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From the rise of a powerful faction to its shocking downfall, WWE Judgment Day had it all! Found by Edge with Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley. The group its full power when they kicked out end and got in new members like Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio. Let us explore the journey of dominance, betrayal, and the dramatic implosion that shook the WWE universe. Watch how the group went from unstoppable to unraveling in this explosive recap!
You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe
#judgementday #rhearipley #livmorgan #dominikmysterio #damianpriest #finnbalor #wwe #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling
Play now to find out - https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/brainbuster-wwe-player-guessing-game
From the rise of a powerful faction to its shocking downfall, WWE Judgment Day had it all! Found by Edge with Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley. The group its full power when they kicked out end and got in new members like Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio. Let us explore the journey of dominance, betrayal, and the dramatic implosion that shook the WWE universe. Watch how the group went from unstoppable to unraveling in this explosive recap!
You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe
#judgementday #rhearipley #livmorgan #dominikmysterio #damianpriest #finnbalor #wwe #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling
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SportsTranscript
00:00The Judgment Day, a disruptive group by any means of the measure in pro wrestling, had
00:04its roots in Wrestlemania season in 2022.
00:09Edge was in an interesting position as a veteran in a second stage of his career when many
00:14thought he wouldn't be wrestling anymore, here he was trying to reinvent himself now
00:18as a modern day villain.
00:20The previous year he headlined Wrestlemania 37 in a losing effort, in 2022 it seemed like
00:25there was nothing in store for him except an opportunity to reinvent.
00:30So his idea was simple, call somebody out for a Wrestlemania match, and whoever answered
00:35the challenge would be his opponent.
00:37It worked, he would face a formidable challenge, a phenomenal one, in AJ Styles, answering
00:42for that dream match.
00:44During the course of this rivalry, Edge turned into a villainous persona for the first time
00:49in well over a decade, and reminded fans who he really was at AJ Styles' expense.
00:55While the Wrestlemania match itself failed to deliver on the dream match expectations,
00:59and it kind of fell flat, it marked the start of something special for Edge's partnership
01:03with Damian Priest.
01:05At this point Damian Priest was also in a bit of a limbo in WWE, it had been little
01:10over a year since he joined the main roster and was an instant success, but that had waned
01:16just a little bit, being put in the position of being paired with super celebrity crossover
01:21star Bad Bunny as an ally, the man he teamed with on a wrestling debut spotlight match
01:27at a Wrestlemania, Damian Priest had no other scenarios that could pan or meet or surpass
01:33that for him currently.
01:34He was in a sink or swim position with WWE, and it was time to really swim.
01:39Are you all rising right now?
01:41Yes, this is a deep dive into the history of the Judgment Day in WWE, I'm Kevin Kellum,
01:47this is Sportskeeda Wrestling, let us know what you think of the Judgment Day in the
01:50comments below.
01:51In 2021, Damian Priest, tall and formidable, dethroned the veteran Sheamus at Summerslam
01:58to become the US Champion, and did a great job with the title until February of 2022
02:03when Finn Balor defeated him.
02:05After that, Priest became a real bad guy, and attacked Balor despite losing clean.
02:11Edge, now villainous, spoke about it to Corey Graves on the After the Bell podcast and admitted
02:17that the way things played out with the Judgment Day was entirely different than what was actually
02:22planned at the beginning.
02:24His idea was for a group to be put together of talented individuals who felt they weren't
02:29getting the opportunities they rightfully deserved in WWE.
02:33In his opinion, if they got the opportunity, they could fly with it, and that statement
02:39aged like fine wine.
02:41So after WrestleMania 38 in Texas, the duo of Edge and Damian Priest dubbed themselves
02:47the Judgment Day.
02:48At the next premium live event, WrestleMania Backlash, Priest was barred from ringside
02:53so Edge and AJ Styles could run it back and go one-on-one.
02:57And what AJ didn't know is that Edge already had another plan.
03:01Putting the plan into action, another person would join the group.
03:05At this event, Rhea Ripley, helping Edge defeat AJ Styles and became the third member of the
03:10JD.
03:11AJ Styles was pursuing even more of the rivalry with Edge at the help of Finn Balor and Liv
03:16Morgan to take on this new trio of Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, and Edge, and they were unsuccessful
03:23at the Hell in a Cell event in Chicago.
03:26Edge would catch Finn Balor with a spear at the conclusion of the match after he missed
03:29his big coup de grace off the top rope, but one night later, Edge would reveal that the
03:34Judgment Day had a fourth member, and it was none other than Finn Balor, the man he speared
03:41and pinned just that week at the Hell in a Cell show.
03:44Remember how we mentioned that time when Damian Priest attacked Finn Balor after losing his
03:49US title?
03:50That's one of those seeds that people seem to forget about that plays an important role
03:54in the Balor and Priest story weaved in here.
03:57We'll touch on that.
03:58Balor was in a similar position in his career.
04:00Though established and well-regarded as one of the best in-ring performers, he simply
04:04was hitting a wall and not getting the opportunities he wanted, so once again, the Judgment Day
04:10felt like the right spot.
04:12But Finn Balor's arrival in the Judgment Day marked a shocking and dramatic exit in
04:17the group, a real shift.
04:19Though the Judgment Day was new, their hope of reclaiming some power as a collective,
04:24at that point WWE had teased doing something supernatural with the direction of the Judgment
04:29Day, but thankfully better senses prevailed and they decided against it.
04:34But what Edge revealed about the decision behind the scenes was quite interesting.
04:38When Balor joined the ranks, Damian Priest said that they were going to shed the last
04:43bit of limitations holding them back as a group, and it looked like Edge was that limitation.
04:50Yes, one sneering look and that's what it took.
04:53One of the best clotheslines you'll see, Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley and Finn Balor
04:57turned on Edge and brutally assaulted him out of the group he started for them.
05:04Speaking on the Talk is Jericho podcast, Edge revealed that the original plan for the Judgment
05:08Day to continue under his leadership for a year after Finn Balor joined, but when he
05:13got to Hell in a Cell, he was told that entire storyline would be sped up, concluding his
05:18role in the Judgment Day the next night.
05:20When it was happening, it seemed like a bizarre, abrupt decision, somewhat typical of that
05:24time of wild twists and turns that didn't gel with the audience during the pre-Triple
05:30H creative era of WWE.
05:32But in hindsight, even Edge seems to think that it was the right call.
05:35Edge would tell Jericho on this same podcast that Priest, Ripley and Balor would be swimming
05:40upstream without him, and what he meant by this is they didn't need him in the group
05:46to be the group they were meant to be.
05:48Thus the Judgment Day as we would come to know it was formed.
05:51They made it clear that there would be no leaders of this group.
05:55Around this time, the soon-to-be notorious group would begin setting their sights on
05:59a new possible recruit, someone who would deny their advances, the impressionable young
06:05superstar, the son of Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio.
06:10At this time, Dominik was certainly in the mix in WWE, but he was getting screen time,
06:16but nearly two years on the main roster, there wasn't much of a character there.
06:21He was Rey Mysterio's son, who tag teamed with Rey Mysterio.
06:25Not a bad spot, but nothing more than that.
06:27Some people claimed that he was a bland good guy who was just happy to be there, and that's
06:32because of his dad, but things were about to change in a big way.
06:36For one, we saw the seed planted for the Dominik-Rey relationship, with her certainly making eyes
06:42at him.
06:43At Summerslam, the Mysterios defeated Damian Priest and Finn Balor thanks to Edge's interference.
06:48The next month at the Clash of the Castle event, Dominik was frustrated when Rey Mysterio
06:52chose to team up with the more experienced Edge instead of his son, and this was an Edge
06:56who wanted his revenge on the group he formed that turned on him.
07:00That would be a turning point in all of it in a way that we didn't expect.
07:04In front of tens of thousands of people in the UK, after Rey Mysterio and Edge won the
07:09match, Dominik Mysterio assaulted Edge before his disillusioned father got taken out.
07:16Dominik Mysterio wasn't the final addition to the Judgment Day, but certainly was a formidable
07:21addition to the group, and he turned out to be a perfect one as it gave his career new
07:27life and new direction.
07:29Suddenly the kid who appeared to be happy to be on WWE was now seizing the opportunity
07:33and became the most hated villain we've seen in years.
07:38Yeah, you've heard the reaction he gets in front of live audiences since he turned on
07:42his father.
07:43There really aren't many people who have achieved that level of heat that he has, but if you
07:48want to see more than that, we have an entire video about the rise of Dominik Mysterio.
07:53Check that out on our main feed in this channel.
07:56Edge remained in the mix after the clash at the castle, seeking even more succinct
08:01and defined revenge on the group he formed that turned on him and how the last few months
08:06had unfolded.
08:07The man was on the receiving end of not one, but two betrayals in just three months, and
08:12it led to an I Quit match between Finn Balor and Edge at that year's Extreme Rules match.
08:19Rhea Bloody Ripley would be the one to make Edge quit after she threatened to hit his
08:24wife Beth Phoenix with a concerto.
08:27It was a great bit of storytelling.
08:29The concerto is something Edge is known for in his villainous side of his career, but
08:33here he was having it used against him and a loved one.
08:36It added so much drama and showed how relentlessly evil the Judgment Day could be on their own
08:43under no leader.
08:45It was a moment of true agonizing mental anguish at the hands of Edge as his prone wife was
08:52now going to feel the pain of a move he had used to injure other superstars.
08:59After saying the words I Quit, Rhea Ripley assaulted Beth Phoenix with the concerto anyway.
09:05These were bad people doing bad things.
09:09At this point, Finn Balor was the true veteran of the group, having traveled the world, having
09:14the Bullet Club rub on him before the JD.
09:17It's important to remember in 2022 that Rhea Ripley, Damien Priest, Dominic Mysterio
09:21had a combined 18 years of experience in the wrestling business, while Finn Balor alone
09:26had hit just 21 years.
09:28The story of Edge vs. The Judgment Day was meant to be Edge vs. Finn Balor.
09:33Once the rivalry was put on hiatus, JD continued their original mission of trying to recruit
09:39the phenomenal AJ Styles, a man who had some history with the Bullet Club.
09:43This time, he had help.
09:44Apart from the returning Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, the OC, they recruited Mia Yim
09:49to their ranks to combat Rhea Ripley and fend off this issue.
09:54The feud lasted only two months, and AJ Styles was getting his win back over Finn Balor five
09:59years after their first match.
10:01But one night later, The Judgment Day defeated the OC in an eight-man tag team match to end
10:06the short but brief and interesting rivalry.
10:09There could have been more there.
10:11That is something in the early stages of The Judgment Day that could have been developed
10:15and elongated into something bigger.
10:18The Judgment Day was in a four-person form, proving to be far better than anything that
10:22had happened when Edge was their leader.
10:25It worked, and they were quickly rising, becoming the number two faction in WWE behind the bloodline.
10:30The Royal Rumble that year proved to be the next significant step for The Judgment Day,
10:35and the build-up Priest and Mysterio failed to capture the undisputed tag team titles.
10:41This was pretty frustrating, as many felt like that was their title to win as a new
10:45breakout group.
10:47The Men's Rumble match itself, Edge returned and took out Finn Balor and Damian Priest
10:52before The Judgment Day ganged up on him and got him eliminated, reigniting the issues
10:57between the Rated-R Superstar and the band of rebels that he had created.
11:03When Rhea Ripley came out to assist, she was attacked by a revenging Beth Phoenix.
11:10Her luck seemed to be out because she was not only due to compete in the Women's Royal
11:14Rumble match, but she would be the first entrant in it.
11:17Up to that point, no woman had won from the number one spot.
11:20Even among the men, only Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, and Edge were able to do it in the
11:2535-year history of the Rumble match, but Rhea Ripley did it.
11:28She was bound to break out around this time.
11:30There were surging new fans jumping into WWE who were getting on the Rhea Ripley train.
11:36She was scratching the itch of many people that were casual wrestling fans and many die-hard
11:41wrestling fans all at the same time.
11:43She became the first woman to ever win from the number one spot and also had the longest
11:48time spent in a single Rumble match until Bayley and Naomi broke that record the next
11:52year.
11:53Rhea Ripley had arrived and her stardom was on a vertical trajectory.
11:56She instantly felt like the biggest star in the Judgment Day.
12:00It was her group and they were built around her.
12:02From one standpoint, the Judgment Day was already a massive success.
12:06It raised the stock of several names.
12:08It broke Dominic out of his shell and turned Rhea Ripley into a top name for the women.
12:13The next one to benefit would be Damian Priest, but it should have been Finn Balor first.
12:18After Edge and Beth Phoenix returned, they faced Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley in a tag
12:22team match at Elimination Chamber.
12:25The Hall of Famer won that match.
12:28It seemed like an okay decision because everybody just thought it was some comeuppance for Edge
12:32and Beth Phoenix, which morally they had earned at the hands of this pretty evil group before
12:38Finn Balor got the big win at WrestleMania.
12:41While Rhea Ripley, with her Royal Rumble privileges she had won, chose to take on Charlotte
12:46Flair and face her for the Women's Championship at WrestleMania 39 to avenge her loss at WrestleMania
12:5236 years earlier.
12:54Edge and Finn Balor would square off in a Hell in a Cell match to end their issue.
13:01It seemed like a fitting place for Finn Balor to get the last laugh because Edge, as we
13:05know, was months away from a WWE exit.
13:08At least we know that now in retrospect.
13:11Finn Balor would also be wrestling as THE DEMON for the first time since 2021.
13:16Unfortunately, it turned out not to be the case, and we have no idea what the reason
13:20was behind it, but somebody backstage seemed to think that Edge beating The Demon would
13:24be a good idea.
13:25I was there, I saw the match, and I believe that Edge had the reason to beat a guy who
13:30had, you know, been behind an attack on his wife and family and turned on him.
13:34So, you know, ethics, morals, good guy, you know, he came out to slay her, he had the
13:39power of slayer, heavy metal slayer was there.
13:42It was clear it wasn't the way that maybe some of the younger fans who were putting
13:46on all of their eye gloss and putting on all of their Rhea Ripley shirts wanted it to go
13:51for Finn Balor, but back then, it was a bigger deal for Judgment Day trying to break out,
13:56even though they had already broken out, yeah, I know, there's a debate here.
13:59We didn't even mention the fact that Dominik Mysterio was feuding with his father going
14:02into WrestleMania 39.
14:04It all culminated in a moment on Smackdown when Dominik was trash-talking his mother
14:08in front of the world, and Rey Mysterio rightfully finally snapped and attacked his son, now
14:12accepting the long-teased match, father versus son.
14:17The story was incredible.
14:19It was built up to for months.
14:21It was another part of the multi-purposed, multi-pronged attack that Judgment Day had
14:26on every hallowed, beloved superstar, and it was something that was built up to.
14:31For six months, Rey Mysterio was unable to lay a finger on his son, and now they were
14:35going to have a match in Los Angeles at WrestleMania 39.
14:38This was despite the fact that Dominik betrayed, humiliated, invaded his own family's holiday
14:43home on Thanksgiving and Christmas and romantic Valentine's Day dinners, and continuously
14:48physically assaulted his own father, betraying the family legacy of Mysterio.
14:54For this specific situation, it made complete ethical sense for Rey Mysterio to kick his
14:59son's ass, and boy did he.
15:01Dominik was only a few years into his career, and it was his first single showcase, a momentous
15:06and personal one, taking on his own father, and he got his ass whipped, as I mentioned.
15:12It was a special match.
15:14Years ago, I interviewed Rey Mysterio, and he said this was the type of match he always
15:18envisioned having with his son, or maybe there's another one to come where the mask is passed
15:24on.
15:25That's maybe a subject for a whole nother video.
15:27Rhea Ripley, meanwhile, had one of the best women's matches in WWE history at the time,
15:31dethroning Charlotte Flair in a true show-stealing match for the Smackdown Women's Championship.
15:37She had already been on the rise, but this turned her into an undisputed number one women's
15:42superstar in all of professional wrestling.
15:44Priest, on the other hand, may not have had a match on the card of two nights of WrestleMania
15:4939, but he was all set for a meteoric rise in the year to follow.
15:53The hotly anticipated Backlash Premium Live event was set to be hosted in Puerto Rico,
15:58the homeland of both Bad Bunny and Damian Priest, and he was announced as a special
16:04host for the show.
16:06They were bound for an epic collision, and their personal issues were now brewing at
16:11the surface.
16:12But in the month that followed WrestleMania, Damian Priest chose his brotherhood with The
16:16Judgment Day over his past alliance with Bad Bunny, leading to a bitter rivalry.
16:22Bad Bunny then announced that he wasn't going to just be the host anymore of Backlash.
16:27He was going to face Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight.
16:31This felt like a reward for Priest, who didn't get a showcase at WrestleMania, but was going
16:36to get something special in front of an absolutely lava-hot audience against one of the biggest
16:43celebrities in the world.
16:44While Rhea Ripley overcame Zelina Vega as her first major title challenger, Bad Bunny
16:49vs Damian Priest was an over-the-top classic, getting a good 25 minutes, it was just as
16:56chaotic as you would expect a street fight to be, and one that could also allow you to
17:01see Bad Bunny still be on the level with Damian Priest.
17:09The LWO would be interfering, Savio Vega, a Puerto Rican favorite amongst WWE fans,
17:15would appear, Carlito Caribbean Cool himself came out to also help Bad Bunny defeat Damian
17:20Priest.
17:21Yeah, the bad guys may have won, Bad Bunny may have been the victor, but WWE truly was
17:27able to get the most out of Judgment Day to propel this special match with a celebrity
17:32into astronomical heights of success.
17:36Both Damian Priest and Finn Balor participated in the tournament to crown a new champion,
17:40but the man who would be the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion eliminated them both.
17:45That man was Seth Freaking Rollins, and Finn Balor had a seven-year itch needing to be
17:51scratched.
17:52Yeah, that seven-year itch from when he was injured years before at the hands of Seth
17:58Rollins, just as he got a hold of world title gold himself.
18:03There was no doubt at this point that the Judgment Day were maybe the number one faction
18:07on Monday Night Raw, as a clear number two to the bloodline over on Smackdown.
18:12They were going to take that number one spot when it looked like the bloodline was imploding
18:16over on the other show.
18:18The four of them completely occupied June of 2023.
18:22They were on dozens of segments on TV every week on Monday Night Raw, basically anchoring
18:27the show from when it started to when it ended.
18:29Heading into Money in the Bank in London, Finn Balor renewed his feud with Rollins years
18:34after that Universal Championship match at Summerslam 2016.
18:38Dominik Mysterio was in a feud with Cody Rhodes, one of WWE's hottest stars, with Rhea
18:44Ripley by his side.
18:46Damian Priest was about to take the next major step of his career, attempting to become Mr.
18:51Money in the Bank.
18:52Senior Money in the Bank is exactly what Damian Priest became when he toppled fan favorite
18:57LA Knight to cement his place as a future world champion when he captured the briefcase,
19:03allowing him to cash in a title shot whenever, wherever, and however possible.
19:09Cody Rhodes predictably took down Dominik Mysterio, but it was a competitive outing
19:13for him.
19:14But during the world heavyweight title clash between Rollins and Finn Balor, a bit of drama
19:19ensued.
19:20And this is a great example how a story that involves someone losing a match can build
19:25to something more exciting.
19:27Just like Dominik after WrestleMania, Damian Priest was only getting better, even if he
19:32wasn't getting the ultimate prize.
19:33The Smackdown Women's Championship held by Rhea was getting a makeover, and she was announced
19:38as the new Women's World Champion.
19:40On the men's side, Triple H announced the creation of the World Heavyweight Championship.
19:45Damian Priest came out teasing a cash-in, and his interference backfired during that
19:50Money in the Bank event, directly costing Finn Balor the match.
19:54This was the first time since the post-Edge era of the Judgment Day that cracks may have
19:59begun to show.
20:00WWE played into the tension within the Judgment Day's purple and black ranks, with Balor
20:05getting a rematch for the world title at Summerslam.
20:08The arguments between Balor and Priest began to cause a strain on the Judgment Day, with
20:14Rhea Ripley constantly having to act like a mommy mediator while Dominik sat uselessly
20:19at her side.
20:21Damian Priest's interference would once again backfire at Summerslam, leading to Seth Rollins
20:25getting the last laugh over Finn Balor.
20:29This was a truly bitter moment for Balor, who seemed to be having the least success
20:34out of all the members of the Judgment Day, despite having the most experience and the
20:39most critical acclaim going into the group.
20:42The tensions seemed to dissolve rather quickly, though, and we now know that this period would
20:47be one of the causes for the eventual downfall and implosion of the faction.
20:53Still, Dirty Dominik added the second piece of gold to the Judgment Day mantle when he
20:58beat Wes Lee to become the NXT North American Champion.
21:02That's right, the purple and black superstars were so over, despite all of these issues,
21:07that they were utilized on WWE's third brand to boost that show's rating and give Dominik
21:12more reps in the ring as a televised superstar.
21:16Of course, he needed the help of Balor, Priest, and Rhea Ripley to get the job done against
21:20Wes Lee, because he's Dirty No Good Dominik.
21:23But Dominik ended up making a cool bit of history that week.
21:27On Monday at Raw, he and Damian Priest lost to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in the main event
21:31of Raw for the Tag Team Titles.
21:33The next night, Dominik headlined NXT and became the North American Champion.
21:37A few days later on Smackdown, he retained the title against Pete Butcher Dunne when
21:42he was called Butch, and in doing so, Dominik became the first person in WWE history to
21:48headline Raw, NXT, and Smackdown in one week.
21:53But things were happening, and it was only going to get better.
21:57At the Payback event in September, Finn Balor and Damian Priest put all of their issues
22:01aside and became the undisputed Tag Team Champions in a wonderful street fight.
22:08It was a wild night in Pennsylvania as Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn really tested Priest and
22:14Balor.
22:15Balor would become a Grand Slam Champion.
22:16The Judgment Day had the evolution-like moment where each member held championship gold.
22:23Truly the defining moment of a faction being above the rest that they're compared to.
22:28It also came around this time that J.D. McDonough, the Irish Ace, started to get involved with
22:33the Judgment Day.
22:34Finn Balor, a fellow Irishman, was an advocate and worked on recruiting McDonough, but Damian
22:40Priest seemed resistant to the idea of bringing McDonough into the group.
22:45Still, McDonough came into his own as a useful aid to the Judgment Day.
22:50Dominic Mysterio lost his NXT North American Championship to Trick Williams, who got whooping
22:55with that trick, you know.
22:56Damian Priest and Finn Balor lost the Tag Team Titles to Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, yeet,
23:02but won it back a little over a week later.
23:05The Judgment Day's antics of interfering in matches were catching up with them, and
23:09it looked like the walls were closing in on them and their cheating ways.
23:13Rhea Ripley had an average reign as Women's World Champion up to that point, and was dealing
23:18with some injury issues, but they still wanted to keep the title on her since she had some
23:23red hot popularity that has not relented since.
23:27She was dominant in her title defenses, but there weren't many of them to make it an
23:31entertaining run.
23:32Meanwhile, Judgment Day was going to face another formidable foe, Cody Rhodes, who was
23:37getting involved with the war that they were starting with basically every good guy on
23:41Monday Night Raw.
23:42At the Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia, Rhea Ripley would defeat four other women
23:46in a fatal five-way match.
23:49Damian Priest would be on the losing end in a one-on-one match with Cody Rhodes, despite
23:53his other Judgment Day members trying to interfere.
24:00He also continued to tease a cash-in of his Money in the Bank briefcase, but the timing
24:06was just never right there for him.
24:08The next logical step was to make the Judgment Day go up against a formidable alliance of
24:13people that simply had enough of everything purple and black on Monday nights.
24:18This group would include Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn, all of whom
24:23had personal investment in causing the Judgment Day some real, real harm.
24:30During this time, JD McDonough officially got the nod and became the fifth member of
24:34the Judgment Day.
24:35But it wasn't enough for them at Survivor Series War Games in Chicago in front of a
24:39red-hot sold-out crowd with the four of them forging an alliance with Drew McIntyre, only
24:46to lose.
24:47It was a bit of a catch-22 situation with the Judgment Day.
24:50It seemed like more often than not, they were on the losing effort in big matches, and when
24:54they lost, it looked like they were losing steam, only for them to hop back and gain
24:59momentum on weekly television and dominate TV time on Monday Night Raw.
25:04At the end of 2023, it was R-Truth who turned out to be the one to breathe some levity into
25:10the very serious, heavy metal aesthetic of the Judgment Day.
25:15He was so good that we got to see a bit of the lighter side of the group.
25:19His rivalry with the very big-headed JD McDonough in particular was quite hilarious.
25:24Remember how they had the miracle on 34th Street Fight for the holiday-themed episode
25:29of Monday Night Raw with the Loser Leaves the Judgment Day?
25:33JD lost, but he stayed in the Judgment Day anyway.
25:36It was a first full year together as a group, and despite all of the setbacks, they knocked
25:41it out of the park and truly were a pivotal part of WWE's overall programming arcs to
25:47get some big superstars ready for the upcoming WrestleMania season.
25:51The 2024 Royal Rumble wasn't quite as successful for the Judgment Day, but next month at the
25:56Elimination Chamber event in Australia where Rhea Ripley was a national icon, she got to
26:01have a big headlining match in her home country, defeating Nia Jax.
26:06While Finn Balor and Damian Priest continued to iron their grip on the undisputed tag team
26:11championships by beating Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, Rhea defeated Nia Jax as we mentioned.
26:17It was a big moment, but it was also setting up a long-awaited clash between her and the
26:22man Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.
26:27This time around, 4 of the 5 would get marquee matches and moments at the show of shows.
26:33The Judgment Day unsuccessfully tried to recruit Andrade who recently rejoined WWE, who ended
26:40up siding with Rey Mysterio and the LWO instead.
26:43At WrestleMania, Dominik and Santos Escobar lost to Rey Mysterio and Andrade, while Damian
26:49Priest and Finn Balor lost both halves of the undisputed tag team championships while
26:55defending it against 5 other teams.
26:58Rhea Ripley opened up WrestleMania 40, defeating Becky Lynch to solidify herself as the number
27:04one woman in all of professional wrestling.
27:07Up to that point, WWE had ensured to keep Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley separate, so when
27:11they eventually met, it was quite special.
27:14In back-to-back WrestleManias, Rhea Ripley defeated Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch,
27:18two women who were considered to be among the greatest to ever do it and generation-defying
27:23talents before the rise of Rhea and the Judgment Day.
27:27Damian Priest was clowned on a lot as Senior Money in the Bank because of his unsuccessful
27:33cash-ins, but his contract wasn't expiring anytime soon.
27:37But after Drew McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins on night 2 to become the new World Heavyweight
27:42Champion, Drew McIntyre tried to rub it in his rival's face who was injured at ringside
27:47and on commentary, CM Punk.
27:49CM Punk would lay out Drew McIntyre and give him a moment of vulnerability that the Scotsman,
27:56who had just won the world title 5 minutes earlier, didn't want.
28:00A vulnerable moment for a successful and easy cash-in for Damian Priest to become the World
28:06Heavyweight Champion.
28:07Suddenly, he went from looking like maybe the most foolish Money in the Bank holder
28:12to maybe one of the smartest.
28:14There was no denying that the former Punishment Martinez in Ring of Honor, who had waged his
28:19way through the ranks of pro wrestling and certainly WWE with the Judgment Day, had earned
28:24this truly crowning moment on the biggest wrestling stage you could imagine.
28:29He had to step it up because only a little over a week later, Rhea Ripley was forced
28:33to vacate the Women's World Championship after suffering a horrific arm injury when
28:38Liv Morgan, her former tag team partner, attacked her backstage on Monday Night Raw.
28:44She felt like the biggest star on the Judgment Day, and she certainly got the best reactions
28:48out of the five.
28:49But this was a big blow for them as a collective, and a chance for Damian Priest to step into
28:54that main spotlight.
28:56He managed to retain the World Heavyweight Championship against Jey Uso at Backlash thanks
29:00to interference from Finn Balor and JD McDonough, but he wasn't happy about it.
29:05He specifically instructed them not to interfere.
29:08Well, that's a little different.
29:10What's going on here?
29:11Damian Priest began to show signs of being a faithful, reliable, honorable wrestler.
29:17I believe this is meant to be a wrestling terminology for a good guy, by wanting to
29:22prove himself as a fighting World Heavyweight Champion.
29:26The Judgment Day proved to be an obstacle in this moral conflict.
29:30And then Liv Morgan injected herself into the situation like a dose of lethal alluring
29:36poison, like DC Comics Poison Ivy.
29:39Like a certain man once said, she shook the dynamic of the Judgment Day forever.
29:45And Mommy was away.
29:47Carlito took R-Truth's place as the comedic relief of the group without ever being an
29:52official part of the Judgment Day.
29:53In Rhea Ripley's absence, dirty Dominic Mysterio found himself getting pursued by Miss Morgan,
30:00who made it clear that she wanted to take everything from Rhea Ripley away.
30:05It's also worth mentioning that Rhea Ripley hadn't been pinned since 2022, and the last
30:11was none other than her former tag team partner, who she injured in 2022, Liv Morgan.
30:18Liv would go on to become the Women's World Champion in Saudi Arabia, taking something
30:22else from Rhea Ripley, the title she never officially lost, but was forced to vacate.
30:26To make matters worse, dirty Dominic Mysterio, who flew all the way across the world to cost
30:32Morgan the championship, or so we thought, ended up mistakenly, or maybe mistakenly,
30:37help her become the Women's World Champion.
30:39We only saw cracks in the Judgment Day after the summer of 2023, but those wounds were
30:44seemingly to be healed were now opening up, and opening up very quickly without anybody
30:50realizing it.
30:51Damien Priest warned Dom to draw a boundary with Miss Morgan, and Dominic's continuous
30:57refusal to do so was quite questionable.
31:00He even lied about talking to Rhea Ripley and Damien Priest, who actually spoke to Rhea
31:06and said she was pissed.
31:08Oh, shocker.
31:09Then we had a few suspicious moments where Finn Balor was sneakily swiping Liv Morgan's
31:14hotel room key, while JD McDonough's armband was spotted in Liv's social media posts.
31:21What's going on here?
31:22Damien, meanwhile, was living up to his word of being a great fighting champion.
31:26He even agreed to give Drew McIntyre a world title shot in his home country of Scotland
31:32at the Clash of the Castle event.
31:34The stakes were high.
31:35Damien never hesitated at the idea of beating the home country hero and being enemy number
31:41one in Glasgow.
31:42The match also went his way, thanks to CM Punk still having an issue with Drew McIntyre.
31:48Even when the JD was barred from ringside, he got the let off of Punk getting involved.
31:53When Rollins returned, Damien Priest offered him a title shot at Money in the Bank.
31:57You're just giving these things out, Damien.
31:59This led to a gentleman's agreement where Damien Priest would leave the Judgment Day
32:04if he lost, and Seth Rollins wouldn't be able to compete for the world title if he
32:09lost.
32:10During this buildup, Liv Morgan repaid a favor to Dominic Mysterio by helping him and the
32:15Judgment Day, yeah, capture the World Tag Team Championships, Finn Balor and JD McDonough
32:22defeating R-Truth to win those straps back for the Purple and Black.
32:26At the Money in the Bank event, Drew McIntyre would cash in his briefcase that he won earlier
32:31in the night, only for CM Punk to cost him again.
32:35Damien Priest was once again the beneficiary of wild circumstances, but it was another
32:40asterisk in his world title defenses not being as pristine as he wanted them to be.
32:47He didn't want the help at Backlash, he didn't want the help at the Clash at the Castle,
32:52and despite the high pressure situation, he didn't want the help at Money in the Bank.
32:56But he got it anyway.
32:57In a show of respect, Damien Priest broke the Gentleman's Agreement and promised Seth
33:01Rollins a world title shot after Summerslam.
33:05The reactions towards him were getting better, they were changing, all while the Judgment
33:09Day was still in a state of internal chaos, even though they had the tag team titles.
33:15Mind you, they had three championships in the group and were still in all of this turmoil.
33:20For the towering Damien Priest, his next challenger was a man who had already booked his Summerslam
33:25ticket months before, winning the King of the Ring tournament, the Ring General, Gunther,
33:31who had previously just lost the WWE Intercontinental Championship, but raised that championship
33:36stock by breaking the record for having the longest reign with it.
33:40Now he wanted to pursue world title gold.
33:43While Priest had the looming threat of Gunther, it was hard to ignore the things that were
33:47going on in his faction.
33:49His pleas to Dominik to push away Liv Morgan and reject her advances were in vain.
33:55He knew his boy Dominik was under this girl's spell.
33:58Dominik meanwhile teamed with Liv Morgan, and thanks to her, did what he was unable
34:04to do before, pin his legendary father Rey Mysterio.
34:08While it looked like Dominik and Liv were finally going to become a thing, boom, BRUTALITY
34:13was back on Monday at Raw, Rhea Ripley returned from injury, and the temperature changed pretty
34:19quickly.
34:20Hey Dominik, don't be touching that girl, Rhea's here, you're in trouble buddy.
34:23Make no mistake about it, she was pissed.
34:26But for some reason, it didn't take Dominik very long to get in mummy's good graces.
34:31Still, there was a stink within the Judgment Day, and it wouldn't go away.
34:36Yeah, there was not enough deodorant to solve this problem.
34:40Summerslam opened with Rhea Ripley attempting to regain the Women's World Championship
34:45from Liv Morgan, with Dominik by her side.
34:48And obviously everyone was expecting Dominik to be loyal to mommy once again.
34:52Yeah, Dominik had rejected Liv on TV, so he's gonna be good to mommy.
34:57The twist was kind of coming a mile away.
34:59Yeah, it was still surreal when it happened.
35:01Dominik turned on Rhea and laid a big ol' smooch on Liv Morgan, revealing the entire
35:07ploy that unfolded for months after WrestleMania.
35:10Rhea Ripley's reaction was incredible.
35:14Rhea Ripley looked vulnerable, like a crying child in a fetal position, running away from
35:20all of her problems, and in seconds, the anger, the seething rage, the fueled-by-passion fury
35:27appeared on her face.
35:30The drama dripped off the screen.
35:33Yes, what was Liv Morgan's revenge to her, was now Rhea Ripley's revenge to her.
35:40Damien Priest, on the other hand, was only the one to be infuriated by what happened
35:44when he stormed into the Judgment Day's clubhouse to search for Dominik.
35:49After kicking a few things around, he grabbed Finn Balor by his collar and asked him if
35:53he knew this was coming.
35:55Balor was calm and collected in the moment.
35:57We had seen him like this before, enough to make Damien Priest feel bad about questioning
36:02him.
36:03But Damien, and most people watching, weren't in on the fact that there was a second betrayal
36:09in place on this night in Ohio.
36:11One that would end the Judgment Day as we know it.
36:14Damien Priest had to put all these emotions aside, because he had to take on Gunther.
36:17Yeah, a man who had a near-flawless record on WWE's main roster.
36:21Despite losing that icy title at WrestleMania, the Ring General was really, really gaining
36:27steam heading into that Summerslam.
36:30Finn Balor came out during the match, and the implosion finally happened.
36:34Damien Priest hit Gunther with a South of Heaven Chokeslam in what would have been certainly
36:39a secured victory.
36:40Finn Balor put Gunther's leg on the ropes, preventing the full pinfall, shocking everyone.
36:47Damien didn't see what happened until he looked at the big screen, realized the betrayal
36:52at the hands of Balor.
36:54The rage that he had about Rhea Ripley's situation now doubled, tripled, even quadrupled.
37:00He quadrupled dog dared his rage.
37:02In an instant, he stopped caring about his world title and wanted to rip Finn Balor apart.
37:08This turned out to be a mistake, because Gunther had recovered enough to secure a Rear Naked
37:13Choke and get a technical submission, fulfilling his destiny of becoming a world champion.
37:19Damien Priest was screwed.
37:21The Judgment Day in its best formation was gone.
37:24A shout out to Rhea Ripley and Damien Priest, who delivered real moments in losing here.
37:30That's right, not everyone has to win, technically, get the W, to have a moment that truly is
37:36a win in terms of advancing a story.
37:39On the Raw after Summerslam 2024, Finn Balor brought up the fact that Damien Priest cost
37:44him at Summerslam the previous year.
37:46Fact, yeah, that's true.
37:48He also didn't like the fact that Damien had acted like the leader of the JD after
37:52becoming world champion.
37:54And then, the big reveal, Liv Morgan and Carlito were the new Judgment Day members.
37:59We don't even know what we call the Judgment Day in its new form.
38:03It doesn't feel right, even though it is right.
38:05Yeah, I know there's no leaders and no egos, but it seems like there's definitely egos
38:10if there isn't leaders, and if there is a leader, it's Finn Balor.
38:12But you know what I mean, we're dealing with change, and change is hard.
38:17As of now, there's been no name given to them, and we hope they're presented more as a spinoff
38:21of the Judgment Day, rather than the same group, or maybe just a group that's easier
38:26to boo.
38:27The reason for that being is there will never be another group like Judgment Day.
38:31We would argue that WWE struck gold with the four-person version of it, with Balor, Priest,
38:36Rhea, and Dominik.
38:38There aren't many factions in WWE history that have benefited from each member, or each
38:43member benefiting so much the way Judgment Day has.
38:46Even J.D. McDonough, who some might say is considered an insignificant member from a
38:51surface-level observation, has really benefited.
38:54His stock has been raised, he's on TV regularly, he became a tag team champion.
38:58Despite the implosion, despite the betrayals, despite all of that, the Judgment Day undoubtedly
39:03will go down as one of the best factions of WWE in the recent years.
39:07Their tenure together, only a little over two years, but the amount that they achieved,
39:11the sheer amount of content on TV that they were a part of, is certainly something that
39:15none of us expected when the group started.
39:18In 2023 alone, the first 45 episodes of Raw had at least one Judgment Day member headlining
39:24the show 22 times.
39:27They ran Monday Night Raw in 2023, and were a force to be reckoned with for a majority
39:32of 2024.
39:33We've seen great factions before, but not so many had the kind of impact on week-to-week
39:38storylines the way Judgment Day did.
39:41Now, you've watched all of this video.
39:44We sincerely appreciate that.
39:46But we need to know what you think.
39:48What is your thought on the Judgment Day?
39:50Where can it go?
39:51How can it evolve?
39:52Where does the group rank amongst the all-time factions in pro wrestling?
39:56Let us know.
39:57Those comments are below and you can use your fingers to express yourselves with all the
40:02other wrestling fans as well.
40:04Also, be sure to subscribe to Sportskeeda Wrestling and turn those notifications on
40:08so you know when we drop new videos just like this one.