The bright lights of Madison Square Garden were set to shine on WWE’s Damian Priest for a SmackDown main event, but alas, travel troubles grounded our high-flying champ. On Friday, Priest took to his X account, sharing his frustration with fans as he faced a runway nightmare. Despite his best efforts, the World Heavyweight Champion couldn’t make it to the iconic arena, leaving a void in the evening’s dark match spectacle.
“Unfortunately the honor of main eventing The Garden is not possible tonight,” Priest lamented. “Still haven’t taken off. Stuck on a plane on a runway. Very disappointed and apologies to my people. This one hurts. Enjoy the show! I’m sure will be awesome.”
Scheduled to face Jey Uso in a dark match, according to Fightful, Priest’s absence left fans and promoters scrambling. As of this writing, there’s no word on who, if anyone, stepped into his boots for the showdown. Meanwhile, Priest’s last appearance on Monday’s “Raw” saw him juggling Judgment Day drama and hyping up his Money in the Bank clash with Seth Rollins. The stakes? If Rollins loses, he’s barred from challenging Priest for the title again, and if Priest falls, he’s ousted from Judgment Day. Talk about high drama!