Months of brewing tension and mounting frustration finally reached a boiling point on the September 11 episode of WWE SmackDown live from Mexico City.
Following a grueling defeat against The War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) for the AAA World Tag Team Championship, Damian Priest officially turned heel, laying out his longtime tag team partner R-Truth in a remorseless post-match assault.
War Raiders Retain AAA World Tag Team Titles In Physical Battle
The match began with immediate chaos as Erik and Ivar ambushed the challengers at the opening bell. Pounding Truth in the corner with heavy forearms and shoulder strikes, the champions effectively cut the ring in half, preventing Truth from making a tag through multiple near-falls.
A missed splash from Ivar provided Truth just enough breathing room to reach Priest, who tagged in and unleashed a fiery comeback. Priest hit a series of jumping clotheslines, back elbows, and a leaping flatliner on Ivar for a close two-count.
When Priest launched off the steel steps with a crossbody, Erik distracted him on the turnbuckles, allowing Ivar to knock him to the floor. The War Raiders continued to wear down Priest, targeting his ribs and head to isolate him from Truth. However, Priest fought back, hitting a top-rope rana on Ivar to finally tag in R-Truth.
Truth came in red-hot, hitting his signature flying shoulder tackles, the Blue Thunder Bomb, and the Five Knuckle Shuffle. After delivering a Death Valley Driver on Ivar for a near-fall, the match broke down completely. Priest took out Erik with rolling elbows, but Ivar countered with the Spin Kick of Doom.
Erik tagged in, and The War Raiders executed Ragnarok on Truth to secure the pinfall victory and retain the AAA Tag Team Championships.
The Betrayal: Priest Snaps On R-Truth
Following the loss, Priest and Truth shared an emotional moment in the ring. The former partners embraced, and Priest handed Truth a Mexican sombrero—a gesture that initially appeared to be a respectful sign of closure.
However, as Truth put on the hat, Priest blindsided him with a massive clothesline. Lowering his singlet straps, Priest pulled Truth back up and dropped him onto the sombrero with a devastating South of Heaven chokeslam.
The attack marks the end of their tag team run, as Priest officially embraces his dark side and sets his sights back on a singles career.
Stay tuned to WrestlingAttitude.com for live coverage, results, and backstage updates across WWE, AEW, and TNA.
WA on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wrestlingattitude/
WA on Facebook (Women's Wrestling) - https://www.facebook.com/WrestlingDivas/
WA on X/Twitter - https://x.com/wa_wrestling
WA on Instagram (Women's Wrestling) - https://www.instagram.com/wa_wrestlingattitude/
WA on Google News - https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMJf3owsw2oG8Aw
WA on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlingattitude.bsky.social
