Damian Priest has transformed into a main eventer as a member of Judgment Day. (Credit: Gladys Vega/ … [+]
WWE struck gold with the recent success of its Judgment Day faction, but Raw’s top stable is now on the ropes.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Cageside Seats), the “long-term plan” is for Damian Priest to leave The Judgment Day, and he could potentially be replaced by former NXT star and Raw newcomer JD McDonagh.
Over the past couple of months, tensions have been rising within The Judgment Day, which consists of Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio and Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. Much of the group’s issues have stemmed from Balors’ quest to win the World Heavyweight Championship conflicting with Priest’s status as the holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase.
There have been teases of both Balor and Priest being exiled from the group, but whoever it is, that star could—and should—be set for a massive push up the card. And in the ideal scenario, it will be Priest who gets the boot.
After a rocky start with Edge as its leader, The Judgment Day was able to turn things around with Balor turning heel for the first time on the main roster and taking over the group. The Judgment Day is now Raw’s equivalent to The Bloodline, establishing itself as the red brand’s top stable and No. 1 heat generator. In the process, Mysterio, Ripley and Priest have all become bigger stars, which is exactly what a faction should accomplish.
In a surprising twist, though, The Judgment Day has also been a significant ratings draw for WWE. The group’s involvement in marquee storylines has resulted in substantial viewership increases both for Monday Night Raw and WWE NXT at times, thanks to the consistently great work of the group’s stars as well as its rivals.
The clear end goal of The Judgment Day is for the beef between Balor and Priest to result in a full-blown feud between the two. Balor is a bigger star on paper, but WWE has been there, done that with the former Universal Champion as a fan favorite. Priest had a solid run as a babyface singles star too, but his legs were cut out from underneath him before he ever really got going.
The good news is, Priest is now right on the cusp of being a main eventer, which wasn’t the case prior to joining The Judgment Day. Priest is firmly entrenched as one of Raw’s top heels, has feuded with a pop culture icon in Bad Bunny and is one MITB cash-in away from becoming world champion.
With The Judgment Day proving to be a ratings success and a key cog in the storylines on Raw, making any major change to the group would be a risk—but a risk worth taking, nonetheless.
McDonagh, who was trained by Balor, would benefit from being in the group, which would instantly elevate him to notoriety after a lukewarm start on Raw. Balor, meanwhile, is better off staying heel, where he’s thrived and shown more range as an overall performer. Ripley and Mysterio can continue to be heat magnets with or without by their side.
Priest is the one star with the highest risk-reward potential. Now viewed as a “top level” star in WWE, Senor Money in the Bank cannot truly excel unless he’s cast out of The Judgment Day and thrown into deep waters on his own.
While a Priest-less Judgment Day will have to reinvent itself, WWE can establish a new world title contender or even world champion by making sure that Priest—not Balor or anyone else—is the one banished from the stable.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakeoestriecher/2023/08/19/wwe-reportedly-planning-big-change-to-judgment-day-stable/