Damian Priest discusses persuasion that went behind major WWE event and its long-term result
Damian Priest is currently traveling around the world representing WWE as the company's World Heavyweight Champion. Priest, 41, won the Money in the Bank briefcase in the United Kingdom last year and successfully cashed in the contract at WrestleMania XL to win his first world title in the Stamford-based promotion.
WWE is hosting more international events in the coming months, and Damian Priest recently pointed to how it all came about. He opened up about persuading the company to host Backlash in Puerto Rico last year.
Speaking on the Rob Brown Show, Priest revealed that he and Grammy award-winning rapper Bad Bunny had to fight for the show. They were ultimately able to convince the company. The success of that particular event, being held outside the United States, opened doors for more such opportunities.
"It's one of those things that it goes beyond one match, one performance, one win or loss. What we did culturally was big. We set the tone for the idea that WWE would do all these events outside of the United States and have success. You listen to the crowd; you saw the records that were broken. It's obvious that this could be done everywhere."
Priest also noted that the decision was made to bring back veterans Savio Vega and Carlito only after they insisted on the necessity of there being representation in Puerto Rico:
"Not to say that the company wasn't going to go in this direction anyway, but I think it made everybody feel a little more comfortable knowing that there is a positive to come. [...] It wasn't guaranteed that Backlash was going to be in Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny and I specifically fought for it. We fought to get others like Savio Vega and Carlito involved and other Latinos, in general, on the show. We needed them to represent." [H/T: Fightful]
Bad Bunny went on to win the match to pop the crowd with a babyface victory. The bout was hailed as one of the year's best. Backlash in Puerto Rico was the first of its kind, where the live crowd in attendance were the true stars of the event.
Damian Priest takes credit for WWE star headlining major event in 2024
Elimination Chamber: Perth in February was headlined by Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax. The show-closing match was the most anticipated on the card thanks to the Aussie's value in the eyes of the people in Perth, West Australia.
Damian Priest concluded by saying that his fellow Judgment Day stablemate getting her opportunity to shine, and the upcoming shows which will feature many current WWE Superstars in their home country, are a result of the successful Backlash event in 2023:
"That set the table for things like Rhea Ripley headlining in Perth and that show revolving around her. We have Berlin coming up, and that's going to be Gunther's domain. He was Scotland, and that's Drew McIntyre's domain. It's cool that we're going to all these different places internationally and having someone to represent them. That shows the expansion of the company, the individuals, and our fanbase growing," he said.
The next show - WWE King and Queen of the Ring, is scheduled to air live from the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia on May 25 and will feature the finale of the event's namesake tournament.