WrestleMania 40 began Night 2 with Seth Rollins defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre. Drew won the title, only for an altercation with CM Punk to lead to Damian Priest finally cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
One South of Heaven chokeslam later, and the Judgement Day member had won the title.
Talking in a newly released WrestleMania 40 vlog, Priest addressed his very special moment on the Grandest Stage of Them All and revealed the difference the Philadelphia fans made to one of the most memorable cash-ins to date.
"Still the crowd, Philadelphia, I mean that was one of the most special things I've ever done in my life, the way they erupted and the entire run down, I mean I felt that energy like literally pumped through my veins," he says in the video below. "So special shoutout and thank you to that crowd man because they made this moment extra special and I'm eternally grateful."
"Every sacrifice, every little bit of it, everything that bad came with this journey, I'd do it all over again it was 100% worth it. This moment, I knew it would be special," Priest continued. "I still can't put into words how this feels, it over-exceeded my expectations of what it is to be the guy, be a champion here. Humbled."
He'd go on to credit Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, and Rhea Ripley. "My Judgment Day family has supported me this entire run. The moment I won that briefcase, even before then, they've been on me, believing in me and pushing me and making sure I didn't lose sight and focus. I can't thank them enough. I don't know where I'd be without them, but I do have them and I love them very much."
Priest is now set to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Jey Uso at Backlash in France next month. Interestingly, on WWE's current European tour, he's been defending the title against The New Day's Xavier Woods. We don't necessarily expect that to lead to anything.
Ever since he won the Money in the Bank briefcase in London last year, it's been clear Priest is on the cusp of becoming a top star in WWE. This title reign will determine that.
Check out the full WrestleMania 40 vlog in the X post below.