Damian Priest's landmark achievement one day after show-stealing promo on WWE RAW
Damian Priest has made it to the summer of 2024 as World Heavyweight Champion. This means that at WWE SummerSlam, the 2024 King of the Ring Gunther will challenge him for the belt.
The Ring General returned to RAW this week for a face-to-face with The Punishment. Priest, 41, candidly spoke about the time it took him to reach not only the top of the mountain in WWE but to receive the kind of opportunities he does today. This led to Gunther calling the champion street trash owing to his background. Unlike the Austrian himself, who was raised well by his folks.
Their encounter at SummerSlam has suddenly revealed different dynamics, and the face/heel dynamic appears to be established. The Judgment Day star later went on to defeat former Universal Champion Braun Strowman.
As for Damian Priest, he celebrates his 100th day as World Heavyweight Champion today. He won the belt at WrestleMania on Sunday, April 7, cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on Drew McIntyre.
Since the Show of Shows, The Judgment Day star has managed to fend off the challenges of Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, and Seth Rollins. However, they were all marred by interferences in some form or fashion.
Bully Ray claims Damian Priest's reign is "muddy" unlike Gunther's as WWE Intercontinental Champion
WWE has presented Gunther as the star who brought prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship of late, and rightly so according to WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray. His reign lasted from 2022 to 2024.
When it comes to Damian Priest's reign as World Heavyweight Champion, though, Ray feels that despite The Archer's committed work, it is not on par with what The Ring General has managed to accomplish. Speaking on the Busted Open podcast, Ray said:
"I think Damian Priest is doing a really good job as champion. I just think it's muddy and a little blurry because he's still so involved with The Judgment Day. I don't feel like he's been presented as a real singles champion. I think they did what they did with him and put the championship on him for the long-term booking of where they want to get with Gunther."
After retaining the World Heavyweight Championship in Glasgow on June 15 against home country hero Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest commented on his forthcoming challenge. He stated that he could not wait to prove naysayers wrong by putting down The Ring General at SummerSlam.