Damian Priest Returns To WWE Raw For First Time Over A Month
Whatever the reason for his absence, the former NXT North American Champion was back on Raw.
Damian Priest's absence from WWE programming is over.
The former NXT North American Champion was back on Raw last night, fighting in a battle royal to determine who would take Randy Orton's place in a Money in the Bank 2021 qualification Triple Threat later on. He was in the bout all the way to the end, as it boiled down to him and Riddle, but was eliminated when his opponent knocked him off the apron with a knee strike.
This was the first time Priest had wrestled for WWE since Raw's 17 May episode. He beat John Morrison that night, following up on his WrestleMania Backlash victory over The Miz in a zombie-tainted lumberjack match, before taking a hiatus that ended up stretching for over one month.
There were conflicting reports on Priest's absence, ranging from a suspected back injury to undisclosed reasons.
Priest also appeared backstage later in the show, wishing Riddle luck against AJ Styles and Drew McIntyre in the main event, adding that Orton was lucky to have the former UFC fighter as a friend. Riddle ended up failing in the Triple Threat, with McIntyre prevailing.