Damian Priest: From Homeless to 1st Puerto Rican WWE Champion Since Pedro Morales

During Wrestlemania 40, Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to become the first WWE world champion from Puerto Rico since WWE legend Pedro Morales. However, his journey to get to this point has been filled with hardships, from suffering from homelessness to grinding it out in the independent scene.

Right now, Priest, whose real name is Luis Martinez, is leading the heel stable known as Judgement Day, along with Finn Balor, JD McDonaugh, Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio, and the newest member, fellow Puerto Rican Carlito Colon.

WWE's official website described him as the muscle of Judgement Day, "Armed with immense power and an extensive knowledge of martial arts, the New York slugger is an unbridled force to be reckoned with, but he exudes the quiet confidence of a man who knows he's always in control of his situation, no matter the arena."

He started his WWE journey at NXT but was soon called up to the main roster. Once there, he teamed up with Puerto Rican music superstar Bad Bunny to take on The Miz and John Morrison at Wrestlemania 37. Throughout his career, Priest has shown off his Puerto Rican heritage, and his Wrestlemania moment with Puerto Rico's biggest celebrity cemented that. He also had a run as US Champion and North American champion.

He was initially recruited by Edge into the Judgement Day, turning heel in the process. However, he and Finn Balor soon turned on Edge before they recruited fellow Latino up-and-comer Dominik Mysterio, son of Rey Mysterio. With Finn Balor, he won the Undisputed Tag Team Championships from Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, having a lengthy run before losing it at Wrestlemania 40. However, Priest did win Money in the Bank the previous year and cashed it in a prone Drew McIntyre.

One of the highlights of his career was his San Juan Street Fight with former ally Bad Bunny in Puerto Rico. While he lost that match, it was lauded by many critics as it was Priest who carried that match with a non-wrestler and made sure it was a classic.

Damian Priest as WWE World Heavyweight Champion

After winning the belt, he soon defended it against Jey Uso, beating the former Bloodline member before defending it once again against Drew McIntyre in Scotland. Much like what happened in Wrestlemania, CM Punk had a hand in Priest's victory.

Born and raised in New York, Priest was a huge New York Yankees fan and he soon got his dream of hanging out with the Yankees after he became a world champion.

Damian Priest Was Once Homeless

Like many wrestlers today, Damian Priest started his wrestling career in the Indies. However, money in the independent wrestling scene is not as glamorous as it is in the WWE or AEW, and much like many wrestlers, Damian Priest also struggled.

According to The Sportster, early on in his career, Damian Priest became homeless as he did not get paid enough. He lived out of his car in order to stay committed to wrestling, however, and now that he is the World Heavyweight Champion, the big Puerto Rican can say that his gamble to stay in wrestling has paid off.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: FULL MATCH: Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest - San Juan Street Fight: Backlash 2023 - WWE