Damian Priest is WWE’s new World Heavyweight Champion after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract in shocking fashion at WrestleMania 40.
On Monday’s post-WrestleMania WWE Raw, Jey Uso won a #1 contender’s match to become Priest’d first challenger. Priest and Uso both cut promos about each other backstage after the show. While hyping up their upcoming match (date and location TBA), Priest revealed he’s signed a new contract with WWE.
“This has already been a great year for me,” he said. “New contract, new title, new theme song voiced by yours truly. Judgment Day is on fire.”
Priest spent several years wrestling for Ring of Honor (as Punishment Martinez) before signing with WWE in 2018. He was a dominant force in NXT and held the North American Championship before making a surprise appearance in the 2021 WWE Royal Rumble. He joined the Raw brand the following night.
The Judgment Day leader has had great success on the main roster, including runs with the United States Championship, the SmackDown tag titles (2x) and of course, Money in the Bank 2023. The MITB cash-in was planned out months in advance.
I can confirm that Priest’s cash-in was not a last minute booking. WWE planned Damian Priest’s MITB cash-in at Mania for six months.
— Aaron (@AaronVarble) April 9, 2024
All of this, coupled with his World title victory and new contract, demonstrate their faith in Priest to deliver in the ring and drive business.
Damian Priest WrestleMania 40 Videos:
Cash-In and NEW:
Backstage after cashing in Money in the Bank and winning the World Heavyweight championship from Drew McIntyre:
Post-WrestleMania 40 press conference, courtesy of Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture:
