Damian Priest Defeats Sheamus, Jeff Hardy; Retains US Title at WWE Extreme Rules

Damian Priest defeated Sheamus and Jeff Hardy in a Triple Threat match to retain the United States Championship at WWE Extreme Rules on Sunday night.

Sheamus experienced the hard way how you have to keep your head on a swivel in a Triple Threat match. He delivered Brogue Kick to Jeff Hardy, only for Priest to sneak up and roll him up from behind for a pin.

The end of the contest was also notable for the high level of respect between Priest and Hardy, with the two men embracing as The Celtic Warrior watched from the sidelines.

Priest and Sheamus have been engaged in a hard-hitting rivalry for the past couple of months, and after The Archer of Infamy beat the Irishman in a non-title match, it led to a United States Championship bout at SummerSlam.

The Celtic Warrior won the U.S. title at WrestleMania 37 in April when he beat Riddle, but his reign came to an end at 131 days when Priest took him down at SummerSlam.

That marked perhaps the biggest win of The Archer of Infamy's career, as it represented his first title of any kind on the main roster after previously holding the North American Championship in NXT.

Priest was already on a major roll since getting called up to the main roster earlier this year, but the win over Sheamus at SummerSlam seemed to take him to another level.

On the night after SummerSlam, he stepped up to WWE champion Bobby Lashley and beat him by disqualification before teaming with Drew McIntyre and defeating the team of The All Mighty and Sheamus.

Priest's first title defense came one week later in a Triple Threat against two former world champions in Sheamus and McIntyre. He rose to the occasion and won the match by pinning McIntyre to retain his title.

That led to a contest between McIntyre and Sheamus on the Sept. 6 episode of Raw, with the winner earning a United States Championship opportunity. The Celtic Warrior was victorious, setting the stage for a rematch against Priest at Extreme Rules.

Hardy was given an opportunity to throw a wrench into the equation, however, when he faced Sheamus on Monday's episode of Raw with the stipulation that the Extreme Rules match would become a Triple Threat if he won.

The Charismatic Enigma pulled out the victory with a roll-up, meaning Priest would have to defend the title against two tough opponents.

Priest, Sheamus and Hardy have all shown great chemistry during their in-ring encounters, and that was on full display once again at Sunday's pay-per-view.

With Priest retaining over Sheamus and Hardy, it further solidified him as one of the top babyfaces on Raw and a potential WWE title contender moving forward.

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