One of the many surprises of the 2021 Royal Rumble saw the “Archer of Infamy” Damian Priest make his main roster debut in the Men’s Royal Rumble match. Priest lasted a respectable fifteen minutes in the match, eliminating four other entrants including both The Miz and John Morrison, as well as the “Big Red Machine” Kane. The latter would go on to speak highly of Priest in an interview following theRumble, calling him an “impact player in WWE” and saying he has “a ton of potential”.
The RAW following the Royal Rumble saw Damian Priest make his official main roster debut for the red brand, defeating The Miz in a singles match and possibly starting his first feud on the main roster.
So with the entirety of the RAW men’s locker room ready to meet the former NXT North American Champion, who should the “Archer of Infamy” set his sights on?
1. Drew McIntyre
Both standing at over six foot tall, Priest and McIntyre is a match that comes into the imagination and just screams “Yes please!”. The two have similar wrestling styles, both resorting to an array of strong strikes and power moves to beat down their opponents, both men can also take to the sky pulling out suicide dives should the need arise.
“The Scottish Psychopath” and “The Archer of Infamy have never faced off in singles competition inside or outside of WWE, however it is very possible they will face off in the very near future. With two pay-per-views to go before WrestleMania, it’s entirely possible for the two giants to go one on one for the first time, maybe even with the WWE Championship on the line.
Championship match or not, it will surely be a sight to behold when McIntyre and Priest finally stand across the ring from each other.
2. AJ Styles
Once again, two phenomenal, for lack of a better word, wrestlers who have never faced each other in the ring. In fact, the only match the two have been involved in together was the 2021 Royal Rumble — outside of that they have never crossed paths at any time in their careers.
Unlike Priest, Styles focuses his ability on technical wrestling and high flying, being able to put his opponents in incredible submission situations and take to the sky with his Phenomenal Forearm signature. What a sight it would be to see Priest counter a Phenomenal Forearm into his finisher, The Reckoning.
Whenever these two step into the ring, make sure you’re not doing anything important because you want to give this one your full attention.
3. Keith Lee
Keith Lee and Damian Priest had a fantastic set of matches in NXT over the North American Championship in both a singles match and two Triple Threat matches alongside Dominik Dijakovic. However, aside from several matches at house shows, they have only had one televised singles match against each other.
The two men are incredibly athletic and can lay waste to an opponent with ease using their powerful strikes and athleticism, so it would be a shame if these two never stepped into the ring with each other on the main roster. Lee is also a wrestler with a great future ahead of him so to see them give it their all against one another possibly over the gold would be an opportunity that is too good to pass up.
4. Edge
Veteran vs. new blood: it’s a story wrestling fans know and love. Edge has had a career that wrestlers can only dream of having: 11 time World Champion; 12 time Tag Team Champion, and now two time Royal Rumble winner. The list of accolades goes on, however someone with plenty of accolades to come in his future in WWE is undoubtedly Damian Priest.
Edge has a shot at the WWE Championship at WrestleMania this year, and if he wins, Priest would make the perfect person for Edge to face next. This is less about wrestling ability and more about paving the way for the “new blood” of NXT to make a name for themselves on the main roster, and by having Priest knock off the “Rated R Superstar” for the main championship would be a push deserving of such a talent and would cement Priest as a main eventer.
5. Bobby Lashley
The Hurt Business have been a dominant force on RAW as of late, holding both the RAW Tag Team Championships and the United States Championship. Ever since his first stint in WWE, Bobby Lashley has been a serious athlete. Mixing pro wrestling with his MMA skills, Lashley dominates any time he steps into the ring.
Lashley is currently embroiled in a feud with Matt Riddle, however Riddle is yet to pick up a win against “The Real Deal” and it’s looking very unlikely Riddle will end Lashley’s title reign. This is where Damian Priest steps in. Not only would Priest beating Lashley give him a strong push on the roster, it would also be an incredibly versatile match up.
As mentioned earlier, Lashley boasts a more physical and MMA style of wrestling where Priest, while strong, is more on the agile side, so a match between the two would put strength against speed and would surely be a sight to behold.
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