Damian Priest recently spoke with Mike Johnson of PWInsider and discussed several topics, ranging from his recent momentum on NXT to The Undertaker’s influence on his career. Here are some highlights. Transcription credit of Mike Johnson of PWInsider.
On his physical match with Finn Bálor at NXT TakeOver: In Your House:
Priest: “That’s one of those weird ones is how do you perceive that moment because it’s something that negatively happened to me. But I see it as a moment of, in the words of someone like Edge Grit, where I didn’t stay down, I could have just got counted out. And I knew I didn’t have much left in me because I was in a lot of pain, really a lot of pain after that fall. And I knew. And I heard the referee’s count. And I could have just stayed outside and taken that count out. But I don’t know, just something in me, I can’t just stop. I have to keep going. And I got in. Now, granted, as soon as I felt the Coup de Grace from Finn Balor, I regretted getting back in the ring. But I’m going to take it as a positive, man. Because I proved to myself that I have no quit. And, yeah. Granted, it’s a little bit more pain than I would have wished for. But like you said, I mean, it comes with the business and I enjoy physicality. Now, that’s maybe a step further, a step beyond the normal physicality. But you know what? It’s what we do. I welcome it. And maybe next time it’s somebody else on the receiving end of that.”
On being praised by Triple H:
Priest: “First of all, like it’s Triple H. Right? Like he’s the man. I mean, I watched him. I idolized him. I mean, I’m still a fan of Triple H. So, sometimes I forget like he’s very much my boss and leader of our brand. But he’s still the game. You know what I mean? Like I look across at him sometimes when he’s having meetings or whatever, and I’m looking at him like, man, that’s a bad ass right there. So, take all of that, all his positions in the company and everything he has accomplished, and that guy praises you. He takes the time to say your name and make sure everybody knows that he’s speaking of you in a positive way, I don’t even know how to describe that. I mean, I was taken aback. I was humbled. I was honored. It was all the positives you could think of. But now, it’s like, well, if he’s speaking to me that way, I’ve really got to step my game up now, even more so than I usually do. Because I don’t want to prove him wrong. And, after he put his stamp on me, I don’t want to embarrass him or make people think that he was wrong. So, I am honored. But, yeah. It’s a lot of pressure now thinking about it. And, as far as the performance, yeah, I agree with him where that was the first time I think I felt comfortable in the moment, where I wasn’t trying to be somebody for anybody else other than myself. And I think that’s what I’ve been missing. And I think that’s why I haven’t really hit my stride up until now. Because, although I had good performances and I’ve had my moments, they weren’t as meaningful because I was still trying to figure it out, so to speak. And I think now I really truly know my goal and purpose here. And I feel it. And I know it. And I think I’m just going to build on that.”
On his upcoming match with Cameron Grimes:
Priest: “I’m going to break his stupid face. Cameron Grimes, he’s very annoying. And I’m going to make sure everybody knows how annoying he is to me. But the match should be basically what you expect. It’s going to be hard hitting. It’s going to be basically two studs right now trying to find their place and make a name themselves. But I really do believe I’m a step ahead of him right now. And I ultimately, like I said before, I know where I need to go now. And Cameron Grimes is just another step in this long line of steps that I got to take. So, he’s just the next one. He’s not the first, but he is the next.”
On The Undertaker’s retirement and his influence on Priest’s career:
Priest: “Man, I mean, selfishly of course I want him to wrestle until he literally can’t, till they have to say, hey, you can’t. Medically, you can’t. I mean, the ultimate you cannot work here anymore. But realistically, what more can we ask of him? He’s given everything to us in the sense of this business. There’s nothing he needs to prove. And, as far as helping others, there’s other ways. I, of course, would love to be able to work with him. And I would want to continue seeing him. But, at this point, I don’t expect anything more from him. What he’s given me is enough for me to be proud that he was my inspiration. He’s the reason why I chose this business for a living. That’s what he means to me. I was just looking at a picture from 21 years ago when I met him in a mall in New York. And I was a kid. And now, because of the network and this picture is floating around of me shaking his hand this year. So, it was 21 years difference. And it’s the coolest thing in the world to me that I’ve gotten to be around him and I can pick his brain. And it just blows my mind. So, for me, if he’s done, he deserves it. I don’t think anybody in the history of this business has ever deserved more just in the sense of I’ve never heard him be not the Undertaker. I’ve never seen him not be The Undertaker. There’s never been an issue of, does he believe? Or, up until now, there’s never been any negative for somebody named the undertaker. And now, in the negative is that fear of, can he still go? But it’s coming from him. And I think this is the perfect time for him to make his own decision. I don’t think it’s up to anybody else, no matter what we want. For me, there’s nothing more I can say about him. He’s been my inspiration and my idol for so long that I have plenty of footage I can continue to watch. And I still do. So, for me, if he calls it quits now, I would be okay with it.”
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