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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Narin Flanders

WWE's Damian Priest on Vince McMahon's retirement, Triple H, Clash at the Castle and more

WWE may have made British fans wait three decades since the last stadium pay per view, but no-one can accuse them of not ensuring it's going to be a notable one when people finally take their seats at the Principality Stadium next month.

The last few weeks have seen major back-stage changes at the company, with chairman Vince McMahon announcing his retirement after 40 years, leaving his daughter Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan to take up new roles as co-CEOs, while Paul 'Triple H' Levesque has returned from illness to take not one but two new roles, as Executive Vice President for Talent Relations and Head of Creative.

Even the most jaded of fans seem to be excited to see what this new era will bring, with reactions to SummerSlam, the first ever WWE PPV not overseen by the former head of the company, and the Monday Night Raw that followed it bringing generally positive reviews and social media comment.

READ MORE: WWE's Liv Morgan on Vince McMahon's departure, Triple H's new creative role and being a defending champion

On a flying visit to Cardiff before WWE descends for Clash at the Castle on September 3, Judgment Day's Damian Priest told The Mirror in an exclusive interview that the optimism is something the entire roster is feeling too.

"It's a positive vibe and there's a happy locker room right now," he said. "When you get changes in life it's not always the best. But when it comes to this business, change is usually looked at as an opportunity. And this is an opportunity for change in everything - direction and characters and whatnot. So it's exciting because you don't know what's going to happen - and our business is already unpredictable."

As former NXT North American Champion, Priest has worked closely with Levesque previously and that first-hand experience has clearly had an impact.

"When it comes to me personally, of course, Triple H is the man. So it's exciting going in as a person who came through NXT with him and has that relationship where I believe in him. It's cool, it's exciting.

"As a fan, and now an employee, I can't believe I'm involved with the company during this era, like I was here for Vince's retirement . That's crazy, because everybody joked it was never gonna happen and I worked here when it happened, that's a story I'm gonna be able to tell. It's a special time."

So did the shock announcement come on a company Whatsapp? Not quite, but almost.

"We all received that message on the company thread. I read it and I thought ' is this right, did somebody hack our stuff? ' You just don't believe it. And then then you go to work and it's real."

While exactly what role Priest will take at Clash at the Castle hasn't been confirmed, it looks likely it will continue his long-running feud alongside Rhea Ripley and Finn Balor against Rey Mysterio and Edge, something he hopes will further showcase Judgement Day as a faction to be reckoned with.

He added: "Since I've come on the scene I have talked about wanting my name and my legacy to live forever. These are the moments, working with these legends like Rey and Edge, that make that happen. At Clash at the Castle we're looking to make a memory, make a moment, make something special for every fan that that will be watching or attending."

Clash at the Castle, the UK's first WWE pay-per-view stadium event since Davey Boy Smith beat Bret Hart at SummerSlam '92, will take place at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on September 3. Tickets for the event, which will see British superstar Drew McIntyre take on Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, are available here.

Fans not heading to Cardiff for the event can catch all of the action from WWE's Clash at the Castle live on BT Sport on Saturday, September 3. For more information go to www.bt.com/sport/wwe.

Meanwhile, tickets for an October WWE Live Glasgow show likely to give home town boy McIntyre a hero's welcome whether he wins the title or not, are on sale here.

READ MORE: WWE Clash at the Castle: British star Butch on why it's not just fans excited for the UK mega-show

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