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Damian Priest is one of the top stars in WWE. While he's yet to become a main eventer and world champion, he has managed to win several titles during his time with the company. Priest is a former United States Champion and a former North American Champion.
In addition to his title success, Damian is part of the dominant Judgment Day faction alongside Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley, and Dominik Mysterio. The group formed in 2022 under WWE Hall of Famer Edge and have been a menace to the locker room ever since.
Overall, Priest had a solid 2022. He started the year as the United States Champion before joining Edge's side around WrestleMania. From there, he betrayed Edge and the group has left several Hall of Famers battered and broken.
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With 2022 now in the rearview mirror, Damian Priest's future is now up in the air. Will he manage to become a champion in 2023? Will he even remain part of Judgment Day? What direction will his career take?
Below are five possible directions for WWE's Damian Priest in 2023.
#5. He could become the official leader of The Judgment Day
The Judgment Day has proven to be an impressive faction. Finn Balor is a former Universal Champion. Rhea Ripley is a former RAW Women's Champion. Damian Priest is a former United States Champion. Even Dominik Mysterio is a former SmackDown Tag Team Champion.
While they're all successful individually, the stable is yet to win gold as a collective. A possible reason for this comes down to leadership, or a lackthereof. After the group kicked Edge out of the stable, they now claim there is no leader in the faction. With no leader comes no direction.
Priest could ultimately choose to step up and take over as leader of Judgment Day in 2023. WWE's most menacing faction needs to win titles if they wish to be on the level of The Bloodline and other legendary stables. Priest's leadership may get them to that point.
#4. Damian Priest may pursue a world championship
The biggest goal of any superstar in WWE is to become world champion. The stars of the women's division want to obtain the RAW or SmackDown Women's Championship. Male superstars want to claim the WWE Title or the Universal Championship.
Unfortunately, for the men on WWE's roster, Roman Reigns currently lays claim to both major titles. He has had the run of a lifetime, holding onto the Universal Championship specifically since the summer of 2020.
While Roman Reigns has appeared unbeatable, nobody is truly incapable of being defeated. Damian Priest is talented, quick, powerful, and experienced. Perhaps most importantly, The Archer Of Infamy is hungry for success. He could surprise the world and become a major world champion sometime in 2023. Either by defeating Roman or by battling somebody else.
#3. He could potentially leave the brooding faction
Judgment Day seems like a pretty happy group despite their menacing ways. The group's members all seemingly get along well with each other and they all share a similar passion. That passion, of course, is making the lives of others as miserable as possible.
Still, there's no guarantee that the group will remain intact come 2023. They could have an unfortunate separation due to personal issues and animosity sprouting among the individuals. Another very real possibility is that the group ends up separated due to a draft of some kind.
Regardless of how it happens, Priest may end up going solo come the new year. Due to his immense talent, speed, and size, he'll no doubt find success on his own. Could he regain the United States Championship or even challenge for the Intercontinental Title? If he splits from the group, never say never.
#2. He and Finn Balor could challenge The Usos for the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles
Damian Priest has a history of singles success, specifically in the mid-card. On NXT, the big man won the North American Championship. He's also captured the United States Title while on WWE Monday Night RAW.
Even when Priest wrestled for Ring of Honor as Punishment Martinez, Damian won the ROH World Television Championship. While he's had a fair bit of singles success, he's yet to win a major tag team title.
This could change come 2023. Given that Damian is part of a successful faction, he could team up with a stablemate to challenge The Usos for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Titles. With Balor's level of experience, the two could potentially defeat the seemingly unstoppable twin brother duo. Damian could also team up with Dominik, but that feels less likely
#1. Priest could turn babyface
Damian Priest's character shift since joining the main roster has been very notable. The Archer Of Infamy was essentially a generic cool babyface for quite some time. His gimmick then shifted to that of someone who could snap at a moment's notice and unleash his "inner Damian".
From there, the angry Priest became a full-time heel, eventually joining The Judgment Day, and the rest, as they say, is history. While he portrays a quality menacing bad guy, 2023 could see Damian revert back to his previous character alignment.
The big man has a cool factor that very few in the company can match. Fans want to like him, and his athletic big man style only further endears him to the audience. Priest could end up fighting top heels on RAW such as Austin Theory or Bobby Lashley while firmly establishing himself as a hero once again. A popular babyface on the roster certainly can't hurt.
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