"It was my own fault"- Damian Priest gets brutally honest about himself
It took him a while, but Damian Priest is finally at the top as WWE's World Heavyweight Champion. During a recent interview, The Archer of Infamy provided some advice to young wrestlers and recalled how he could have been more proactive in his career.
Damian Priest, 41, can be considered a late bloomer as he put together a great resume on the indies before getting a call from the WWE.
During an appearance on The Rob Brown Show, Priest felt that aspiring wrestlers must be fully committed to their dreams. According to the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, walking the talk is crucial, and he stressed the importance of holding oneself accountable.
"This is one of those gigs where you can't be half in, half out. You can't just talk about it and say, 'Hey, I'm giving it my all,' and really just say that for the pat on the back. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and hold yourself accountable," he said. [2:21:11 - 2:21:34]
The Judgment Day member was honest with his self-assessment and admitted he wasted many years by not pushing himself harder to achieve his goals.
Damian Priest took the blame for his late ascension in the wrestling business and urged younger talents not to repeat the mistake he made.
"I went through it where I did that the wrong way for so long; that's why I always tell people that it took me so long to get to this level, but it was my own fault. It was because I didn't actually hold myself accountable. I didn't look myself in the mirror and say, 'Are you working as hard as you can for your own dream?' Because ain't nobody else going to work for your dream," Priest said. [2:21:35 - 2:22:00]
Damian Priest opens up about finding himself as a performer
Before he arrived in the WWE in 2018, Damian Priest was known as the towering Punishment Martinez, who had become an established name in Ring of Honor. Even though he started training in 2005, Priest's career has been staggered, and only in recent years has he been able to truly thrive as a professional wrestler at the highest level.
Damian Priest explained that for years, he "pretended" to be someone he was not and gave in to the people's demands. While this helped him secure a WWE contract, he feels he has only tasted real success after learning to be himself in front of the cameras.
"I think for a long time, I was pretending to be a version of myself that people wanted me to be. Clearly, it wasn't fully working, and it got me here; it got me through the door, but it didn't translate on the success level within the confines of the WWE. And the moment I figured out how to be myself and just turn up the volume, that's where I really started finding my success," he added. [2:33:02 - 2:33:30]
The Archer of Infamy has kicked off his championship reign in style with a successful PLE title defense under his belt. His next big title showdown, however, will be against Drew McIntyre in the latter's home country and could be his most challenging match to date.
Please credit The Rob Brown Show and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.