Damian Priest: “To be champion after Eddie Guerrero is extraordinary, Italy? I can’t wait.”
A proud champion, a man who can't wait to discover Italy.
Damian Priest è the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, a title achieved at WrestleMania XL by cashing in the Money in The Bank on Drew McIntyre who had in turn just defeated previous champion Seth Rollins in one of the most iconic moments of the historic event. The 1982-class wrestler è però also one of the company's up-and-coming names, a proud representative of Latin culture (he has Puerto Rican roots) and a man who is looking forward to getting to know Italy up close for the first time. In fact, he will be among the protagonists of the WWE Live event to be held in Bologna, at the Unipol Arena, next May 1° starting at 8 p.m. And the fresh Raw champion clearly expressed all these concepts speaking to the Italian press, answering some questions also posed by Sportal.it.
So much è for example, was Damian Priest's emotion when Sportal.it pointed out that his triumph at WrestleMania è came exactly twenty years after the consecration of another Latin American wrestling hero: Eddie Guerrero, who in 2004 was champion in the same event. "I had not thought about it, actually; this anniversary makes my victory even more special,” admitted the World Heavyweight Champion. “Everyone knows how much I care about my home culture. I am a Latino athlete, and I am really proud of that. I am the first Puerto Rican WWE World Heavyweight Champion in 50 years, and that has a huge importance for me. I feel honored, because ité è a privilege to represent an entire culture and make so many people proud. Plus there's this anniversary, which I hadn't thought about, and it's extraordinarily nice to have made history alongside a legend like Eddie Guerrero".
At the microphones of Sportal.co.uk Damian Priest also traced his rise in recent years, and the weight he has had from those who have accompanied him to the WWE rings: "È been very important. I start with Bad Bunny. The cultural representation we were able to achieve, convincing even fans to watch the product, combined with what we were able to do together in the ring, è was crucial to my success. People started to know my name because of him. Edge, when he was by my side, guided me and allowed me to reach a level that I had never reached. And he made it really easy for me, turning out to be a mentor for me. Now I have Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley next to me, who are mostly friends. We travel together, we have fun together, we love every second of the time we share. And è it’s crucial, becauseé you can do the work you’ve always dreamed of. But if you’re not happy with your colleagues, it’s not è the same thing. I, on the other hand, am lucky enough to do what I love with people I love".
During the same interview Damian Priest then emphasized how happy he is to perform in Italy, in Bologna, next May 1 for the WWE Live event: "This è the first time for me in Europe, and therefore in Italy. And for me è reason for great excitement. I am so excited, and I think I can say that on behalf of the whole WWE. There are places we visit more often, and obviously meeting those fans è special. We would miss that. But when we go to countries where wrestling opportunities are more ù rare, è even better. The adrenaline you feel è uncontrollable, I don't know how to explain it".
"Sometimes, after WrestleMania, everyone in WWE is tired. Also becauseé we come from other tours, we usually just want to stop for a while&39; to rest. This time forò we are all buzzing and looking forward to being in Italy. Both to wrestle in front of Italian fans and to visit your country, discover the beautiful places there, eat great food. But most of all we can't wait to meet you Italians, because you are waiting for us with great passion and I know how much enthusiasm you will give us", added Damian Priest.
