Reason Damian Priest's Money in the Bank botch was forced to happen; why title change didn't happen - Reports

Damian Priest ended up in the middle of an unfortunate botch at Money in the Bank. The potential reason for the botch has now emerged in the middle of all the controversy.

The star faced Seth Rollins in a World Heavyweight Title match at the show, but things didn't go exactly according to plan. Although Priest is still the champion, the bout went a bit sideways when Drew McIntyre cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase. That still didn't lead to a title change, as an unexpected attack by CM Punk saw Priest retain his gold, with McIntyre caught unawares.

Unfortunately, before the cash-in, Seth Rollins hit Damian Priest with the Falcon Arrow, and the star's shoulder stayed down through the three count. Usually, a referee is supposed to call the bout as a shoot then and there, even if it means a title change. In usual circumstances, the match official would have been expected to count through and award the title to Rollins.

However, due to the plans being in place for the title and the match, that was not an option this time. With Priest's shoulder staying down, the referee was forced to ignore it and let it be a botch, pretending that Priest had actually kicked out, as per a report by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

With that being the case, the moment remained a controversial one throughout the night and was left as an unfortunate talking point, much to Triple H's dismay.

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Damian Priest has yet to speak of the controversy

Fans will have to wait till RAW to see if Damian Priest addresses the controversy himself or not.

At the end of the day, he was able to retain the title without any outside help from The Judgment Day, with him keeping his word about the same.

Also, with both Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre furious with CM Punk, it is uncertain who will challenge him next. Rollins can no longer do so, according to the conditions of the match.