Damian Priest suffers surprising loss to former WWE Champion on RAW
Damian Priest suffered his first pinfall loss last month on RAW to Kevin Owens, but it wasn't a clean one. KO had cheated to beat the United States Champion, and their title match ended in a disqualification in favor of Owens. Priest faced another former world champion on RAW this week, and this time, it was a clean loss.
Damian Priest has lost a lot of momentum, particularly since Survivor Series 2021 last November. When the WWE Draft officially took effect, he had a character change, and we've seen him "unleash the Damian" more often than not.
That refers to his out-of-control side, where a heel turn has been teased on numerous occasions. Despite the string of losses on RAW recently, Priest has held on to his United States Championship.
This week on the red brand, Damian Priest faced former WWE Champion AJ Styles and suffered a surprising defeat. Not only did he lose to The Phenomenal One, but he lost clean - the first clean loss since he joined the main roster last year. After Styles caught Priest with the Phenomenal Forearm, he picked up the victory.
A phenomenal win for @AJStylesOrg against #USChampion @ArcherofInfamy on #WWERaw! https://t.co/Bv5ki2t54g
It's a big win for AJ Styles ahead of his WWE title shot at Elimination Chamber. He will be one of five men looking to dethrone Bobby Lashley, and last week he defeated the legend Rey Mysterio to qualify and earn his spot.
Damian Priest has been on the losing end lately
WHAT A PHENOMENAL FOREARM!!!
@AJStylesOrg
#WWERaw https://t.co/3Np0lkrt1d
Damian Priest has lost a lot of momentum since Survivor Series 2021. While he was among the most protected full-time superstars in WWE last year, he began collecting a few losses, primarily by count-out or disqualification.
2022 has seen him suffer a couple of pinfall losses now, and it could be indicative of a heel turn and a possible title match at WrestleMania 38. AJ Styles won't be expected to walk out of the Elimination Chamber with the WWE Title.
However, he could feud with Priest heading into The Show of Shows. Given that Kevin Owens didn't get a conclusive title shot after Priest retained by DQ, he could be involved in the picture as well.
The road to WrestleMania for The Archer of Infamy will be an interesting one. Should the United States Champion turn heel soon? Voice your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!