NXT star Punishment Martinez is now using the name, Damien Priest.

The Sports Business Journal recently published a profile looking at WWE’s talent factory, the Performance Center. Inside the article, the former Punishment Martinez spoke about his new character.

The former MMA star and Ring of Honor wrestler joined NXT in late 2018. As Damien Priest, he’ll be getting a new persona, new music and a new look.

Priest says the new character better reflects who he is in real life, because he’s “always been into the weird, the odd, the dark.”

At 37 years old, Damien Priest is on the older side of the typical WWE recruit. He does not think his age works against him, because at the end of the day, it’s all about how you can perform.

“If I can go at the same level, then age doesn’t matter,” Priest said. “As long as I’m doing a little bit more than you, you will never be on my level. I’m not a patient person, but I’m a positive impatient. I’m not willing to just stand by. I’m going to keep pushing until something sticks.”

Visit the Sports Business Journal to read the full article.

One of WWE’s newest hot signings is ex-ROH Television Champion, Punishment Martinez.

Martinez enjoyed a successful run within ROH, where he was built as a top star with devastating offense throughout his tenure with the company. It’s an attitude and game plan he’ll probably want to implement now that he’s with WWE’s black and yellow brand, NXT.

Punishment recently debuted on NXT TV in a losing effort against another former independent sensation, Matt Riddle.

Although maybe not the debut he would have hoped for, Martinez took a moment to reflect on his journey and the fact he has now officially debuted for WWE.

Posted via the WWE’s Performance Center Twitter account, Punishment had the following to say:

“Man, I’ll be honest, I didn’t know it was ever going to happen,” Martinez confessed. “Working close to 15 years, you kind of…not lose hope…but you don’t think it’s realistic and then to finally experience it? I was shaking.”

“After so many years, you don’t get the shakes anymore, but I couldn’t stop shaking out there,” he said. “I think I’m still shaking a little bit now. It’s surreal, man. I just want to say thank you to anybody that has ever helped me get here. It’s insane.”

https://twitter.com/WWEPC/status/1070490889011806210

What did you think of his debut? Who would you have had him face if not Riddle?

Punishment Martinez is officially a member of the WWE NXT roster as he has made his NXT television debut. WWE taped tonight’s edition of NXT on Wednesday, November 28, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at the Full Sail University. This episode hit the airwaves on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network. 

On this show, Martinez lost to Matt Riddle in the opening match of the show. Back in October, it was announced that the former Ring of Honor TV Champion had signed with the company. Since then, he had been at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida to begin training and eventually, be used on the NXT brand. He made his in-ring debut at an NXT live event back on November 3, 2018.

Martinez finished up with ROH at the TV tapings on September 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Orleans Arena, which was the first batch of episodes taped since their Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event. It was noted at the time in reports that he opted not to sign a new deal with the promotion as he wanted to be free going forward.

It will be interesting to see if WWE books him in a match on the next NXT special. The NXT TakeOver: Phoenix event takes place on Saturday, January 26, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona at the Talking Stick Resort Arena and will air on the WWE Network. Triple H sent out the following post about Martinez on Twitter:

Imposing, unrelenting, focused…
and ready. This is just the beginning for @RealPunishment in @WWENXT – I expect to see big things from him. Congratulations on your debut. pic.twitter.com/YG2Z9mPD3V

— Triple H (@TripleH) December 6, 2018

Punishment Martinez has made his television debut on the WWE NXT brand. Back in October, it was announced that the former Ring of Honor TV Champion had signed with the company.

He lost to Matt Riddle in a singles match at Wednesday’s NXT TV tapings Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University. This episode is expected to air next month on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network. He made his in-ring debut at an NXT live event back on November 3, 2018.

Scoop #6: Welcome Punishment Martinez to NXT! pic.twitter.com/VxfsvATxh3

— Jacob Cohen (@MrJacobCohen) November 28, 2018

If you recall, Martinez finished up with ROH at the TV tapings on September 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Orleans Arena, which was the first batch of episodes taped since their Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event. Martinez was saying his goodbyes to the locker room as this was his final scheduled date for the company. It was noted at the time in reports that he opted not to sign a new deal with the promotion as he wanted to be free going forward.

Since then, he had been at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida to begin training and eventually, be used on the NXT brand.

For years now, once Triple H signs an independent star to a developmental deal to use them on the yellow brand he would have them sitting at ringside for NXT specials. It appears that Martinez might be no different considering that the next special is coming up next month.

We will have full spoilers from the tapings later tonight.

NXT held their latest house show from Fort Pierce on 11/02 and there was some newsworthy events at the event. Former Ring of Honor star Punishment Martinez made his debut for NXT in a losing effort plus the NXT UK Women’s Title was defended.

Here’s the full results from Fort Pierce:

• Nick Miller (w/ Shane Thorne) b. Punishment Martinez – Miller took the win after Martinez was distracted by Thorne
• Mia Yim & Lacey Lane b. Aliyah & Vanessa Borne – Yim took the win after hitting the Seoul Food following a series of ferocious strikes
• Babatunde Aiyegbusi b. Dan Matha – Babatunde took the win over Matha after hitting a huge slam
• Lars Sullivan b. EC3 – Sullivan took the win after hitting the Freak Accident
• Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan b. Humberto Carrillo & Raul Mendoza – Burch and Lorcan took the win after an impressive showing from Luchadors Carrillo and Mendoza
• Keith Lee b. Kassius Ohno – Lee took the win after hitting a SuperNova, this was said to be an incredibly athletic match with both men impressing
• NXT UK Women’s Championship Match – Rhea Ripley b. Nikki Cross – Ripley retained her title after hitting a Pump Handle Slam
• Heavy Machinery & Stacey Ervin Jr. b. The Forgotten Sons (Wesley Blake, Steve Cutler & Jaxson Ryker) – Heavy Machinery took the win after hitting the Trash Compactor, this sent the crowd home happy

Former Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Punishment Martinez has reported to the WWE Performance Center. WWE signed Martinez after he finished up with ROH late last month. WWE Hall Of Famer Diamond Dallas Page posted a photo of himself with all of the talents at the Performance Center.

Martinez was one of the Superstars seen in the photo. “DDP” noted he was at the PC to show the talent how DDP Yoga can help them in the ring, and while recovering from an injury. There is currently no news yet on when Martinez will be making his NXT TV debut. However, it wouldn’t come as a complete shock if fans got their first glimpse of him at NXT Takeover: War Games or later.

“Im down at @WWEPerformCtr again showing these WARRIORS how much @ddpyoga can improve their performance in the ring and help with injuring recovery. #DDPYWORKS I wanna know who your favorite @WWENXT performer is in the picture!”

Im down at @WWEPerformCtr again showing these WARRIORS how much @ddpyoga can improve their performance in the ring and help with injuring recovery. #DDPYWORKS I wanna know who your favorite @WWENXT performer is in the picture! pic.twitter.com/lxX6SKjJ8x

— Diamond Dallas Page (@RealDDP) October 16, 2018

What do you think about WWE bringing in Martinez?

Punishment Martinez is headed to the WWE as Pwinsider.com reports that the former Ring of Honor TV Champion has signed with the company. If you recall, Martinez finished up with ROH at the TV tapings on September 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Orleans Arena, which was the first batch of episodes taped since their Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event.

Martinez was saying his goodbyes to the locker room as this was his final scheduled date for the company. It was noted at the time in reports that he opted not to sign a new deal with the promotion as he wanted to be free going forward.

Now, he is slated to start shortly at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida to begin training and eventually, be used on the NXT brand.

For years now, once Triple H signs an independent star to a developmental deal to use them on the yellow brand he would have them sitting at ringside for NXT specials. It appears that Martinez might be no different considering that the next special is coming up next month.

The NXT TakeOver: Los Angeles event takes place on Saturday, November 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center and will air on the WWE Network. It should be noted that WWE does have scheduled tapings in Winter Park, Florida booked before this show. Thus, it’s possible he makes his promotional debut before then.

Ring of Honor held a set of television tapings yesterday in Las Vegas. The company also held their Death Before Dishonor Friday night in the same venue. According to a report from PW Insider, Punishment Martinez was saying his goodbyes at the show and is believed to be headed to WWE shortly.

Martinez lost the ROH TV title to Jeff Cobb at the event as well. Cobb challenged him for a match on Friday night at Death Before Dishonor after Martinez had defeated Chris Sabin.

Punishment Martinez WWE

36-year-old Luis Martinez is a former martial arts champion in Puerto Rico who got the itch to try wrestling after seeing Carlos Colon’s World Wrestling Council. He began his training at the Monster Factory in 2014 and debuted with Ring of Honor the following year.

He competed in the 2015 Top Prospect tournament but was eliminated in the semi-finals by Lio Rush. ROH signed him anyway, however, and he would also compete in New Japan Pro Wrestling at Honor Rising 2017.

Martinez won his first and only title in Ring of Honor earlier this year. He defeated Silas Young at State of the Art in Dallas on June 16th, 2018. Martinez defended the title 4x total during his reign. He defeated Hangman page, Scorpio Sky, Aaron Solow (hasn’t aired yet), and Chris Sabin at Death Before Dishonor.

THIS FRIDAY – 9e/6p#ROH World TV Champion @ROHPunishment vs @SuperChrisSabin at #ROHDBD!

LIVE on PPV / FREE for #HonorClub VIP – 50% off for Standard Members / @FiteTV

Tickets: https://t.co/6pHX3FVaf5@orleansarena – #ROHVegas pic.twitter.com/cbgLO169Ld

— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) September 25, 2018

ROH held TV tapings on Saturday night (September 29th) in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Orleans Arena. This was an important taping as it’s the first since their Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event that took place on Friday night at the same venue.

Punishment Martinez finished up with Ring of Honor at tapings as PWinsider.com reports that he saying his goodbyes to the locker room as this was his final scheduled date for the company. It was noted that he opted not to sign a new deal with the promotion as he wanted to be free going forward.

ROH TV Tapings Spoilers

Here are the spoilers from the tapings, courtesy of @MrJacobCohen:

– Luchasaurus defeated Hyperstreak

– The Kingdom walk out to the ring to force ring announcer Bobby Cruise to list off Matt Taven’s achievements.

– Kenny King defeated Chase Owens

– Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon doesn’t happen after Bully Ray, Silas Young, and Taylor all beat up on Gordon. After the beatdown, they challenge wrestlers to come out from the back and help Gordon. However, nobody comes out.

– Nick Aldis defeated Christopher Daniels (HonorClub Exclusive Match)

– The Briscoes defeated Coast 2 Coast to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship

– Jeff Cobb defeated Punishment Martinez to become the new ROH World TV Champion

– Tenille Dashwood walked out to the ring to cut a promo about how she’s not doing well physically as she has an autoimmune disease, skin condition, and needs surgery to repair a shoulder injury.

– Marty Scurll defeated Chris Sabin

– Brandi Rhodes defeated Heather Monroe

– Hangman Page defeated Scorpio Sky

– Shane Taylor defeated Eli Isom. After the match, Cheeseburger and Flip Gordon ran down to the ring to make the save as Gordon beats up Taylor with a chair then says he’ll get extreme with Bully Ray any match. It was revealed that next week in Philadelphia there will be a match sees Bully and Gordon bring a wrestler. The stipulation was that if Bully’s guy wins (Silas Young), Bully gets to do whatever to Gordon and vice versa.

– Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham defeated Jushin “Thunder” Liger and KUSHIDA

– Cody defeated Willie Mack to retain NWA World Heavyweight Championship

– Young Bucks defeated The Addiction, Best Friends, and SANADA & EVIL

– The closing segment saw Young Bucks, Cody, Adam Page in the ring to thank the fans. They noted that this was the first time they’ve been together since All In. Cody then teased All In 2 with a hand signal. They added that if ROH returns to Vegas then they don’t want to see any empty seats, it better be sold out.

Ring of Honor Television Champion Punishment Martinez has been added to the “Over the Budget Battle Royal” at All In. The Battle Royal will take place on the “Zero Hour” preshow which airs on WGN.

The winner of the Battle Royal will earn the right to challenge for the ROH World Championship later the same evening.

https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/1034196002138255360

Punishment Martinez Added To “Over Budget” Battle Royal

Martinez is the 11th wrestler to be confirmed for the match so far. The first set of participants was revealed on August 6th. The first announced names were Jordynne Grace, Moose, Rocky Romero, Colt Cabana, and Ethan Page.

Brian Cage, Billy Gunn, Jimmy Jacobs, and Mark Stunt were all confirmed by August 18th. Stunt was booked after a stand-out performance on Joey Janela’s “Lost in New York” pay-per-view earlier this month.

PWG wrestler Brandon Cutler was added to the match on August 23rd.

On a recent episode of “All Us”, Cody explained how he paid for the Over Budget Battle Royal.

“When you look at the ring for the entire show – you look at the canvas, you look at the aprons, the buckles, all the soft goods that make up a professional wrestling ring,” Cody said. “Know that I sold each and every one of them to various collectors so that I could afford the Over Budget Battle Royal.”

Dojo Pro Season 1 Winner, Aaron Solow, is about to receive one of the most important title shots of his career.

Solow won Amazon’s Dojo Pro competition recently and as a result, has earned a shot at the ROH Television title. Ring of Honor just announced when Solow will challenge current champion, Punishment Martinez.

The match will take place in 11 days inside an iconic wrestling venue, the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

#ROH World Television Championship Match at #ROHPhilly TV Taping!
@ROHPunishment vs @dojoprotv's @aaronsolow

Sat Aug 25 @2300Arena
Very limited tix: https://t.co/RvrIVo1hPM
Go in depth: https://t.co/wIdFSI8x5K
Meet & Greets: https://t.co/ckdoqEYrfO pic.twitter.com/IGNPtAzRK7

— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) August 14, 2018

While a talented wrestler in his own right, Solow is perhaps best known to wrestling fans as Bayley’s fiancee. Bayley and Solow met on the California indy scene and became engaged last year.

https://twitter.com/aaronsolow/status/1016766678410162177

Aaron Solow ROH

Solow has wrestled in Ring of Honor previously. He wrestled 5 matches for the promotion in 2014-15. He’s 0-5 all-time in ROH. His one appearance in a televised match with Ring of Honor came in a loss to Adam Page from 2015.

Along with his partner Ricky Starks, Solow has been wrestling with AroLucha, PWR, and WrestleCircus as of late. The team was defeated by the Revival on Monday Night Raw back in January as well.

DOJO Pro

Dojo Pro is a half-hour episodic wrestling show on Amazon Prime. The unique series features a tournament with the winning wrestler earning a title shot in ROH.

Joey Janela, Jeff Cobb, Shane Strickland, and many others take part in the show.

The show features a unique “ladder style” gauntlet tournament with each episode featuring one match. The promotion touts that the episodes are binge-watchable and the reviews have been positive for the 12-episode series.

Ring of Honor has made a change to a key match at the upcoming Best in the World PPV.

Originally, the promotion announced that Punishment Martinez would take on Adam Page in a singles match at this show. However, the promotion had to make a change to this contest once Martinez was able to capture the ROH World Television Title by defeating Silas Young over the weekend at an event in Dallas, TX at Gilley’s Dallas.

Now, Martinez will defend the TV Title against Page in a Street Fight at Best in the World.

JUST ANNOUNCED: New #ROH World TV Champion @ROHPunishment will defend against @theAdamPage in a BALTIMORE STREET FIGHT at #ROHBITW!

Fri June 29 – LIVE on PPV and for #HonorClub VIP
@UMBCEventCenter in #ROHBaltimore
Tickets: https://t.co/l7s3rREu4X
Info: https://t.co/kurmdbN0f5 pic.twitter.com/ZEWq7E923u

— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) June 19, 2018

This event takes place on Friday, June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland at the UMBC Event Center. The event will air on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app. The promotion will be announcing more matches soon.

The Card

ROH World Title Match: Dalton Castle © vs. Cody vs. Marty Scurll

ROH Tag Team Title Match: The Briscoes © vs. The Young Bucks

ROH Six-Man Tag Team Title Match: The Kingdom © vs. Los Ingobernables De Japon

ROH World Title Street Fight: Punishment Martinez © vs. Adam Page

Singles Match: Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon

Eight-Woman Tag Team Match: Sumie Sakai, Jenny Rose, Tenille Dashwood & Mayu Iwatani vs. Kelly Klein, Kagetsu, Hana Kimura & Hazuki

What are your thoughts on this upcoming match?

One Ring of Honor title has changed hands.

ROH held their State of the Art event on Saturday night (June 16, 2018) in Dallas, TX at Gilley’s Dallas. At the event, Punishment Martinez was able to capture the ROH World Television Title by defeating Silas Young.

This comes off him winning a Proving Ground Six Man Mayhem match that also featured Jonathan Gresham, Scorpio Sky, Adam Page, Cheeseburger and Silas Young. This is when Punishment then cashed in his title shot against Young to win the strap.

And newwww! #ROHSOTA pic.twitter.com/DNCp6htzMD

— Adam Wright (@Lord_BBQ) June 17, 2018

Here are the results from this event:

Tenille Dashwood pinned Thunder Rosa.

The Young Bucks defeated The Boys with a double Indy Taker.

The Kingdom defeated Atlantis & Stuka Jr. & Guerrero Maya.

Marty Scurll defeated Jay Lethal and Flip Gordon in a three-way when he forced Gordon to submit to the chicken wing.

Hurricane & Delirious & Mini-Delirious defeated So Cal Uncensored.

ROH Tag Team Champions Briscoes defeated The Killer Elite Squad.

Cody Rhodes defeated Shane Taylor.

Punishment Martinez won a six-way Proving Ground match by defeating ROH TV Champion Silas Young, Hangman Page, Jonathan Gresham, Scorpio Sky and Cheeseburger.

Punishment Martinez defeated Silas Young to become the new ROH TV Champion.

What are your thoughts on this title change? Sound off in the comment section.

After successfully defending his IWGP United States Championship against David Finlay on Tuesday, Jay White already knows who will challenge for his belt next. Ring of Honor announced today that Punishment Martinez has been granted a title shot at the May 11th War of the Worlds show from Toronto.

White and Martinez previously engaged in a feud on ROH programming last year. They wrestled each other 3x during White’s 2017 summer excursion to ROH. Martinez won 2 of the 3 matches including the Las Vegas Street Fight at Death Before Dishonor XV.

IWGP United States Championship 
“Switchblade” Jay White vs. Punishment Martinez

White is just the 2nd ever holder of the IWGP United States Championship. The title was introduced last year at NJPW’s Long Beach shows.

Kenny Omega defeated Tomohiro Ishii in the finals of the 2-day tournament to crown an inaugural champion. He then defended the title 4x successfully with wins over Juice Robinson, Yoshi-Hashi, Beretta, and Chris Jericho. Omega then dropped the title to White at the New Beginning in Sapporo on January 28th, 2018.

After winning the title from Omega, White successfully defended it against Hangman Page at Strong Style Evolved in Long Beach. His win over Finlay on Tuesday main event’ed the Road to Wrestling Dontaku show from Korakuen Hall.

As for Punishment Martinez, the 36-year-old is someone ROH has kept strong ever since his arrival in 2015. He won the Survival of the Fittest tournament in 2017 but dropped his World Title match to Dalton Castle. Martinez lost a #1 contenders match to Marty Scurll at the ROH 16th Anniversary show on March 9th this year. He later defeated Tomohiro Ishii at Supercard of Honor XII.

The IWGP United States Championship is defended on both ROH and NJPW shows, though this will be just the 2nd time the title will be up for grabs on an ROH show. Kenny Omega defended the title against Yoshi-Hashi at War of the Worlds: Chicago last year.

Ring of Honor is gearing up for Supercard of Honor XII, which takes place during WrestleMania 34 weekend on Saturday night, April 7th from New Orleans, Louisiana. Catch the show on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app.

ROH is going up against NXT Takeover just down the road that night – and they’re making noise. The main event of Supercard of Honor will see the first confrontation between former Bullet Club brothers Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega. 

Ring of Honor World Champion Dalton Castle will defend against Marcy Scurll. And now, just announced – Punishment Martinez is slated to take on NJPW badass Tomohiro Ishii in singles competition. With that match, now confirmed:

• ROH World Champion Dalton Castle  vs. Marty Scurll
• Kenny Omega vs. Cody
• Tomohiro Ishii vs. Punishment Martinez

Also signed to appear:

• ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION KENNY KING
• ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE BRISCOES
• ROH WORLD SIX-MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS SOCAL UNCENSORED (CHRISTOPHER
• DANIELS, FRANKIE KAZARIAN, & SCORPIO SKY)
• THE YOUNG BUCKS (MATT & NICK JACKSON)
• ADAM PAGE
• JAY LETHAL
• SILAS YOUNG
• KOTA IBUSHI
• HIROSHI TANAHASHI
• FLIP GORDON
• THE WOMEN OF HONOR CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS AND FINAL

SEScoops’ own Brad Davis will be attending Supercard of Honor in person and we’ll be keeping you updated with all the news leading up to this huge event. 

Supercard of Honor XII takes place on Saturday, 4/7 from New Orleans during WrestleMania weekend. 

Ring of Honor is scheduled to hold a TV taping on January 20th in Nashville, Tennessee at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The promotion has recently announced several matches for the upcoming taping. Here is the current card:

ROH World Title Match: Dalton Castle © vs. Punishment Martinez

Singles Match: Matt Taven vs. Cody

ROH Tag Team Title Match: Motor Machine Guns © vs. Best Friends

ROH Six-Man Tag Team Title Match: Adam Page & The Young Bucks © vs. Social Uncensored

Singles Match: Jay Lethal vs. Flip Gordon

Singles Match: Marty Scurll vs. Shane Taylor