Damian Priest confirms major WWE career decision due to Cody Rhodes' return: "People are gonna think of him"
Damian Priest and Cody Rhodes are currently working on different brands in WWE. The Archer of Infamy recently opened up about a major career decision he had to take because of Rhodes’ return to the company in 2022.
Priest is arguably one of the most successful stars who has made it big after a mid-card run on NXT. The former World Heavyweight Champion is among the top names in the industry and is currently neck-deep in a rivalry with his former faction-mates in The Judgement Day.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Damian Priest opened up about changing his finisher after Cody Rhodes was announced to return to WWE.
Chris asked him if WWE asked him to change his finisher, The Reckoning, which is similar to Cody’s Cross Rhodes. The Archer noted that the company never said outright that he couldn’t use his former finisher.
"Actually, they didn't say you can't do it anymore," he explained. "I do it differently but it's one of those things. They're like, 'You might wanna...' but they never said, 'Change it,'" Damian Priest added.
The former World Heavyweight Champion noted that even Cody Rhodes’ didn’t think that he needed to change the move. However, he believed that people were going to think of The American Nightmare every time he hit the move.
"If [Rhodes comes] back, and I'm doing this move, every time I hit it, people are gonna think of [him]," he said. "He has his own twist, the way he hooks the arms and twists back and forth. I would do it more with taking my arm out and spinning underneath, but at the end of the day, it's a Rolling Cutter, right?" [H/T - WrestlingInc.]
WWE fans can now see Priest hit a South of Heaven Chokeslam to finish most of his matches. It has become his signature move that he does to perfection to win big matches.
WWE is saving a big match between Cody Rhodes and Damian Priest
Cody Rhodes is arguably the biggest babyface in WWE since his return to the company. Meanwhile, Damian Priest recently turned face and is heading towards a memorable run with his new character.
The two haven’t gone toe-to-toe in a while, and the company is likely saving an Undisputed WWE Championship match between the two stars for the future. Fans could see The American Nightmare turn heel if he continues his title reign for some time.
Cody Rhodes is currently tangled in a rivalry with Solo Sikoa's Bloodline again. He could team up with Roman Reigns to take down the bootleg faction before moving on to other feuds that could see him face Damian Priest down the line.