Damian Priest Unloads on Pat McAfee's SmackDown Return

It seems Damian Priest is on the same page with the WWE Universe when it comes to the overall sentiment towards last week's Pat McAfee return on SmackDown.

McAfee made his shocking return to WWE last week on SmackDown, which saw him align with Randy Orton against Cody Rhodes on the road to WrestleMania 42. After taking down Rhodes, McAfee proceeded to cut a profanity-laced promo longing for the Attitude Era and declaring how bad the current WWE product is.

Needless to say, this promo was met with a very negative reaction not only from the WWE Universe but also from the current locker room talent. While most of them have spoken anonymously through various reporting outlets, Damian Priest has chosen to put his stamp on his feelings regarding last week's critically panned segment.

Priest thinks McAfee's promo sucked and it legitimately pissed him off

WWE Tag Team Champion Damian Priest was a recent guest on Gabby AF. When asked about Pat McAfee's return last week on SmackDown, Priest didn't hold back his feelings on the subject, admitting the entire situation pissed him off.

"It sucks," Damian Priest said bluntly. "Not a fan, you know somebody who knows Pat, I get along with him. But for me, that's not my taste. I don't think it helps anything. He didn't need it. So, for me, and I'm sure a lot of people aren't gonna be happy that I said that, but in the locker room specifically, a lot of us weren't happy. And that's real.

"Like, I was asked by some of the younger talent, like, what did I think? And I thought it was bull. We're a PG show, right? But he could come in, and he could throw F bombs and say whatever he wants. For me, that's like one of those things that so many other talents, even from one word, could benefit, and it's like, wow, now they're up here.

“It sucks…”

I sit down with @ArcherOfInfamy on a new #GabbyAF & he weighs in on @PatMcAfeeShow & @RandyOrton 👀#Smackdown
Full episode drops at 4p ET 🎙️
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— Gabby LaSpisa (@GabLaSpisa) April 10, 2026

"Instead, you take somebody who's not even here all the time and gets away with saying something like that, who doesn't even need it. Not gonna lie, it kind of pissed me off."

Damian Priest is currently on the outside looking in at WrestleMania 42

Last year at WrestleMania 41, Damian Priest faced Drew McIntyre in a Sin City Street Fight. A year later, despite holding championship gold, Priest doesn't currently have a match at the Showcase of the Immortals.

Priest and R-Truth won the WWE Tag Team Titles from The MFTs on the March 20 episode of SmackDown. As of this writing, the WWE Tag Team Titles and the Women's United States Champion, currently held by Giulia, won't be featured on this year's show.

While there obviously isn't enough room to feature everyone on your roster, leaving current champions off your biggest show of the year is certainly a head-scratching decision.