Damian Priest, other WWE RAW wrestlers coming to Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena often resonates with the sound of skates on ice, hoops on hard court and top rockers singing at the top of their lungs.
On Feb. 28, when WWE RAW comes to Columbus, the Downtown arena will be the site of body slams, chokeslams, trash-talking from the microphone — and thousands of fans enjoying every minute of the mayhem.
Among other superstars, the reigning WWE United States champion Damian Priest — a 39-year-old native New Yorker whose actual name is Luis Martinez — will be in the ring and ready to rumble. Ahead of the upcoming event, Priest recently spoke by phone with The Dispatch.
Question: You were born in New York and grew up in Puerto Rico. When did you first become interested in professional wrestling?
Priest: Growing up in Puerto Rico, wrestling is huge. It’s almost like another religion out there. Naturally, my friends and I would watch. That’s how I started to gain this love for the business. When I moved back to New York, being able to attend shows regularly, like at Madison Square Garden, and seeing these superheroes, I just remember thinking: “Man, I want to make people feel the way they make me feel.” I was just enamored with them.
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I used to fight when I was younger, did a lot of martial arts (and) won some championships. UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) was still in its infancy, so I never thought there would be a future in just martial arts.
Q: What was it about wrestling that drew you in?
Priest: It was a combination of everything. Because of the martial arts, I enjoyed physicality—that combat atmosphere. Then I’ve always been a fan of comics and superheroes and such, and that’s what I saw. I saw superheroes and supervillains, but real-life ones you could actually see and touch and get emotionally invested in. Plus, the entertainment side, where you see the spectacle that it is, with the pyro and everything. I always was a fan of music as well, rock concerts and . . . seeing those performances. To me, I was like, “Well, I get to be every version of everything I like in one.”
Q: What are you trying to project as Damian Priest in the ring?
Priest: It’s funny, when people say, “What’s the character and the real?” For me, it’s a revolving door because sometimes it’s blurred. It’s who I am. I am everything I just said: the rock star, the fighter, the superhero. I try to implement that with my look — the way I wear my beard, the way I walk, the way I talk — and then obviously my martial-arts background shows off in the ring as far as my fighting style.
Damian Priest is very much that larger-than-life rock-star fighter that loves living life to the fullest every day, and wants to do whatever he can to make sure his name lives forever.
Q: Does WWE have a global reach at this point?
Priest: It’s crazy. I’ve been around this business for 18 years now, and just a little over four years with the WWE, and you know WWE is big. You know it’s popular, everybody knows what WWE is, but now being on this side and seeing how many people know who I am in China and India and Saudi Arabia and Japan, it’s like, “What?” The WWE is not an American company anymore. We might be based here, but we’re a global company.
Q: Are crowds the same everywhere?
Priest: It’s the same, where you see thousands of people excited to see you perform, but it’s different because obviously we’re here more often in the United States, so our fan base here has more opportunities to experience us. When we visit (other countries), they know that it’s special, because they don’t know the next time they’re going to be able to see us.
Q: Is your martial arts background a big advantage in the ring?
Priest: Absolutely. Anybody who watches me can see my style is definitely heavily influenced with martial arts. It’s a combination of martial arts and professional wrestling. Especially when I first started in training, it made my transition (to wrestling) a lot easier, as far as just being able to move around. It’s easier when you’re an athlete.
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Now, we are an entertainment company. I had to open up and show the world everything about me, while in martial arts and in fighting, you’re kind of more closed-off.
Q: What can your fans in Greater Columbus expect at the event coming up?
Priest: I am the United States champion, so I’m always looking to give opportunities to anybody who’s willing to take a chance on themselves. I do open challenges and I basically say, “Who wants it? Come and get it.” There’s always the possibility of that. One way or another, the U.S. champ is going to be in the arena, live and in-person for the crowd to enjoy. We aim to give a performance that are proud that they were there to witness.
At a glance
WWE RAW will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd. Masks are required. Tickets start at $23. For more information, visit www.nationwidearena.com.
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