Backstage details on whether Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest will happen at WrestleMania or not - Reports
Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest's status at WrestleMania could be up in the air. Following WWE's announcement that both men would be on the WrestleMania SmackDown episode for the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, it led to a lot of questions about their rumored WrestleMania bout. There could be a lot more clarity regarding that in a new report.
Balor dethroned Priest to end what many considered the best United States Championship reign since John Cena's in 2015. Damian Priest achieved a lot as the US Champion but went on a bit of a slump as he was losing matches in 2022.
It eventually resulted in him losing the US Title to Finn Balor before he turned heel and attacked him. On RAW, Priest would eventually pick up a win over Balor in a non-title bout.
Dave Meltzer reported on the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the match is still scheduled for WrestleMania weekend:
"In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wrote that a United States Championship match between Finn Balor and Damian Priest "was scheduled" for WrestleMania weekend. Though nothing has been officially announced by WWE, Meltzer noted that Priest's victory over Balor on the Mar. 14 episode of Raw (thanks to a distraction from Austin Theory) suggests that the two will square off at WrestleMania." (H/T The Sportster)
It's good that there are seemingly still plans in place as it would have been odd to have The Show of Shows without an Intercontinental or United States Championship match.
.@ArcherofInfamy capitalizes and pins the #USChampion @FinnBalor on #WWERaw! https://t.co/ZGKiX0eLzM
Could Finn Balor lose the US Title back to Damian Priest?
.@ArcherOfInfamy isn't done with @FinnBalor! #WWERaw https://t.co/jLF5CIzAIL
Finn Balor hasn't been handled too well upon his return to the main roster. It's hard to believe that over half a year has passed since his return, but the US Title win seemed to be a good accomplishment for him, as he is only one tag team title win away from becoming a WWE Grand Slam Champion.
However, Damian Priest has been the superstar that WWE has focused on since 2021, and he had one of the most spectacular years that a debuting star could ask for. While he had a slump for a few months before losing the title, he seems to be revitalized with the heel character.
It's possible that Balor could be used as a stepping stone for Priest, who already has a pinfall win over him in a non-title match. If the WrestleMania match is made official, who should walk out victoriously? Voice your thoughts in the comments section below.