Damian Priest: Edge Called And Said I Was His First Choice For The Judgment Day

At WrestleMania 38, Edge ensured victory over AJ Styles by introducing Damian Priest as his insurance policy, kicking off The Judgment Day stable. 

Since then the two men have welcomed Rhea Ripley into the group forming a formidable trio that is currently feuding with Styles, Finn Balor, and Liv Morgan. 

Appearing on Unlocking The Cage with Jimmy Smith, Priest revealed when he learned about The Judgment Day. 

“Edge, he called me out of the blue. I see his number on my phone, and I’m like a little kid. He’s like, ‘Hey man, I have this idea, I kind of want to form a group and, naturally, you were my first choice.’ I was like, ‘naturally?’ [laughs]. ‘What do you think?’ I was speechless, I started stuttering, I didn’t know how to answer it. ‘I don’t know what the best answer is for you, but this is not even a question. You don’t need to ask, just tell me what I’m doing.’ I was excited. That’s how it happened, he called me to let me know he was thinking this and was like, ‘Would you be interested in this?’ ‘Are you kidding me? You’re Edge. Do you know who you are? Because I know who you are,'” he said. 

The friendship between Edge and Priest started back when Priest was still with NXT and Beth Phoenix was doing commentary for the brand. 

“It’s insane,” Priest said of learning from Edge. “You have inspirations, there are usually more than one, there are a lot of people you can take things from. Edge was 100% one of those for me. There are a lot of similarities; rockstars, that vibe, his swag and attitude. I always looked up to him and I liked his in-ring work and the way he carried himself. Then, here I am in NXT, and Beth was commentating at the time, and she said, ‘You should start talking to Edge because I see the similarities and maybe he can give you some advice.’ I was like, ‘Okay, how do I do that?’ She gave me his number and I remember, it took me a few days — it’s like getting a number from a girl and you don’t know if you should text right away or wait a day or two. I did (text) and since that time, he started giving me advice, for no other reason than to just help, and now I actually get to work alongside him. All I do, nonstop, last night I was on the phone with him. When I finish this interview, I’ll probably call and talk to him again. he loves giving information and allowing me to pick his brain about everything. We’re talking gear, to presentation, to in-ring, to speaking, everything. He’s one of those who, if you need to hear something and you need to fix, he’ll let you know, but he’s the first to praise you on stuff and improvements. I enjoy every second of working with Edge.”

Edge, Priest, & Ripley are set to battle Styles, Balor, & Morgan at WWE Hell in a Cell in a mixed trios match. Priest teased the group having new gear for the match. 

Fans can check out the current lineup for WWE Hell in a Cell by clicking here. 

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