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Mike Johnson: So I want to dive back a couple of months. You had a chance to compete in the 5-on-5 elimination match at the Survivor Series. What was that day like for you? Because this was the first major milestone, cornerstone, WWE Pay-Per-View you had had a chance to compete on outside of an NXT TakeOver, a far bigger arena in many cases than when NXT runs in most places. One of the most historic, one of the longest running WWE Pay-Per-Views of all time. What was that moment like for you on a personal level, and what did it mean for you to be standing there as a rep of the NXT brand up against Raw and SmackDown talents?
Damian Priest: The first thing when I showed up that day to the arena and I stood there and it was empty. They were still setting up the ring. The lightings weren't completely up. They were still working on the ring and everything. And I'm just looking around just thinking that in 1996 the first Pay-Per-View I ever attended was the Survivor Series in '96. The first Pay-Per-View I ever attended by the company. So now the first Pay-Per-View, major Pay-Per-View that I'm going to compete in is the same thing, Survivor Series. That feeling of just knowing that and knowing how all the years that I've beaten my body up and what I've sacrificed, it was in that moment standing there take nothing back. It was all worth it. I am not an emotional guy, but if I was, I would've broke down, because I knew that that was special. I knew it, and I knew that this was an important thing that nobody can take away from me or from history. The NXT brand being on Survivor Series and a featured match, in a traditional Survivor Series match as far as elimination style goes. And I was one of the ones that was chosen and the idea that they weren't sure and they didn't announce who was picked until the day of, that was real. They weren't sure until the day of. Because number one, we weren't sure about who was going to be up to the task following a hellacious TakeOver event, War Games. So when I found out that I was actually going to be in the match, I went nuts. Just because the idea like, "Are you kidding me right now? This is real life, this is really happening?" No better feeling, and especially going there and getting to team with guys that put in the same work and have the same passion. No matter how different we are, we all feel the same way about the business and our brand. We're extremely prideful of our brand. So it was pretty neat. It was a great day as far as just that alone. Everything else, to be honest, was just a blur. I could barely remember anything else. I didn't even enjoy catering, which is my favorite part of going up there is usually catering. I didn't even get to enjoy that fully because I was so focused on enjoying and just being a part of history. And it's not just overall history, it's my history, and I knew it was going to be something special for me. Like we talked, I rarely get to enjoy things that are just for me and that I've accomplished because I'm so like, "Okay, that was cool, but let's do something greater." This was one that I had to actually take in and enjoy because I knew, again, one of those, it's never going to happen again. I'm never going to be able to debut at Survivor Series again. So I had to take this one a little differently, and I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity.
Mike Johnson: And now you're always going to be in the time capsule. You're always going to be part of that history of that event. And that's something to be proud of.
Damian Priest: Yeah. Hell yeah. And it's exciting and it's awesome. Yeah, there's no other word. It's just an awesome feeling.
Mike Johnson: So I know we're starting to run out of time here, but we mentioned earlier the Fatal 4-Way on Wednesday. The winner will get the chance to challenge Roderick Strong for the North American Championship. Roderick Strong's in the upper echelon of in-ring performers right now. He's got a hell of a pedigree, obviously Undisputed Era, and a long lineage of great wrestling matches over the course of his career. Thoughts on the chance to wrestle Roderick Strong for the first time at NXT for the Championship and what your expectations for that would be if we get to see that in the future in NXT.
Damian Priest: Oh, so Roderick and I, we've known each other for a very long time and actually we have barely ever touched inside of a ring, which is crazy being that we were around each other for so many years. But yeah, that's magic. I look forward to it. I know how good he is. I watch the product so to speak, so I watch everything. I know how good everybody is, but Rodney specifically, he's a machine. That's the workers worker, a machine that just goes, goes, goes. And I would love, love to get in the ring with him and see how his work ethic and his intensity, how that matches up with mine and how I go and the way I dictate a pace in a ring. I'd love to see that challenge basically because it's that guy, I mean it doesn't matter who he's in the ring with, he'll try to outwork everybody. And obviously his stamina is through the roof. So I know he's a go, go, go type of guy. So I would love to just feel that and again, feel the physicality because I know he's a hard hitter, and then I'd love to him to feel mine. So yeah, that's something I definitely look forward to, and I definitely think we would have one of those match-of-the-year type candidate matches because of just the dynamic of our personalities and work.
Mike Johnson: Before we get out of here, obviously you're going to be in the ring with Keith Lee and Dijakovic and Cameron Grimes, potentially in the ring Roderick Strong. You mentioned Pete Dunne. We talked a little bit about your matches with Killian Dane. When you walk through that Performance Center later and you look around, is there one personality you're thinking about in your head, you're like, "When I get that chance, I know we're going to tear the house down." Is there anyone else out there that you haven't had the chance to wrestle within the confines of NXT that you know something special's going to happen? And if so, who would you pick to be that person?
Damian Priest: Well, I'm glad you said within the confines and that I haven't had a chance to work with yet because there's plenty of people that I've already worked with, but I would love to do it here. That I haven't? Actually, I guess it comes down to two guys, and I'd have to go with the one. As far as the NXT brand is concerned, Johnny Gargano. Aside from his ability, which is through the roof and obviously his performance level speaks for itself. Guy's always top-notch performance. You know what to expect every single match that he's in. It doesn't matter who it's against. You know what you're going to get. Aside from that, it's the idea of who I am, who Damian Priest is. Johnny Gargano is a guy that wasn't supposed to be anything and became something extremely more. That's made a big-time name for himself. So at the expense of his name, I'd love the name Damian Priest to become even bigger.
Mike Johnson: There you go. And hopefully that's something we'll see in 2020 or beyond. I want to thank you for sitting down and talking to us for a little bit. I know you've got a lot on your plate, including a big match tomorrow evening. If you're not following Damian on Twitter, you should follow him @archerofinfamy, and of course you can see him every Wednesday night on WWE NXT on the USA Network. Sir, nothing but the best wishes to you, your family and your career as you go forward. And we thank you for the time.
Damian Priest: Thanks Mike. Always appreciate it.
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