World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest defended his title against Seth Rollins at the recent Money in the Bank PLE, but something in the match seemingly went wrong when he didn't kick out of a Falcon Arrow.
The referee stopped counting the pinfall and, moments later, Drew McIntyre cashed in (had the ref continued counting, it would have been a disaster). Asked about the apparent botch in an interview with the New York Post, Priest finally broke his silence on the awkward moment.
"The idea that I forgot to kick out, that’s not a thing," he said. "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. 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.” "
"It doesn’t affect anything," Priest added. "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."
The Judgement Day leader is now moving on to his next challenger, former Intercontinental Champion Gunther. They'll clash at SummerSlam and Priest knows it won't be an easy match.
"If I can get in the ring with these incredible superstars, to me, it makes me feel like, ‘OK I do belong.’ I can do this. I can do this here and hang with these guys and work at this level,'" Priest said. "It’s something special. Also, to have them have that same vibe back where they look at me and know that I belong."
"They’re saying it and they mean it. That to me is one of the most important things in our business when you get the respect of your peers and the top peers."
"[Gunther's Intercontinental Championship reign] that he had and the people he beat and how he beat them it’s kind of hard to argue that," he continued. "So for me, regardless of everything he says, a win over him just solidifies what we’re talking about and my position in the company."
WWE has slowly turned Priest babyface in recent weeks and fans have definitely gotten behind him. Whether he retains the title or not, it feels like he's on the cusp of breaking free from The Judgement Day for a run as one of RAW's top good guys.
Who do you think will win at SummerSlam?