Tommy Dreamer on why WWE RAW Superstar needed a heel turn
Former WWE star Tommy Dreamer agrees with the company's decision to make Damian Priest a heel as it would give the former United States Champion a little bit of an edge.
Priest defended his US Championship against Finn Balor on this past week's WWE RAW show and lost the title. The former NXT North American Champion had held the title since August 2021.
Both of these guys want to walk into #WrestleMania as the #USChampion and are willing to do whatever it takes! #WWERaw
@ArcherOfInfamy @FinnBalor https://t.co/TdS7UYTKmR
Following the match, he cut a promo and attacked Balor, turning heel for the first time since being called up to the main roster.
On the latest edition of the Busted Open podcast, Tommy Dreamer discussed Priest's villainous turn with host Dave LaGreca. Dreamer felt that the former US Champion needed a change and him being a heel against Finn Balor makes good sense.
He said:
"Damian Priest needs the heel turn and there is a lot of truth to what he said." [15:40 to 15:48]
He went on to add:
"Did you feel the Damian Priest babyface experience was working? [to LaGreca] How is the jury still out if you're already the champion? And he's been the champion for a while. Go back and watch the Royal Rumble and listen to people's reactions. Don't know, again, how many Damian Priest shirts were selling as a babyface. Give him this bit of edge - I think he'll be a much better draw for WWE as a heel and I hope he gets the opportunity. And Finn Balor is a great first step for this new heel. And always blaming the fans is what a heel is supposed to do and it's kind of what a heel has to do, especially, in WWE because you can't go all heel-ish,". [25:00 to 25:56]
Dreamer further went on to talk about WWE piping in boos during Priest's promo. He said that he did not mind the company's decision to pipe in boos towards as he felt that it was needed.
Damian Priest had a strong run as WWE United States Champion
Priest had a good first year on the main roster. He featured in a tag team match at WrestleMania 37 alongside Bad Bunny and won the US title at SummerSlam by defeating Sheamus.
He faced several big-name stars like Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, and The Miz as US Champion.
His 191-day reign as US Champion was the longest since Dean Ambrose's one and only reign with the title in 2013 and 2014.
Damian Priest took 1 loss (other than Finn Balor) in the span of almost 200 days as United States Champion. That’s an impressive stat! #WWERAW https://t.co/bLbMydYVq6
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