At Sunday night’s WWE WrestleMania 40 (Night Two) pay-per-view event, Damian Priest successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Drew McIntyre just moments after the latter had defeated Seth Rollins.
Speaking on the post-WWE WrestleMania 40 (Night Two) media call, Priest commented on where he fits in the new era of WWE going forward, being the first Puerto Rican champion in 50 years, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the media scrum below:
On being the first Puerto Rican champion in 50 years: “I think everybody by now knows how proud I am and how how adamant I am about cultural representation. I didn’t do this alone. I think I had not just an island behind me, I had a whole culture. And it’s one of the most proud things I’ve accomplishes is just being able to represent and getting people to represent their cultures no matter where they are from. Being a representative of WWE, I could not be prouder of my people.”
On where he fits in the new era of WWE going forward: “Where we’re going, where we’re headed? I have no idea. This is a new era in the company. Everybody can feel it, everybody can sense it. We’re on a roller coaster, we don’t know where this is headed. But this ride? It’s gonna take a minute. We are cooking right now. Obviously, all our sellouts, the business we are doing, the amount of eyeballs, this is the hottest the business has ever been.
“Everybody likes to compare us to the Attitude Era? Man, we’re doing some things the Attitude era would have dreamed of. And I’m proud to be one of the figureheads right now. And with this, I solidify myself as one of the people that we’re gonna be looking at as to lead. And that’s something that I’m humbled and proud of. “How do I keep myself here? You know, [laughs] the same thing I’ve been doing. Just be better tomorrow than I was yesterday.”
On living up to the title’s reputation as the workhorse title: “Last year, I believe I was #3 in most overall matches. If not mistaken, I believe I was #1 in TV matches. I’d double the amount of TV matches if I could. The idea of this being the workhorse championship? Bring it. That’s what I wanna do, I want it all. Obviously, we know our champions’ schedules change. When you’re the guy or one of the guys, or one of the girls, a lot is asked of you. Give me the questions; I’d love to give the answers.
“Seth set a precedent with this title. And it’d be disrespectful not to honor what he’s done. And I’m one of the first guys to say thank you to what he did when he brought another championship to a level that was important to the entire roster. And I plan to do it justice.”
On his advice to newcomers looking to him: “About 10 years ago, I was homeless. I’m sitting in front of you as the World Heavyweight Champion in WWE. Nobody thought I would be on this stage. And I even doubted myself. Then I decided one day to the next, just, ‘What am I doing with my life? If this is my dream, you should be the hardest worker for your own dream.’ Because it’s yours, not anyone else’s. I’m the example for people who don’t know or aren’t sure if they can achieve something. if I did it, literally anybody could achieve their stuff. Because like I said, there were points that I had no business being here. You bust your ass and you do everything in a positive way, I truly, truly believe that there’s nothing you can’t achieve. So for anybody that’s not sure of something? Look what I just did at WrestleMania.”