Damian Priest

[10.0] "Everybody is trashing on him for his recent work. But here is the thing. You'd be lying if you said he wasn't a good World Heavyweight Champion. In my opinion, he was a better champion than Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, and even CM Punk. When Priest had the world championship, he had memorable bouts against Drew McIntyre and Gunther, and he showed everybody that he was more than a transitional champion. He looked sharp, talked like a champion, and felt like a champion. WWE simply did not know how to book him as a face after his championship run, and he was white hot at that time. You cannot really blame the wrestler for bad booking. But when we look further back, you see his work in NXT, his match against Finn Balor at TakeOver, and his brawl segments. The fans loved him in NXT even as a heel. Look even further back with him as Punishment Martinez in ROH Wrestling where he had matches with some of the best like Jay White, Will Ospreay, Cody Rhodes, Jay Lethal, just to name a few, and you immediately understand that book him strong, let him run with the flag, and the man can deliver. As a human being, very inspirational story about where he was before he got into wrestling, and he deserves everything that he has right now. He's a tall, big guy who can move in the ring and can hang with the best of them, and he has already proven that."

[0.0] "A painfully generic 'gothic bad-ass' aesthetic backed by zero actual edge, grit, or intensity. He was completely carried by his former faction's overarching hype and looked entirely lost the second he had to stand on his own two feet as a primary champion. His strikes look theatrical and weak, his character presence is entirely forced, and his world title reign brutally exposed every single technical and psychological flaw in his working style and promo delivery. Overrated af. Useless. Suck. What on earth is he still in wwe. Just release him and wwe will be better than ever. The most overrated wrestlers ever."

[4.0] "I don't really get Damian Priest. To me, he's Baron Corbin 2.0 with less mic skills. Not to mention his character and storylines have been incredibly boring lately. He straight up doesn't have a gimmick, like why are you presented like The Undertaker if your gimmick is just a guy?"

[6.0] "He's a lot better as Damian Priest than Punishment Martinez. As Priest he stopped doing a lot of luchador moves that looked ridiculous because he's so lanky. He's a good athlete but that wasn't his strength. His brief time as world champion was definitely above his ceiling. Not bad not great."

[7.0] "It's a wrestler, and yeah, most of wrestlers just fall under that category, that they are good, not that good, but not bad. I think Damian is the perfect 7."

[7.0] "He's an ok all arounder. Definitely has the look of a badass babyface but has been treated as a borderline comedic character."

[0.0] "he is so boring in everything. boring in ring boring in mic boring to being a leader boring to bein a champion. I don't know what Triple H has seen that makes him so valuable to Priest. He may be a good guy behind the scenes, but in the ring, he's nothing new. All the moves he inherited from The Undertaker, and his forgettable championships like World Heavyweight Championship and this tag team with R Truth is boring , His defenses were often with the intervention of others. His presence only ruined two years of Finn Balor and Drew McIntyre's careers. Tag teams, which have been an attractive part of SmackDown shows for the past two years, have become practically irrelevant with Priest's recent championship, with weak matches, while it could have been a launching pad for people like Ilja , Carmelo, Fraxiom , and even Los Garza."

[7.0] "Damian Priest has been one of those performers that have both been elevated and hampered by WWE's style of wrestling. He improved ten-fold since his days as Punishment Martinez, but was never allowed to have a proper singles character after his fun NXT run; he was either entangled in the Judgement Day slop-vortex, or being Rhea's side-kick. I get it was to have her otherworld overness rub off on him as a face, but the efforts largely failed as Damian has become a rather uninteresting mid-to-uppercarder after being part of a huge cash in at Wrestlemania 40 and part of a storyline with three of the biggest names of the company at the time (Punk, Rollins, McIntyre). Instead he was immediately shafted and simply used as a way to keep the title out of the Drew - Punk feud. A shame. He could've been so much more."

[5.0] "A former world champion, and I don't get why. I know WWE is obsessed with their wrestler's "look", which I suppose is Priest's strongest point, but that's all he has going for him. He's mediocre, whether it's ring work or mic work. Of all the great talent who have worked for WWE, Priest is one of them, yet he has gotten pushed far above his level of talent and failed to get over."

[5.0] "He's a boring, uninspiring and bland character with no substance really. Not a good worker in-ring, nothing special on the mic and without the help of bigger stars holding him high he's lower-middle card or a straight up jobber, which he is as of now. Well ... that wraps it up. When a company treats Drew McIntyre as a jobber guys like these don't exist on the pecking order."

[5.0] "Damian is fine but his world title, and midcard title runs were forgettable. He's a bang average wrestler, adding nothing exciting to the table but at the same time being inoffensive and a decent hand. Suppose he's what you'd call a good hand."

[6.0] "I really want to love Damian Priest, because he's clearly one of the most well-liked guys in the locker room, and he's shown plenty of flashes of great matches. However, maybe it's the fault of the booking, but his character work as a babyface actively damages his stock."

[5.0] "I tried so hard to enjoy any of his work but the man is just uncharismatic, have no great performances in the ring and has absolutely useless mic skills. Damian Priest is quite boring and has no greatness with him"

[4.0] "Damien Priest is just a generic good guy, he used to be good when he was with the Judgement Day, but when he left, everything went to shit. He's alright in the ring, but his forced feud with Drew McIntyre is what did it in for me, he also shouldn't have won his feud with Finn Balor. He's alright on the mic"

[8.0] "Priest deserves to be in the main event picture again. He is too good for what Triple H is doing with him. A convincingly terrifying big man who makes up for his just-kinda-aight ring-work with his look, personality and, once-upon-a-time, a great faction beside him. I want the original Judgement Day back, and I want Priest as world champion. That was the most fun I've had watching this company."

[5.0] "It's just impossible to like him at this point. His last 3 feuds have been ones that he shouldn't have one or at least lost more than he did. He always comes out looking victorious. Nobody benefits from feuding with him and it's hard to consider him a great wrestler with that."

[5.0] "Originally, I considered myself somewhat of a fan of Damian, and even defended him from the comparisons to someone like Jack Swagger, but the more I think about it, the more I believe I was wrong and so I am here once again to rewrite my review of Mr. Priest. I find his booking overall frustrating, he always ends up on top in a feud and I don't think he really should, there are so many better wrestlers out there that he is feuding with and constantly going over, the more recent example of Aleister Black is a prime example of why I am so frustrated with Damian's booking. Also, him winning the MITB briefcase over someone more deserving and over like LA Knight in 2023 will go down as a massive down for that year as even though his cash in was legendary, everything that has followed up hasn't been such and has been mediocre to say the least. I don't dislike Priest now or anything, I just wish Trips would stop booking this guy as if he's the future, his crowd reactions don't prove that he is."

[6.0] "Damien Priest is one of those guys that I think I could really enjoy if he was a bit more of a wrecking ball in the ring. Kind of like early 2020s Lance Archer. Instead, I just find him kind of dull."

[6.0] "Damian Priest hasn't exactly set the world on fire, especially as of late. He is alright promo-wise and has solid in-ring work, but his booking post-WHC reign is not something to look fondly upon; a good example of this would be his match against Finn Balor at Bad Blood, which wasn't bad, but the booking was straight-up overkill with him managing to take 3 finishers and still ending up the victor. He can be entertaining but most of the time, Priest can be described as stale as white bread, so it's safe to say that Priest is okay at best. All he really needs is improvement in the promo department in my opinion."

[0.0] "Honestly, I didn't really understand at all the "brilliant" reasoning behind Triple H's idea that Damien Priest would be a great replacement for the potential Championship run of McIntyre, which could have boosted the prestige of the title. Priest is even more unimpressive and a worse champion than Jinder Mahal and Kofi Kingston. He's completely zero. I really didn't see the point of his run. Priest has never legitimately defended his match against a top-tier opponent. He can't talk on the mic, and he has no character. And I think Damien is the worst MITB owner, even despite Austin Theory's existence. His run as Mr. MITB was too dull and boring, and it's no surprise it lasted until WM40. His whole run was just him struggling to cash in properly. Many probably don't even remember his last year's run. Maybe he was good in NXT, but he really self-destructed and stopped working on himself after a year in the main roster."

[7.0] "Damian is pretty good, but he's so cold right now, sucks that they buried Balor to prop him up, only to not do anything with him."

[7.0] "As a wrestler, he is very solid, consistent and underrated, I enjoyed his in ring work overall. He carried himself very well as world champion and tag team champion in the Judgment Day faction. However his current presentation felt stale and aimless to be cared. My dislike toward him has started due to being booked too strong in a feud against Finn Balor who is my all time favourite. Maybe they need to give him a consistent proper booking and change acts."

[5.0] "He's fine I suppose? He isn't a great top babyface as I enjoyed his heel work with JD much more. He's got a good look, is very athletic but nothing about him stands out. He's not very charismatic, his promos aren't usually good and his ring work is fine at best. He's not bad by any means, just better as a Mid card guy than a top guy"

[4.0] "I just don't see anything special with Priest, he's okay in the ring, average on the mic, has a unique look but then his personality is just that he's a dude, why dress like you're the Undertaker if you're just going to act like a normal guy? Nothing about his current iteration works, he was better as the Archer of Infamy, but even then it felt like a guy cosplaying a wrestler"

[7.0] "Damian Priest can play a heel or a face badass so well. He has this certain charm and aura about him that nobody matches with him. His in-ring work is consistent too and he manages to impress most of the time. He can be such a good midcard talent but their is something missing about him when it comes to even be considered a main event talent and that's his mic work, He can hold his own sometimes but most of the time he came off as awkward or cheesy (if you look at his World title run) He's 43 and doesn't have much time left but he's a good worker."

[6.0] "About as mid as it gets. There is nothing special about priest, he's a big man that does big man moves. Promos can range from bad to really good. I'll give him an extra point cause he has fought very hard to get to where he is and I respect that."

[4.0] "A very average wrestler--nothing he does delivers, whether it's on the mic or in the ring. I just can't understand why he's not stuck in the mid-card. It's hard to take him seriously when, in the middle of a promo, he looks around nervously, or when he wrestles, he just goes through the motions with no grit or intensity behind his moves."

[10.0] "I have long admired Damian Priest since his impressive tenure in Ring of Honor, where he showcased his exceptional talent and versatility. His ability to blend high-flying maneuvers with powerful striking makes him a unique performer in the ring, and he consistently captivates audiences with his charisma and storytelling. Achieving the World Championship at WrestleMania XL was a monumental milestone for him, one that he truly deserved after years of hard work and dedication in the industry. His journey to the top has been filled with challenges, and witnessing him fulfill his potential on such a grand stage was nothing short of inspiring. Given his contributions and impact in the wrestling world, I genuinely hope that WWE considers inducting Priest into the Hall of Fame in the near future, as he has certainly earned a place among the legends of the sport."

[8.0] "I don't get the hate for this guy. He may not be top caliber, but he is good in the ring, very versatile, has the look, has decent mic skills. Would make a very good IC champion imo."

[8.0] "Losers on the internet love to hate. I like Damian Priest, he's come so far over the course of the last 5 years. Especially on the mic, he has an incredible voice and can now deliver a very convincing promo."

[5.0] "I used to love Priest as the enforcer of the Judgement Day. That changed however when he started to become a main eventer, and he showed how poor his selling, mic work, and work rate is. And now seeing that his rumored Mania 41 match is against Drew Mcintyre, who he will likely unrightfully go over, I have soured on him even more."

[8.0] "Since he was in NXT in 2020, I always thought that Damian Priest is a Main Event Caliber, and looks like WWE saw that, but it was't easy for, his pre Judgement Day stuff was ups and downs, him joining the judgement day really helped him and he imporved himself, he won MITB, but his run was really bad, yet somehow it gave one of the greatest cash ins pf all time, and his reign was really good, and I always believed he is able to give a good reign, but since he lost the title and turned face, his booking has been ups and downs once again, I hope it improves starting with Elimination Chamber. Overall, he is a really good talent."

[7.0] "A really good in-ring worker that is 50/50 on the stick. Pre-Judgement Day, he was a very interesting character with some iffy storylines. As a tag team guy, he had some really banger matches like at Payback 2023. A really bad MITB reign lead to one of the greatest Cash-Ins ever. A surprisingly good WHC reign and the follow up has been a dud. Really hope he shows out soon. First stop for that, the Chamber!"

[6.0] "I am tired of him. He is not that good to be a main-eventer. Judgement Day stuff, cash-in and world title reign wer not bad but after all that stuff ended he just lost any appeal. He is dragging the soul out of every show he is in. Good guy, not bad wrestler but criminally overpushed and have a very stupid attire. Maybe heel turn will save him."

[6.0] "I really don't see the hype in him, I find him boring both in promos and in the ring, it should be noted that when he was in the judgement day it was good to see him because he adapted well to the group, now in singles I see him very badly."

[3.0] "I'm going to be deadass, a few years ago, I probably would have given him a 7, but he has become beyond one of the least favourites on the current roster. Constantly getting pushed besides his boring gimmick, stale on the microphone, shoved down our throats when you have so much better talent on the roster who are completely ignored. Not really worth being a main eventer, let alone being world champion. That is just my opinion on this current Damian Priest. Once I keep a rating, I normally don't change it unless it's necessary and I am docking my original 5 to a 3."

[9.0] "Damian Priest has one of the best finisher and creative movesets. He's definitly a main-eventer but being overhated, he deserves the big gold again."

[3.0] "Most overpushed shitter second to only "Big Dog Era" Roman Reigns, making him world champ massively exposed how much this dude both in ring and on the mic, his ring work is essentially Undertaker's with even more gratuitous no-selling, which says a lot, his mic work is average at best, with the only thing he can seemingly pull is "ese i'm from the streets dawg", I wouldn't really mind it if he's on the US/IC title scene being dominant against the other midcarders, but he's being treated as a top star now post WM40, and he consistently kills the momentums of basically EVERYONE that he feuds with, Drew, Gunther, Finn (and the wider JD stable), all lost heat after he was done with them. Easily Triple H's worst mistake as a booker favoring him way too much, at the expense of everyone else."

[6.0] "I really like Priest. He was the best part of Judgement Day. But ever since going solo, WWE really hasn't been able to find a good place for him and he has suffered as a character for that."

[8.0] "Has grown significantly since moving to RAW in 2021. His improvement can be seen in both his ability to speak more convincingly and emotionally, and in his matches. Shoud admit even the best wrestler has his Achilles heel. For Damian Priest - it's Finn Balor. Sure, you'll say Priest got a huge win against him in the rivalry, but that's the funny thing, as the feud was disgusting, and Priest got almost nothing out of it. If Damian wasn't the World Champion, I definitely would definitely not have a good opinion of him even now"

[4.0] "Damien Priest is the most MID Men's wrestler I think I've ever seen. There is nothing special about the guy, he's basically the male equivalent of Zoey Stark but for some reason he gets pushed into oblivion instead of the much more talented wrestlers around him, to me he has 1 single standout match and that was against Bad Bunny, other than that I've never thought of him as a great singles wrestler, most of the time he is carried by his opponent. His promos are meaningless and quite often boring and for someone who has over 2 decades of in ring experience, he seemingly couldn't have a single PLE match without a botch affecting the match! How or why he consistently gets pushed down our throats despite excelling in 0 areas is beyond me. I personally think his world title reign is the worst one since Jinder Mahal, and you could argue Kofi Kingston but at least Kofi did great in his matches, Damian just made the summer of 2024 drag on so long. I get you need someone in the Latin America market but in that case, utilise Dragon Lee, utilise Penta now that you have him, utilise Santos because when you give Santos Escobar something to work with, he can honestly really shine (see NXT) or utilise ANDRADE (Literal money machine)."

[8.0] "In some ways, Priest in 2024 feels like an inverted form of Roman Reign's atrocious face run in the mid 2010s; he's been pushed far too strong and to the detriment of others - especially Finn Balor - but as opposed to Reigns at the time, does have the skill to back it up. He was a fun HWC, and I'm excited for his future, but he's a wrestler who needs to take some Ls, especially from someone beyond Gunther. Excited for him in 2025."

[7.0] "An older talent who never got the shot to be the top talent he can be until recently, I was worried I wouldn't enjoy Damian as World Champion, however he was one of the best World champions in WWE in a long time. His character, his in-ring work, and his good charisma work really well together and really enjoy his work overall."

[7.0] "An NXT guy I never expected to go big once he passed that stage of his career, but here we are. He is charismatic, imposing, and with a decent moveset. All in all, a well rounded out wrestler that can deliver a good show more times than not."

[9.0] "I really love him. His deep voice, and his whole persona. Im really hoping he gets another championshiop run again"

[5.0] "Damien Priest is a passable worker with limited charisma who can't cut a promo. He has an above average look, and he looks huge compared to the smaller wrestlers today. But he lacks the "it" factor. He can put on a good match if he's in there with the right wrestler, but he is nothing special. I don't think Priest ever should have been in a main event spot and fighting for, let alone winning, the world title. His best character work and presentation was in NXT. He's been mostly a bore on the main roster. And the Terror Twins run has been just plain bad. Overall, he's an average wrestler that benefits from being in an era with a lot of smaller guys. For that, I rate him a 5/10."

[10.0] "Great wrestler who I've liked since NXT, but 2024 has become a fan favourite. He was great as a Money in the Bank senor, and had a great run with the world title. Every match he has I find interesting, he's good on the mic and he has impressive looks. I think this is a great wrestler."

[7.0] "Damians in a weird spot, he's definitely grown on me from his main roster debut, but Im well aware that he's in his prime, if he was younger; I could say that he could be a contender for future of the company. that said, he's had some amazing matches before being world champion, but despite that he never felt like the main character, (either by following Bad Bunny around, or following Edge, or even Finn and Rhea), I only realized how good he was during his last match and feud as world champion with Gunther where they bring up Luis Martínez real life upbringing and that the first time I felt he was actually more than just a random character. I don't see him being a world champion again, but I want to see more of Damian being a legitimate contender."

[7.0] "Very slowly becoming a good wrestler and earning the spot he's currently in. Has a fantastic look, in-ring he is OK at best... does do some cool stuff at times. His mic work has gotten a lot better. The only thing that really sucks about him is his age, if he was 10 years younger we'd be talking about somebody who could be one of the biggest stars of this generation. Priest is 42 at the time of writing, doesn't mean he's finished by any means, but I think he is slowly coming up to his peak and we'll have to see what happens after that in a few years time."

[8.0] "Use to think he was boring when I first watched his face run in 2021 but after he won the world title I truly realized how good he is. Solid on the mic and great in the ring. Even after he lost the belt he continues to look strong in his wars with the new judgment day. Big things are still to come for him."