10 Things You Didn't Know About Damian Priest's Wrestling Career Before WWE

At this point in time, Damian Priest is someone that fans are well aware of as a wrestler as he has achieved plenty in the world of WWE. From impressing in NXT to a run as United States Champion all the way to teaming with Bad Bunny and being in The Judgment Day, he's been busy.

However, while fans know a lot about his career when working for WWE, the same cannot be said for what he did prior to signing that contract. Priest didn't kickstart his career with the company, and there is plenty that people aren't aware of from that period.

10 Trained At The Monster Factory

Every wrestler has to learn and develop their skills somewhere, and for Damian Priest that was Monster Factory. This training school that is run by Danny Cage, is highly respected within the industry and has proven to be one of the best places for young talent to learn and develop.

Priest cut his teeth there, learning the basics as he then also got to work several matches as well. Over the years the likes of Big Show, Sheamus, and Matt Riddle have all had the chance to learn and develop in the Monster Factory, which showcases the high quality of training.

9 Using A Different Name

There are plenty of wrestlers over recent years that have come from the independent scene and have been able to keep the same name that they used on the independent scene. Damian Priest was not one of those people, as the name fans now know and associate with him isn't what he used on the independent scene.

He went through a couple of names during that period of his career, but the one that helped to make him a star was Punishment Martinez. It was a great name that helped to make him a star, but it isn't something that a lot of wrestling fans are aware of.

8 ROH Top Prospect Tournament

The Ring Of Honor Top Prospect tournament is something that used to take place annually, with exciting young wrestlers competing in knockout matches where the eventual winner earned a contract with the company, and a shot at the ROH World Championship.

This always brings some exciting wrestlers together, with the matches normally being exciting due to the talents pushing themselves to the limit. Damian Priest was part of that in 2016, but he ended up falling short by losing in the semi-final to eventual tournament winner Lio Rush.

7 Working With Experience

Damian Priest was a young wrestler when he first joined the Ring Of Honor roster, and he developed a lot of his talent back at that point. He was able to work alongside real experience then as he joined a faction alongside B.J. Whitmer and Kevin Sullivan, turning heel in the process.

This was a big part of his development, and is an aspect of his career that a lot of people probably forgot about or weren't aware of in the first place. However, the fact he was placed alongside them showcased the fact that ROH had faith in him as a wrestler.

6 Feuding With War Machine

One of Damian Priest's most memorable storylines before joining WWE saw him working in the Ring Of Honor tag team division against a team that is also now part of the WWE roster, The Viking Raider. Erik and Ivar were known as War Machine back then, and the duo were a top unit for ROH.

They competed against Priest and B.J. Whitmer, with the two men attempting to become ROH Tag Team Champions. Ultimately, they fell short of their attempts, with War Machine coming out on top of their battles.

5 Being Homeless

Something that many fans won't know about Damian Priest's life before WWE is the fact that he ended up being homeless at one point as the business wasn't paying him enough in the early stages. He ended up living out of his car in order to stay committed to wrestling, making that his priority.

The fact that Priest continued to try and push to become a wrestler says a lot about him as a performer, and his desire to be a professional wrestler, which eventually worked out to his benefit.

4 Turned Down A ROH Contract

Damian Priest made a big impact during his time on the Ring Of Honor roster he was able to make a big impact, so much so that the company did try to keep him around longer. When his contract came to an end with the promotion they offered him a new deal to try and make him stay.

However, that was something that Priest ended up turning down, clearly because he had plans to land a deal with WWE which he was able to achieve, making the choice to move on in his career.

3 Opportunities With New Japan

Damian Priest's work with Ring Of Honor is what helped to establish him as a top-tier name in the business that fans wanted to see transition to WWE. However, at that time the promotion had a connection with New Japan Pro Wrestling, and that allowed Priest to get even more exposure.

He competed on several events that brought the two promotions together, allowing him to wrestle different styles, and work in front of a new set of fans, all of which developed his experience.

2 Losing Weight

The physique of a professional wrestler often changes throughout their careers as talent learn how to diet and work out better, and they also want to adapt themselves and their styles. That was certainly the case for Damian Priest, as he lost an incredible amount of weight throughout his independent wrestling career.

He started out his journey in professional wrestling far heavier than he is today, with that being the style that he wanted to display. However, throughout that time he cut his weight, and ended up as he is today, which highlights a lot of dedication and hard work.

1 ROH World Television Champion

One of Damian Priest's biggest accomplishments in the wrestling business came when he won the Ring Of Honor World Television Championship. It was his first major title in wrestling, and proved that the company felt that he was a top prospect for the business.

Priest backed up that decision by putting together some strong performances inside the ring for the company, and that was something that he got rewarded for. This title has been held by plenty of fantastic wrestlers over the years, and adding Priest's name to that lineage was a big sign for his future.