Backstage WWE: Latest on Damian Priest, Erick Rowan and Gallus

Damian Priest is the world heavyweight champion and the face of The Judgment Day, and he appears to be embarking on a babyface turn sooner rather than later.

The Archer of Infamy also has a nice new contract after re-signing with WWE earlier this year.

The details behind the deal headline this collection of wrestling rumors, which also features the latest on Erick Rowan's impending return to WWE and the status of Gallus, who returned to NXT television Tuesday night.

Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania XL, defeating Drew McIntyre to capture the World Heavyweight Championship in one of the most unforgettable moments of the two-night event.

The Archer of Infamy signed a new contract with WWE shortly before that, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported.

"Fightful Select learned that the deal was completed a couple of months ago, and actually came down to the wire," he wrote. "Priest's contract was up in February, and was just mere days away from expiring.

"However, WWE sources say that they'd always planned on keeping Priest, and the two sides had talked plenty before the new contract was made official. Priest is staying with WWE on a multi-year deal."

Priest is another case in which the negotiations and eventual re-signing came very late in the game, just shortly before expiring. Sapp added that the restructuring of WWE's talent relations department occurred just after the Judgment Day member put pen to paper.

Since re-signing with the company, both Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins signed new contracts, ensuring the top of the Raw brand remains star-studded.

McIntyre appears to be Priest's next opponent on June 15 at Clash at the Castle in Glasgow, Scotland, where The Scottish Warrior will be the heavy favorite to win the gold.

En route to that match, look for further dissension within The Judgment Day as it struggles to stay together and focused without Rhea Ripley around.

PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson reported that Erick Rowan has been at the WWE Performance Center preparing for his comeback as part of the expected Wyatt Six storyline alongside Bo Dallas' Uncle Howdy.

Rowan was released from his WWE contract in April 2020 but returned to WWE television last September during the Bray Wyatt memorial episode of SmackDown, standing side-by-side with the other member of the Wyatt Family, Braun Strowman.

A big man with a great power-based offense, Rowan teamed with Luke Harper (the late John "Brodie Lee" Huber) as The Bludgeon Brothers, then Daniel Bryan, to win two SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

It remains to be seen what the upcoming storyline will look like, but WWE has replicated the QR code gimmick that worked extraordinarily well for Wyatt, with words of warning and even crime-scene photos pointing fans in the direction of the next chapter.

How Rowan fits and what role he will take within the story is unknown at this time but brooding, silent, imposing big man has previously fit him well.

Gallus returned to NXT Tuesday night after months away while they helped The Rock train for his WrestleMania 40 tag team main event.

Wolfgang and Joe and Mark Coffey attacked the three top contenders to Oba Femi's NXT North American Championship (Wes Lee, Josh Briggs and Ivar) and re-established themselves as a force on the gold brand.

There were initial plans, though, for the group to appear on a different show, per Corey Brennan of Fightful Select:

"Gallus were heavily discussed to head to the main roster in the WWE draft, with officials being high on them. They are still expected by those we spoke to to be called up to the main roster in the coming months."

It's no surprise that there are main roster goals for the group. Any trio trusted to fly in and work with The Great One ahead of a match the magnitude of a WrestleMania main event is good enough to work either Raw or SmackDown.

How they get there and what that looks like, especially with the stopover in NXT, remains to be seen. But the Scottish trio should inject even more freshness into the main roster following the recent slate of call-ups.