WWE superstar Damian Priest has long been a fan of heavy metal. He told Loudersound earlier this year: “I grew up in an area that was 100% hip hop, and then moving to a different town and making new friends, my buddy would always play Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, very thrash metal, but also Swedish influences like In Flames and Soilwork. And I just remember him playing Children Of Bodom, and I was like, ‘OK, some of this stuff is like Undertaker music!’ As a wrestler I was like, ‘Yeah, play Undertaker-style music! Play that stuff that makes me feel something!’ But I would say that Metallica and Ozzy were my first where I was like, ‘Oh, I love this.’ That’s what really got me hooked on heavy metal.”
Priest’s “South Of Heaven” move actually got its moniker after the Slayer song of the same name, and Slayer guitarist Kerry King features on the wrestler’s new entrance song, “Rise For The Night.” The song will be available on streaming platforms soon, and a clip of Priest making his way to the ring to the tune can be seen below.
Priest previously was asked if he had a dream band that could play him to the ring at Wrestlemania. “The mighty Metallica!” he said. “You know what I mean? Can you imagine Metallica playing me to the ring? It’d be wild! Maybe I’ve gotta talk to the boss man and be like, ‘Hey? What’s up with Metallica?’ That’d be a whole different dream scenario. I don’t even know if I’m ready for that.”
