Damian Priest Admits Something Wasn’t Working Before Character Change

WWE Superstar Damian Priest recently opened up about the formation and evolution of The Judgment Day faction, which has become one of the top acts in WWE in recent months. In an interview on WWE After The Bell, Priest discussed working with Edge and how the group came to be.

Priest spoke about his experience working with Edge at WrestleMania 38, saying that it was a “wild year” for him. He also spoke about how Edge instilled a sense of comfort in him and encouraged him to be himself. He added that having Rhea Ripley join the group helped cement its identity, and the group’s dynamic changed again when Finn Balor joined.

“Man, what a wild year starting with Edge at last year’s WrestleMania. First of all, it was awesome, just the comfort that came with working with, let’s say, Edge at first where he kind of instilled in me, and it’s like, ‘Hey, this is to build you and make you the star that I know you can be,’ and then having Rhea [Ripley] come in, and that was the mentality and just him getting us to be comfortable just being ourselves instead of being something that anybody else wanted us to be.

Priest said that The Judgment Day faction has helped him grow and find his footing in the WWE. He added that the chemistry between the group’s members is natural and that they all push each other to be their best. He also noted that the group’s success is a result of their willingness to lean on each other and to be comfortable being themselves.

“And then obviously, kicking him out of the group and Finn Balor joining and then Dominik [Mysterio], and now we’re all — I mean, it’s crazy how we started — Judgment Day doesn’t even look the same from when it started. We were still trying to find our way, and I think it was best case scenario for all of us to be in the group together because we all kind of helped each other. We all leaned on each other, and we still do. And today, I mean, you see the dynamic on TV; there’s no faking.

“There’s no how should I? It’s so smooth like we feel good every time. We’re always joking around and laughing, and like, man, this is great. This is the dream. This is what we wanted out of being in this business. You want to be proud of everything you do. You want to be happy with your performances. Every experience should be positive and together.

“Like I said, we lean on each other, and we push each other to make sure that’s the case and going from, like I said, where we started, where we were trying to figure out even our look and how we were going to present ourselves to now who cares? We act the way we want to act if I feel like acting like a goofball today, I will. If I want to be super serious today, I will, and there’s no wrong answer. And I think we all are telling each other that, and reminding each other of that makes it so much easier.”

Priest also spoke about his admiration for Edge, saying that he had to “swallow his pride” to work with him. However, he said that he appreciated Edge’s advice and the creative freedom he gave him, which helped him find his way in the group.

“So that’s the thing is like I felt like I had success, but I don’t know, just something wasn’t clicking, and I felt that I know that WWE Universe felt it and couldn’t even explain it. And Edge approached me in with this idea. And being somebody who admired Edge before that, and I was a fan, and I appreciated all his advice to me.

“It wasn’t so much having to swallow my pride. I was like; this has got to be the way. This is definitely going to work. I’m all in. I’ll do whatever it takes; let’s do this and going sitting under his learning tree. I mean, this business. I mean, talk about somebody who’s born for this. And just the advice, like we almost talked just about every single day while we were in The Judgment Day together, where I would call him or he would just call me and we would just talk about just ideas, or he’d be like, ‘Hey, so what do you think,’ which I thought was also cool. He wanted to hear my opinions, and then him kind of putting that ball in my hands where I needed to be creative.

“I guess that also helped because it kept the creative juices flowing, and I was always trying to think of something new and something different and how do we present this and that, and I think by the time it came time to getting the rest of the members in The Judgment Day. I was ready to just portray myself the way I wanted to and be comfortable in my own skin. So that was the case when I joined him; it was I’m all in, and then going from that to then the boys and Rhea joining it to where we are now is wild, man.”

The Judgment Day faction has been a dominant force on WWE in recent months, with Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, and Dominik Mysterio leading the charge. The group’s chemistry has been praised by fans and critics alike, and it seems that they will continue to be a major presence on the WWE scene for some time to come.

What do you think of Damian Priest’s comments on The Judgment Day faction’s evolution and chemistry? Do you think the group will continue to be successful in WWE? Leave a comment.