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Damian Priest Shares Inspiring Advice Triple H Gave Him After Signing With WWE

Originally posted on The Sportster | By Matthew Guyett | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 12:15 PM ET

Damian Priest has opened up on the advice Triple H gave him early in his WWE career that has helped him become a leader in the locker room.

The 42-year-old is a fan favourite and one of the most popular wrestlers, both in and out of the ring, who connects with fans and his peers. A former World Heavyweight Champion, he has followed in the footsteps of several of his heroes, including The Undertaker, Scott Hall, and X-Pac.

Damian Priest Shares Triple H Advice

Another WWE icon whom Priest looks up to is Triple H, the company's Chief Content Officer, who has overseen the Archer of Infamy's rise from NXT prospect to world champion. He has been with Paul Levesque every step of the way, including in developmental, when he first set foot in the promotion.

Priest highlighted the impact Levesque has had on his career by detailing advice he was given after signing with the WWE in 2018. He told the MLB Network Podcast:

"You know Triple H is one of those (who have impacted my career), and his main thing when I first signed with WWE and the way I treated everybody and the way they treated me and how people responded. His thing was always, 'wrestling's great and all, a lot of guys can do a lot of cool moves, and they could do poses, and they could talk really well. It's everything else, it's the human being that you are and the leadership that you can command, ' and he goes, 'that's what you want to do here'. That was like one of the big ones."

Priest's career took off when he was recruited into The Judgment Day by original leader Edge (now known as COPE in AEW) back in April 2022. His fame grew while working alongside Rhea Ripley, his 'Terror Twin", as well as Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh and Carlito.

A 118-day world championship reign arrived in mid-2024 thanks to a shocking cash-in on Seth Rollins at WrestleMania XL. He became a babyface and had earned the respect of both the roster and fans thanks to his hard work and dedication to make it to the top of the business.

Triple H Hailed Priest's Adaptation to WWE

Priest spent years on the independent circuit under the moniker Punishment Martinez and earned plaudits for his brutal ring style. There were some who were concerned this wouldn't translate well into the WWE style, but he had no problems with anything thrown at him.

Triple H spoke glowingly of how Priest was "a sponge" upon working with him in NXT, as the former ROH World Television Champion became NXT North American Champion. He said (via ESPN's Cheap Heat) back in April 2021:

"I looked at Damian Priest, I've seen him for years, and I thought 'man this kid is talented'. Everything I know and have heard about him are positives on all levels. Then he came in to work with us, I remember, at a little bit of an older age right, but I was like 'Man, this kid can get it all together.' But when I met him and started working with him, I'm like 'Man, He's just like a sponge', he's just never had anyone help him get to where he needed to be.

He added:

"Once that light bulb started going off for him, I was like 'This is a game changer for him', He's a little bit older but he's in good shape. He's finally getting the opportunity to put all those pieces together because he wasn't afraid of the change and that challenge."

Priest has been on WWE's main roster since January 2021, and his switch to SmackDown earlier this year has seen him battling it out in the midcard. He's now a former world champion, United States Champion, tag team champion and Money in the Bank holder who has all the tools to help lead the company in its new era.

This article first appeared on The Sportster and was syndicated with permission.

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