While Damian Priest emerged with his WWE World Heavyweight Championship still in hand after WWE Money in the Bank, he also emerged to viral videos highlighting an in-ring mistake of his. The mistake in reference occurred when Seth Rollins laid out Priest with a Falcon Arrow, to which Priest was meant to kick out of. As the referee’s hand inched closer to the three count, though, Priest’s shoulder remained firmly planted on the mat. Nevertheless, the referee ruled that Priest had kicked out of the pinfall attempt. At the Money in the Bank post-show press conference, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressed the confusing spot.
“Human beings in a ring, mistakes happen, things happen. It is what it is,” Levesque said. “It’s funny, for me, now looking at that, if that was something I was involved in as a talent, I don’t care how good the rest of it was, that would be all I would think about. To me, it’s a shame that that’s all people will talk about, and that’s all people will hit Damian Priest with, while he had a phenomenal performance tonight. But a bunch of people will attack that, criticize that, comment on that.”
Knowing that the negative aspects of a match can sometimes eclipse the positive, Levesque further wishes he could have powered off Priest’s phone to allow him the proper space and time to reflect on all the shining moments in his WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign. “He has stepped up to a place where when you see him as a performer now, I feel like I’m watching a champion come out. I feel like I’m watching a top tier guy,” Levesque said.
Despite the questions surrounding Priest’s kickout, or lack thereof, Levesque asserts that the referee’s decision stands, and Priest remains the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Looking ahead, Priest now turns his attention to WWE SummerSlam, where he is slated to defend his title against the 2024 King of the Ring, GUNTHER.
Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to WWE
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