Jeff Hardy Says Damian Priest Reminds Him A Lot Of His Younger Self

Jeff Hardy is a big fan of Damian Priest.

After failing to defeat United States Champion Damian Priest on the September 13 episode of Monday Night Raw, Jeff Hardy earned his way back into title contention by defeating #1 contender Sheamus the following week.

Ahead of tonight's WWE Extreme Rules, Jeff Hardy joined The Bump to talk about his match against Priest and Sheamus for the United States Championship. During the interview, Hardy admitted that he sees a lot of his younger self in Priest and can't wait to get back into the ring with him.

"Damian Priest, I am such a huge fan of him and he has been on fire lately, man. We actually got to team last night and it was amazing. He reminds me a lot of my younger self. So that's what's kind of scary and intimidating and all that good stuff that creates a wonderful match so I'm looking forward to getting in there with Damian and Sheamus at the same time. It's going to be insane," Hardy said.

Hardy, now 44 years old, says he was nervous to get in the ring with Priest (39) and also notes how it can be "creepy" to get in there with younger talents who you admire. Here are his full remarks:

"It is weird. That's why when I wrestled him on Raw a few weeks ago I was just as nervous, if he was nervous, as he was. Because, man, I'm a fan of him. I'm a fan of pro wrestling in general. When you get older in life, I'm 44 years into this thing now, and going in there with a younger talent, it can be creepy. So, yeah, it makes me a little nervous, but that's the good kind of nervous. The butterflies are alive and well in my belly."

Priest defeated Sheamus at SummerSlam to win the United States Championship. In the weeks since the annual event, he has defeated both Sheamus and Hardy. If he is able to win tonight, Hardy will become a two-time United States Champion.

Fightful will have live coverage of WWE Extreme Rules tonight beginning at 7 p.m. EST. We will also have a post-show review on our YouTube channel immediately following its conclusion.

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