Damian Priest Cashes In, Wins Rollins’ Title from McIntyre at WWE WrestleMania 40

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVApril 7, 2024

Photo credit: WWE.com

Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Drew McIntyre to win the World Heavyweight Championship on Night 2 of WrestleMania 40 on Sunday night.

WWE @WWESEÑOR WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!!!#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/A7STQ6swzw

McIntyre had beaten Seth Rollins to win the World Heavyweight Championship with CM Punk at the ringside commentary table.

However, after the Scot goaded Punk with his new title, The Best in the World attacked McIntyre, opening up the door for Priest to end the Scot’s reign in a matter of minutes.

WWE @WWEIt’s CASH-IN TIME!!!!!!!#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/WuB9CKDDHC

WWE @WWEMCINTYRE! MCINTYRE! MCINTYRE!!!!#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/blzSP0PdP7

WWE @WWECLAYMORE as soon as the bell rings!#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/Wf1ebHuikZ

WWE @WWEA @DMcIntyreWWE GTS?!#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/EX7M5F2FVa

Sunday’s bout was Rollins’ second of WrestleMania 40, after he and Cody Rhodes teamed up in a loss to Roman Reigns and The Rock in the main event of Night 1 on Saturday.

In May 2023, Rollins won a tournament to become the inaugural world heavyweight champion, beating AJ Styles in the finals at Night of Champions.

Rollins held the title for over 300 days entering WrestleMania, and he did so by taking on and defeating all comers on a regular basis.

The Visionary’s outlook changed significantly in January, though, when he suffered a knee injury during a successful title defense against Jinder Mahal on Raw. At the time, it was unclear if he would be healthy enough to compete at WrestleMania.

Rollins put the concern to bed shortly thereafter by declaring he would be ready for ‘Mania, and about one month before The Showcase of the Immortals, he announced that he had been medically cleared.

While Rollins was healing, McIntyre was imposing his will on the Raw roster and establishing himself as the clear top heel on the red brand.

The Scottish Warrior attacked an already-injured Punk and even beat Rhodes in a singles match due to interference from The Bloodline.

However, McIntyre’s biggest win came at the Elimination Chamber premium live event in Australia in February when he beat Randy Orton, Logan Paul, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight and Kevin Owens in the same-titled men’s match.

That earned McIntyre a title shot against Rollins at WrestleMania, and he vowed to get the job done on The Grandest Stage of Them All after falling short in a couple of previous attempts.

There was some thought that Rollins may have bitten off more than he could chew at WrestleMania by working two matches, and that may have been true, as McIntyre got the better of him to become a three-time world champion.

Unfortunately, his third reign did not last long, as Priest won his first singles world title in his WWE career by cashing in his MITB contract.

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