WWE NXT North American Champion Damian Priest was interviewed this week on Corey Graves’ “After The Bell” podcast.
Priest was on the show to talk about his bond with other NXT stars, his past life in the bar scene, impromptu hot tub sessions, finding his voice as The Archer of Infamy and more.
Here are some highlights:
Priest talked about his friendships with Matt Riddle and Keith Lee: “One of my best friends in the world is Matt Riddle. I helped train Matt at the Monster Factory for a while. We formed a bond in those years we were together and we were actually a team on the indies for a little bit. Keith Lee is also one of my best friends in the business. I met him in Ring of Honor but we really got close in NXT. We have the same mentality. The same drive. The same passion and positivity. The three of us together were always a unit. When we have to room together, it’s always a pair of the three of us.”
Priest talked about the advice given to him from Triple H: “I would try to look at how the major superstars carried themselves and the presentation they gave before they even locked up before the bell even rang. I would try to implement that with me. I think I always stood out a little bit because of that as far as, ok, he is not just like every other guy here who comes out with kick pads and does a lot of stuff. I had a full presentation. When I got hired here, that was one of the first things that Hunter told me. He said, dude, there is no shortage of good wrestlers. Everybody here is good. That’s why they work here. He said I can hire anybody if I want to hire a good wrestler. He said it was the idea of something special with you. That’s what I saw and that’s why I brought you in. I really believe we can do something more with you that you never have been able to do before. I thought that was cool because that meant that obviously something I did worked outside of just in ring performance. It was the idea of what I can be, not just what I am.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit After The Bell with Corey Graves with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription
