Triple H Defends Damian Priest After Unfortunate Botch at WWE Money in the Bank

Damian Priest has been dominating Monday Night RAW as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for the past few months, but he suffered a major botch at Money in the Bank this week. In light of the botch, Triple H came to The Archer of Infamy’s defense.

Seth Rollins and Damian Priest engaged in a gripping World Heavyweight Title match at Money in the Bank, keeping Toronto fans on the edge of their seats with numerous near-falls. One particular moment that stood out was a close two-count by the referee on Damian Priest.

Keen-eyed viewers observed that Priest did not actually kick out as Rollins pinned him during the match. The referee paused briefly after reaching two, giving the impression that Priest had kicked out. Drew McIntyre would then cash in his Money in the Bank and insert himself into the match.

Rollins maintained his focus and carried on with the match, showing his trademark disbelief when an opponent survives a signature move. Ultimately, Priest retained the title by delivering his finisher to McIntyre after CM Punk’s interference.

While speaking during the post-show press conference, Triple H addressed the botch. He stated that mistakes happen in the ring. He expressed that if he were involved in such a situation as a talent, it would dominate his thoughts, regardless of how good the rest of the performance was.

Triple H said it was a shame that this moment would overshadow Damian Priest’s excellent performance that night. He wasn’t happy that people would focus on criticizing that one mistake rather than acknowledging the overall success and the effort Priest has put into his role as World Champion. He wished he could isolate Priest from the negativity and help him focus on the positives of his performance and the successful streak he’s been on.

Triple H praised Priest’s journey and accomplishments, noting that Priest has earned his place as a top-tier performer. He commended Priest’s transformation and dedication, recognizing his late-career success, which many thought was unattainable. Triple H expressed immense pride in Priest’s achievements, pointing out his incredible shape and performance level.

“Human beings in a ring, mistakes happen, things happen, it is what it is. 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.

“And 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.

“I don’t know why, that’s just the negative so outweighs the positive sometimes. And to me, I wish I could just go in the back, shut off his phone, have no-one talk to him for a while, and just have him think about all the other great stuff that happened in that, and the roll that he’s been on, and how great of a job he has done as World Champion.

“And what he’s done to get there and deserve it, because he deserves all the credit in the world for all those things, and 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.

“That’s on him, that’s how he has handled himself and made himself own that position. He’s done an incredible job of it. I’m incredibly proud of him as a performer. Late in his career, right? To get to this level, something that no-one thought he would ever be able to do, he’s got himself in incredible shape, done an unbelievable job.

“I hate for it to be like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re that guy that didn’t kick out the one time’. That’s the shame part to me, because his performance tonight was off the charts, as was Seth’s, as was Drew’s, as was Punk’s, as was everybody else in this show tonight. It’s just the way the world works.”

We will have to wait and see how Damian Priest will be booked as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion in the coming weeks, as it is clear he will be defending his title against Gunther at SummerSlam next month.

Do you feel the botch could have been avoided? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!