When the referee for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at Money in the Bank stopped his count at two when Seth Rollins seemingly had Damian Priest dead to rights, waiting a second for Drew McIntyre's music to hit for his ultimately failed cash-in attempt, it led to one prevailing assumption within the IWC: Priest botched his kick out.
Now granted, some fans assumed that McIntyre's music hit a second late or that the referee was somehow distracted, but when even Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Priest's biggest supporter, lamented the spot during the Money in the Bank post-show press conference, things weren't looking too good for the “Archer of Infamy.”
And yet, in an interview with the New York Post, Priest put up a firm front, letting anyone reading know that he didn't not kick out, even if he didn't present a more plausible alternative that fans would accept.
“The idea that I forgot to kick out, that not a thing. That's not a thing. We don't forget to kick out. Twenty years in, I'm pretty sure there is some kind of muscle memory there,” Priest told the New York Post. “So me forgetting was not the case. There was nothing outside that was supposed to happen. It was a matter of there was a situation, but I'm OK. Everybody's fine, the story continues.”
Asked how he feels about the criticism levied his way by fans and haters alike, Priest noted that he simply doesn't care, as it doesn't affect him either way.
“It doesn't affect anything,” Priest said. “The show goes on, and I think fans are very invested in everything that's going on. The ones that matter knew the situation and nobody thought twice about it. It was, move on.”
Did Priest forget to kick out? More likely than not yes, but then again, unless someone outright states that to be the case, who is to say where the fault lay? Considering Priest also botched a spot against McIntyre at Clash at the Castle, nearly breaking his ankle in a failed tope attempt, it's safe to say “El Champion” really needs a win – emotional but also literal – at SummerSlam to really get his title run back on track.
Booker T believes Damian Priest is thriving as WWE World Champion
While some fans are growing tired of Priest's run with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, one fan who is really enjoying what the “Archer of Infamy” is doing with RAW's top title is Booker T. Discussing his run with the belt on his Hall of Fame podcast, the two-time Hall of Famer noted that he's proud to see how Priest is handling himself with the title, and believes WWE feels that way too.
“I don't think I have to tell him anything, man. Damian's been doing a h*ll of a job. What I appreciate with Damian is they've been letting him go out there and get the work done all by himself. He hasn't had a lot of outside interference in his matches or anything like that. He's been going out there, showing that he can perform at the highest level. Just give it a chance. I think that's what Damian Priest has been looking for more than anything is a shot, and now he's gotten that shot. I must say, Damian Priest has done a d**n good job being in that position because trust me, if you find yourself in that position and you're not moving the numbers or you're not doing the job properly, they're gonna yank it off your a** in a heartbeat, and they're gonna go with somebody else,” Booker T explained via Fightful.
“Trust me, I run a wrestling company myself. When it's not right, you know it, and you know it very, very quickly. What I see with Damian Priest is a guy who has been going through a growing stage, like when he first got there. People weren't really on his bandwagon, and then he jumped in with Judgment Day, and that seemed like it totally flipped the script. His comfort level just went through the roof. Getting the briefcase, no one really saw that coming. But when he did get it, people said, ‘Okay, let's see if he cashes in.' But then cashing in and to have done a h*ll of a job, he's been putting in all the work. I give Damian Priest nothing but the utmost respect and credit for the job that he has done since becoming champion.”
Even if some may quibble with what Booker is saying, one thing he mentioned really does hold water: if WWE was bleeding viewers with Priest holding the belt, they would have made the switch back to Rollins at Money in the Bank. For better or worse, WWE, or at least Triple H, like what they are seeing in World Heavyweight Champion Priest and will roll with him on top until at least SummerSlam next month.
Follow Us
Subscribe
