The New and improved Judgement Day is here. SummerSlam saw the implosion of the group’s most recent incarnation, with Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest getting betrayed by Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor respectively. The big question coming out of the show was about the future of the faction and we got some answers on the latest episode of WWE Raw from CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

An angry Damian Priest stormed to the ring during the show and challenged Finn Balor to come out and confront him, although Balor did not show up. Priest cut a promo about how he had found a family in Judgement Day before confirming his face turn saying that all the fans were his family now.

Balor finally appeared on the Titan Tron and explained how their group was never supposed to have a leader until Damian won the World Title. Balor reminded the former champion that he cost him a world title opportunity last year and said that JD McDonagh will fight Priest on his behalf.

The former Bullet Club leader told Damian Priest that he will let Priest feel safe and comfortable before striking again and said that he won’t be alone. Balor then introduced the world to the new Judgement Day as Dominik Mysterio, Liv Morgan, Carlito, and McDonagh all walked into the frame.

The match between McDonagh and Priest took place later in the night with Carlito being at the ringside. The bout ended in a disqualification however, when Balor made a surprise appearance and blindsided Priest. The rest of Balor’s teammates joined him in attacking the former World Champion. This continued until Rhea Ripley’s music hit and she came down to make the save.

Liv and Dominik tried to retreat but Rhea caught Morgan and sent her crashing through the ring post twice. The Mami looked to deliver a Razor’s Edge on Morgan through the announce table but Dom saved her. Rhea then got back into the ring and delivered a headbutt to McDonagh. Priest followed it up with a South of Heaven and the segment ended with the two stars hugging each other.

Following this latest shakeup, the new Judgment Day does not contain a single member of the original group, led by Edge (Adam Copeland)

• Judgment Day Timeline: Formation, Debuts, Expulsions & Betrayals

The Yeet Party continued after the SummerSlam go-home episode of SmackDown from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio went off air.

There were two dark matches that took place after the broadcast ended. The first bout saw Braun Strowman picking up a victory over Chad Gable in a singles match.

The second dark match of the night featured the team of Rey Mysterio, Jey Uso, The Miz and R Truth taking on The Judgement Day in an 8 men tag team bout.

The babyfaces had a lot of fun in this match and they all danced to Uso’s theme song for an extended period. They even got the World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest to do the Yeet at one point.

The ending of the match saw Rey Mysterio doing 619 on all four JD members. He then pinned Dominik to pick up the win for his team and the faces continued to celebrate long after:

What Happened On SmackDown

This week’s episode of the Blue Branded Show saw the final build for some top SummerSlam matches. The show opened with a confrontation between Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa before their encounter on Sunday which has now been made a Bloodline rules match.

We also saw a promo battle between US Champion Logan Paul and LA Knight before their title match. A Women’s Tag Team Championship match between The Unholy Union and Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair ended in a disqualification.

The main event of the show was DIY defending their Tag Team Titles against Jacob Fatu and Tonga Loa. The Bloodline won this match and the show ended with the faction standing tall.

Things do not seem to be going Judgement Day’s way and it appears that after Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio has also suffered an injury.

The former NXT North American Champion was expected to work the European Tour last week. Ricochet replaced him on the shows. The unannounced change concerned people. 

The latest episode of Monday Night Raw from Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio further confirmed that Dirty Dom is not 100%. The Judgement Day star was announced to team with JD McDonagh on tonight’s episode of the Red Branded Show. 

He appeared on the screen, however, wearing a sling on his left hand. Santos Escobar then replaced Dominik in the match against Ricochet and Andrade. The faces won the match when Andrade delivered The Message to McDonagh for the pin.

What’s next for Judgement Day

The last couple of weeks have not been good for Judgement Day. It all started when Rhea Ripley had to relinquish her Women’s World Title due to a shoulder injury.

The opening segment of this week’s Raw then saw Damian Priest confronting his Backlash opponent Jey Uso. After a heated exchange between the two, JD McDonagh emerged out of nowhere and tried to blindside the former Bloodline member.

Priest appeared to have no knowledge of the attack. He ended up on the business end of a superkick when he was trying to stop McDonagh from going after Uso.

I'm sore.
I'm tired.
I'm pissed off.

And I think I've helped Judgment Day more than Judgment Day has helped me. https://t.co/1iUzwmcQP7

— JD McDonagh (@jd_mcdonagh) April 23, 2024

The World Heavyweight Champion made another appearance on the show after McDonagh’s tag team match. He told both JD and Dominik that he didn’t need either of them.

Elsewhere in the show, a backstage segment also teased a potential collaboration between Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan in the absence of the Mami.

With all the teases of tensions within the Judgement and the new alliance between Morgan and Dom, it won’t be a surprise if we see the group imploding sooner rather than later.

It will also depend on the health of Mysterio. Though considering that the company is keeping him on screen and teasing plans for him it doesn’t seem likely that he will miss a lot of ring time.

We wish a speedy recovery to Dominik Mysterio

R-Truth is finding creative ways to prove to Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio that he can be an indispensable member of the Judgement Day.

Truth has been on a mission to become a full-fledged member of the faction despite most of the group’s dismissals. However, that could change in storyline after the former two-time WWE United States Champion has shown that he is a money-maker.

On the January 15 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, Priest had a backstage segment with Truth ahead of their tag team match. The man currently in possession of the Men’s Money In The Bank briefcase confronted Truth about selling one of his new collaborative t-shirts with Judgement Day. However, the former WWE United States Champion calmed his concerns when he gave Priest a stack of cash from the proceeds.

Truth also noted that everyone in the group would get a cut of the profits and that he made a new collaborative t-shirt for ‘Tom and Nick Mysterio.’

WWE has released new merchandise on the WWE Shop called “The Judgment Day & R-Truth Three Amigos T-Shirt,” featuring Truth and “Dirty Dom” for $32.99. This marks the third t-shirt since the storyline between Truth and Judgement Day began, which may show the success of their collaboration. 

Finn Balor Very Happy With R-Truth Selling T-Shirts

Later in the show, Truth teamed with The Miz to take on Priest and Balor. Before it could start, Truth gave Balor and Mysterio a handful of $100 to share the success of their t-shirt sales. It’s worth noting that McDonagh, who was at ringside, didn’t get anything because, in the storyline, he lost his spot in the group to Truth.

Judgment Day would defeat the “babyfaces” after Priest landed South Of Heaven on Truth. Despite giving them issues, both Balor and Mysterio were elated after the match and thankful for Truth.

In a Twitter post, Balor shared a backstage video of himself and Mysterio looking at the money that Truth gave them. While expressing their happiness, Mysterio mentioned that McDonagh didn’t get his money cut. 

Balor responded, “He don’t deserve a cut. His name is not on the shirt.” While that comment could be in jest, this could lead to more implications for the group.

Will Judgement Day accept R-Truth?

In the tag team match, WWE fans noticed Priest was unhappy after landing the South Of Heaven on Truth. In the backstage segment between them, he noted that the rest of the group was not thrilled with Truth’s antics. As the former WWE United States Champion becomes more involved with the faction, this could lead to internal issues between Judgement Day.

McDonagh is already having issues with Truth, but Mysterio and Balor may also get fed up with the ongoing antics. This could lead to Priest being put on the spot to handle Truth, and he may be conflicted. The group has had issues, but this longtime WWE veteran could be the catalyst for Judgement Day finally butting heads. 

Currently, it seems the group will continue trying to get along with Truth as he shows his worth. However, it seems only a matter of time before something will push them too far. 

WWE has seen many women travel through the company that changed history. Chyna turned heads in the late-90s for WWE, proving that women can be more than Divas. In today’s company, Rhea Ripley is taking the idea of what it means to be a female Superstar to another level. 

Rhea Ripley’s Place In WWE Today

Rhea Ripley currently stands among the prominent female WWE Superstars, steadily gaining momentum each week. As the lone woman in Judgement Day, she has often been compared to another amazing female talent who once backed a stable, Chyna. The Eradicator doesn’t mind those comparisons at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lT9DIey1Ts

While speaking to The West Australian, Rhea Ripley spoke about the comparisons she receives to Chyna. She considers those comparisons to the WWE Hall of Famer “amazing” and she is “very proud of” the fact that she is in that conversation. 

“I don’t think getting compared to Chyna is a bad thing at all. I think it’s amazing. I’m actually very proud of that fact. The only problem that I’m having at the moment is that, I’ve done all these amazing things with men that have been so good to me, and let me do these things. While I was doing that, the women’s division was suffering a little bit, and not getting built the right way. It was at a weird time where things weren’t certain and things were changing constantly, so the women’s division suffered a little bit, and now we’re trying to build it back up.”

“Obviously we have like our Becky Lynches, we have Nia Jax, we have our Charlotte Flairs, our Asukas, all of that, but it’s time to make some new stars as well, and that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to make new names and get the women’s division rocking and rolling.”

“So there’s lots of great challenges, but for me, I love doing everything. I love beating the men up. I love beating the women up. It makes me different, it makes me stand out, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Rhea Ripley will keep doing her thing, while remaining true to herself. If that means she is compared to a trailblazing legend like Chyna, then so bet it. 

Chyna’s Tragic Groundbreaking Story In WWE

Chyna rose to prominence in the late 1990s as a groundbreaking figure in professional wrestling. Debuting in WWE in 1997, Chyna quickly shattered gender norms by competing against male wrestlers. Billed as the “Ninth Wonder of the World.” Chyna achieved significant success, becoming the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble and winning the Intercontinental Championship. 

Sadly, despite her accomplishments, personal struggles and conflicts led to her departure from WWE in 2001. Chyna faced challenges post-wrestling, including ventures into reality television and adult entertainment. Her life took a tragic turn, and she battled substance abuse and mental health issues, contributing to her untimely death in 2016. 

Chyna’s legacy remains complex, marked by both her groundbreaking contributions to wrestling and the challenges she faced in her personal life. After her death, in a moment that was a long time coming for many pro wrestling fans, Chyna was finally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of DX in 2019.

WWE fans are still waiting on a solo induction for Chyna, and Rhea Ripley would probably love to see that happen, too. 

WWE booked a big show this week in Cleveland. CM Punk declared that RAW is now his brand home. Also, CM Punk followed that up with a big Royal Rumble announcement. Punk hasn’t been confirmed for RAW next week, but they did book two big title matches.

Next week, WWE RAW will be in Des Moines, Iowa. That is, of course, Seth Rollins’ home city, so odds are he will receive a hero’s welcome. The company also has two big tag team matches booked for the show.

They announced during the December 11th episode of WWE RAW that the December 18th episode will see two tag team title matches. The Undisputed and Women’s Tag Team Titles will both be on the line.

The Creed Brothers earned a #1 contender spot a few weeks ago. They will finally get that next week. It will be interesting to see how Julius and Brutus Creed do next week.

Also, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance will get their shot at Chelsea Green and Piper Niven’s WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. That should be quite a match, as Green and Niven have been able to sit at ringside to watch Chance and Cater for the past few weeks.

You can check out the card for the December 18th episode of WWE RAW below.

WWE RAW December 18th Card

Judgment Day vs Creed Brothers – Undisputed Tag Team Titles

Chelsea Green & Piper Niven vs Katana Carter & Kayden Carter – WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles

We will have complete coverage of the December 18th episode of WWE RAW here at SE Scoops. Keep checking back for more updates.

Finn Balor has offered up his thoughts on Edge departing The Judgement Day.

Balor was recently interviewed by BT Sport’s Ariel Helwani, ahead of Clash At The Castle this past weekend.

During the interview, Balor was asked for his thoughts on WWE Hall Of Famer Edge being removed from the Judgement Day faction so quickly.

Several weeks ago, upon Balor being introduced to the group, Balor, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley attacked Edge, seemingly kicking him out of the group. The creative decision was one that confused fans greatly at the time, seeing as it had only started a few weeks ago.

As for Balor, he thinks the idea worked out in the long run, allowing the group to make it their own rather than playing “sidekick” to Edge.

“Things could always be different, and we can pick apart things that happen on a TV show weekly. But we have to adapt on the fly, unlike television. It is what it is. It wasn’t how I imagined it to be, but it’s a little cooler this way.

“For me personally, if Edge had been in the group, the reactions we would get – maybe myself, Rhea, and Damian – we would say ‘that’s because of Edge.’ But now the reactions we get, that’s because of us.

“We’re not leaning on Edge in any way, so it gives me more responsibility, Damian more responsibility, and Rhea the same. We can dive into this as ourselves as not as a sidekick to Edge. We’re excited with how it’s going.”

Currently, Edge is still feuding with The Judgement Day; which now consists of Balor, Priest, Ripley, and now Dominik Mysterio. The young Mysterio joined The Judgement Day on RAW this week after he turned on Edge and his father, Rey Mysterio, at Clash At The Castle.

WWE star Edge has confirmed the reports that him getting kicked out of The Judgement Day wasn’t the original plan for the group.

The Rated R Superstar recently had an interview with Bleacher Report. He talked about things such as Triple H taking over the creative in the company and more.

Speaking about The Judgment Day, the wrestling veteran claimed that he is having a blast working with the group. He also confirmed that they have had to make some changes into the original plans for the faction.

A Fun Direction, Adapting

“So far, I’ve had a blast going to work and getting to do a storyline with Priest and Balor and Rhea [Ripley],” he said. “It was kind of floating there for a little while.

Now, it’s getting a direction and that’s really, really fun.” said Edge, “We had to make some changes due to injuries and stuff like that, and you just have to adapt.”

The Hall of Famer was kicked out of The Judgement Day during the June 6 episode of Raw. It was later reported that some creative differences about the presentation of the group led to this change.

Edge has since started a feud with his former protégés. He is currently set to face Damian Priest in a one-on-one match on Monday’s Raw from Toronto.

• Damian Priest Refutes Reports About Edge’s Judgement Day Departure

Edge is the subject of the latest episode of Biography: WWE Legends series on A&E, premiering Sunday night at 8/7c.