Damian Priest Reportedly Earns Trust Of WWE Officials For Stellar Backlash Match

WWE broadcasted the Backlash pay-per-view live from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and while it marked the pro wrestling giant's return to the island for the first time since 2005, one match every pro wrestling fan had praise for was the one between Damian Priest and Bad Bunny.

Full credit goes to the 17,944 fans at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot for staying involved throughout the event, but their biggest pop was reserved for their hometown kid in Bad Bunny.

Priest and Bad Bunny were previously involved in a tag team match at WrestleMania 37 where they defeated The Miz and John Morrison, drawing massive praise from fans and pundits alike.

The same happened with their Backlash match as it was contested under street fight rules, meaning that the only way to gain a victory was either by pinfall or submission.

Pro Wrestling Insider reported, citing unnamed sources, that "[t]here was a ton of praise internally for all the work Damian Priest has done in recent months to level himself up, culminating with the San Juan Street Fight this past weekend."

One source told the outlet, via Ringside News, that Priest is now seen as one of the "top-level players" in the company. International Business Times could not independently verify this information.

Priest has already found success on the main roster after spending a few years in their developmental territory of NXT, culminating with stints holding the NXT North American Championship and United States Championship.

It should be noted that his reign with the U.S. title lasted 191 days, the longest in the current decade, though it is projected to be surpassed by Austin Theory's current reign, which is now at 163 days.

Going back to Priest's involvement with Bad Bunny at the Backlash match, both men looked like bona fide stars throughout the 25-minute affair.

The hip-hop star's love for pro wrestling again shone through as he went move for move with Priest and did not look out of place at all as he was able to sell the moves Priest did on him convincingly well.

Arguably the biggest spot of the match happened at around the 10-minute mark as Priest drove Bunny through a pair of tables near the technician's area with a signature Broken Arrow maneuver.

Many expected the match to be a hard-hitting affair, but few would have believed that Bad Bunny would agree to such a high-risk maneuver. For Priest to deliver it safely to a music star whose value is around $40 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, deserves all the praise in the world.

The man once known as "Punisher Martinez" outside of WWE has only gotten better under WWE's umbrella, and with his big-time performance with Bad Bunny at Backlash, WWE has found another steady-handed star that it can place in such types of guest matches.