Jacy Jayne may be focused on the next major opportunity in WWE’s women’s division, but one of the defining Money in the Bank memories she carries with her belongs to Damian Priest.
Speaking with The Wrestling Classic ahead of WWE Money in the Bank, the WWE Women’s United States Champion identified Priest’s WrestleMania 40 cash-in as her favorite use of the Money in the Bank contract. It was not simply the surprise of the moment that stayed with Jayne. She was in the building in Philadelphia when Priest chose his moment, and the personal meaning behind his rise to the top made the scene especially emotional for her.
Priest successfully cashed in his contract at WrestleMania 40 after Drew McIntyre had just defeated Seth Rollins to win the World Heavyweight Championship. McIntyre’s celebration was interrupted by CM Punk, who was seated at commentary and attacked his longtime rival in the aftermath of the match. That left McIntyre vulnerable, opening the door for Priest to arrive and turn the WrestleMania situation into a championship victory.
For Jayne, the moment represented more than an opportunistic cash-in. It was the culmination of a long journey for a performer she knew had spent years working toward a WWE breakthrough.
For more background on this topic, read Cody Rhodes Reflects On American Nightmare Neck Tattoo And Its Link To Street Fighter.
“When Damian Priest cashed in at WrestleMania, I was in the audience,” Jayne said. “Now, I know him and we’re friends, and it’s like really funny looking back on this. But, I actually cried.”
Jayne Saw the Personal Side of Priest’s WrestleMania Moment
Money in the Bank cash-ins are built around timing, uncertainty and instant consequences. A champion can be exhausted after a difficult title defense, a newly crowned champion can be caught before enjoying the win, or a rivalry can create an opening at exactly the wrong time for the titleholder. Priest’s cash-in included all of those ingredients.
Rollins and McIntyre had already competed for the World Heavyweight Championship. McIntyre had then finally captured the title, only for Punk’s attack to derail what should have been the beginning of his reign. Priest, who had won the Money in the Bank briefcase, capitalized on the opening and left WrestleMania 40 as champion.
Jayne explained that Priest’s path made the result resonate with her. She pointed to his experience before WWE and the length of time it took for him to reach the company’s highest level. In her view, Priest was not someone who arrived as an obvious, instantly anointed top prospect. That made both the briefcase victory and the WrestleMania cash-in feel significant.
“Just because I knew his story about being on the indies and how long it took him to get there,” Jayne said. “He was never like the ‘first round draft pick,’ so to say.”
That perspective gave the cash-in an added layer beyond the usual Money in the Bank drama. Priest’s contract represented a guaranteed championship opportunity, but the WrestleMania stage magnified what he had earned. Winning the briefcase is one accomplishment. Finding the right time to use it on WWE’s biggest annual event is another. For Jayne, seeing those two pieces come together for a friend made the reaction immediate.
She described Priest winning the briefcase as a major moment in itself, then emphasized what a WrestleMania cash-in must have meant to him. Jayne’s recollection also centered on the audience response in Philadelphia, which helped turn an already chaotic title picture into one of the night’s most memorable reactions.
“So, for him to get the briefcase, A, was a big deal. And then B, to cash in at WrestleMania, like I could only imagine how he was feeling in that moment,” Jayne said. “When I heard the crowd erupt, it just made me emotional. There’s something about genuine crowd reactions that makes me really, really emotional.”
The WrestleMania 40 Cash-In Changed the World Heavyweight Championship Picture
The sequence involving McIntyre, Punk and Priest was one of the most consequential stretches of WrestleMania 40. McIntyre’s victory over Rollins gave him the World Heavyweight Championship, but his issue with Punk immediately followed him into the title scene. Punk’s involvement prevented McIntyre from enjoying the clean aftermath of his championship win and created the opening Priest needed.
Priest’s decision to cash in at that precise moment gave the angle several simultaneous implications. It ended McIntyre’s championship celebration almost as soon as it began, added another major chapter to the McIntyre-Punk rivalry, and established Priest as World Heavyweight Champion. It also demonstrated the value of the Money in the Bank briefcase in the clearest possible fashion: the holder does not need to predict every circumstance, but must be ready to recognize the opportunity when it appears.
“The Archer of Infamy” went on to hold the World Heavyweight Championship for 188 days. That reign ensured the cash-in was not merely a fleeting WrestleMania surprise. Priest’s victory gave him a sustained run with one of WWE’s premier titles after a moment that Jayne viewed through the lens of his larger career story.
For wrestlers watching from the crowd, backstage, or from outside the company, a championship coronation can carry a different kind of weight when it comes after a lengthy climb. Jayne’s comments reflected that distinction. Her emotional response was rooted in knowing Priest’s history and understanding the distance between the independent scene and a championship win at WrestleMania.
It also speaks to the unpredictable emotional appeal of Money in the Bank. The concept can produce shocking betrayals, calculated victories and abrupt championship changes. Yet some of its most effective moments come when the shock is matched by the feeling that a wrestler’s success is meaningful. Priest’s WrestleMania 40 cash-in delivered the surprise expected from the briefcase while also landing as a career-defining breakthrough.
Jayne’s Own Money in the Bank Experience Adds Context
Jayne’s reflections arrived as she prepared for her own Money in the Bank opportunity. As Women’s United States Champion, she entered the event with championship credentials already attached to her name, but the briefcase presented a chance to add a separate, potentially career-altering guarantee to her position in WWE.
She did not win the contract in her first Money in the Bank attempt, though she had an impressive performance during the 2026 event. Tiffany Stratton ultimately climbed the ladder and secured the briefcase, doing so for the second time in her career.
That result means Jayne’s first attempt did not conclude with the prize she wanted, but the comments about Priest reveal how clearly she understands what the briefcase can represent. The Money in the Bank winner gains a strategic advantage unlike any standard title shot. The holder chooses when to act, whether that means striking after a match, taking advantage of a champion’s vulnerability, or waiting for the biggest possible stage.
Priest’s WrestleMania 40 decision is a prime example of the stakes involved. He did not merely use a contractual opportunity. He used it during a volatile championship situation that had been shaped by McIntyre’s win over Rollins and Punk’s attack on McIntyre. The result was a title change that affected several of WWE’s top names at once.
Jayne now has her own firsthand experience in a Money in the Bank ladder match, even if Stratton left with the contract. Her praise for Priest’s moment suggests that she sees the match and the briefcase as more than a route to a title match. At their best, Money in the Bank victories can mark a turning point in a wrestler’s career, especially when the winner converts the opportunity on a stage worthy of the occasion.
A Reminder of What Makes Money in the Bank Matter
Jayne’s favorite cash-in choice underscores why fans continue to invest in the Money in the Bank concept. The briefcase can change a championship landscape in seconds, but the strongest moments usually have a deeper story behind them. In Priest’s case, the immediate drama was obvious: a newly crowned champion had been attacked, and a briefcase holder was ready to strike. The emotional context was equally important.
Jayne was able to watch the moment as someone familiar with Priest’s journey, and she felt the force of the crowd response as the cash-in unfolded. Years later, the memory remains powerful enough for her to name it ahead of a Money in the Bank event where she was competing for that same kind of opportunity.
Priest’s 188-day World Heavyweight Championship reign began in one of WrestleMania 40’s most turbulent title moments. For Jayne, however, the lasting image is not only the championship change itself. It is the sound of the audience erupting and the sense that a wrestler who had worked a long time to reach that point had finally arrived.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.