Damian Priest admits he feared WWE release at a crucial point
After 282 days, WWE Superstar Damian Priest successfully cashed-in his Money in the Bank contract. He did it at WrestleMania XL. More importantly, he revived the concept which had grown stale in the last few years, and in the process, the 41-year-old wrestler won his first world title in the sports entertainment giant.
Damian capitalized on CM Punk and Drew McIntyre's physical altercation after the latter had just won the World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins in the opening contest of WrestleMania Sunday. It wasn't until two years ago that The Archer of Infamy caught the attention of fans of the main roster by aligning with WWE Hall of Famer Edge to form The Judgment Day. As it turns out, Priest thought the faction idea was not going to work at first.
Speaking to the media during the post-show press conference, Damian Priest admitted that he feared for his job during this time:
"Two years ago, when we formed The Judgment Day, there was kind of an idea of using talent that can possibly be main eventers, or have been main eventers, but they're just floating," Priest said. "And then it took off to a different direction, and I'll be honest — there was a moment that I wasn't sure it was gonna work. I thought I was done." [From 10:04 to 10:28]
At WrestleMania 38 in 2022, The Archer of Infamy assisted Edge in defeating AJ Styles. Soon after, Rhea Ripley joined. Upon Finn Balor's recruitment, The Rated-R Superstar was booted out.
Later that year, Dominik Mysterio sided with The Judgment Day. The foursome has dominated WWE programming. Last year, Balor brought in his real-life friend JD McDonagh to the group.
Drew McIntyre labeled the 41-year-old WWE star a "transitional champion"
On the RAW After WrestleMania this past Monday night, Drew McIntyre attempted to become the number-one contender to Damian Priest's World Heavyweight Championship by winning a Fatal 4-Way contest in the main event. Before the bout, the Scotsman called Priest nothing but a "transitional champion," blaming his title loss on CM Punk.
In the closing moments of RAW's main event, Punk appeared from out of nowhere and grabbed McIntyre's foot. The distraction allowed Jey Uso to hit the spear and a splash from off the top rope on the former WWE Champion and pin him 1-2-3:
"On #WWERaw, Jey Uso won the Fatal 4 Way match to become the NEW #1 Contender for the World Championship after CM Punk distracted Drew McIntyre."
With Backlash: France scheduled to air live on May 4th, it appears Damian Priest vs. "Main Event" Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship will headline the show.
If you use the quote, please credit the original source and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.