He's still a heel but has been neutral during feuds with Jey Uso and Seth Rollins.

After facing off with Gunther over the last two weeks on RAW, Priest's reign may not be on borrowed time as many previously believed. He could have a long run with the World Heavyweight Title because of the next four signs.

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#4. Gunther's derogatory words on RAW

Gunther has recently painted Damian Priest with some unflattering words. [Image Credit: WWE.com]

In both last week's encounter and this week's promo on the red brand, Gunther referred to Damian Priest as trash. He also mocked his story about being homeless at one point in his life, blaming the champ and his family for that situation.

The Ring General also called the fans trash while hyping up his own status as worthy, gifted, and deserving. Insulting the fans is an easy way to get heat but saying what he said about Priest ups the ante. Gunther has been dominant and someone standing up to him will get the fans on their side.

If Priest loses the title at SummerSlam, it lessens what he's done to get to this position. Gunther winning the title after those insults makes Priest look foolish and paints Gunther as someone who was right all along.

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#3. His friendship with Rhea Ripley

Rhea Ripley has been cheered for most of the time The Judgment Day has ruled over RAW. She's supposed to be a heel but her overwhelming "It Factor" is hard to ignore, leading to fans chanting for her.

Priest has always been close with Ripley as they were the first two members of The Judgment Day. The other members followed, but Mami and Priest always called the shots in the faction.

The two have a brother/sister relationship. Since he's close with Mami, as evidenced by the grouping when they entered the building for RAW this week, Priest's popularity is clearly on the rise. It would be counterproductive to take the title even as he's building credibility as a face.

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#2. Damian Priest was cheered when confronting Gunther

The biggest sign that Priest may enjoy a run past SummerSlam is the reaction he received from fans on the latest RAW. He's been walking the fine line of good guy and villain for months, but his feud with Gunther has put the champ over the top as a face.

Having two heels or faces oppose each other in a major match can be done but it's always easier with a defined heel vs. face dynamic. The Ring General's disparaging words have led fans to cheer for the champion.

The lines he spoke may have been a calculated experiment not only for WWE SummerSlam but for a potential split of The Judgment Day. Fans are already cheering Ripley and may do so more for Priest.

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#1. He's been honorable in title matches

The signs of a face turn started to emerge when Damian Priest refused to attack opponents needlessly. He preferred face-to-face discussions with opponents like Jey Uso and Seth Rollins. It was when members of The Judgment Day attacked his opponents that Priest would intervene.

He pulled Finn Balor off Rollins and Uso but returned fire after getting accidentally kicked. Heels don't act this way against anyone, so the seeds have been growing for months. Priest has also repeatedly said that he wanted The Judgment Day to stay in the back during his matches.

The latest sign that he could have a longer reign than planned was agreeing to give Rollins another shot. Rollins lost and had to accept a stipulation that he wouldn't get another one as long as Priest was World Heavyweight Champion.

CM Punk and Drew McIntyre interfered, so they never found out who the better man was. The champ threw that caveat out the window during a backstage conversation on an episode of WWE RAW.

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