With Rhea Ripley’s unfortunate injury leading to her vacating the WWE Women’s World Championship, it’s left Judgment Day without – arguably – their biggest star. This has opened the door for a lot of questions regarding the future of the group.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what the future could hold for Judgment Day while ‘Mami’ is on the shelf.
JD McDonagh
Since joining Judgment Day, JD McDonagh has not had much to write home about. His most notable moment came shortly after officially joining the group, when he was hit with a super RKO by a returning Randy Orton during WarGames.
With that in mind, McDonagh is someone that WWE can rely on to work with other fast-paced talent and put on impressive matches. His efforts have been showcased in the new WWE Speed, featured on X.com every Wednesday.
He is set to take on Ricochet in the semi-finals of the aforementioned tournament, in which his opponent is the favourite. However, a sly victory could be the catalyst needed to give ‘The Irish Ace’ a momentum boost.
McDonagh picking up the win and going on to ultimately be crowned the inaugural WWE Speed Champion would be a huge improvement on the Irishman’s success so far.
It remains to be seen whether this title will be defended down the line, but it would allow for a division akin to the former WWE Cruiserweight division to be formed. Giving McDonagh, Ricochet and others the platform to showcase their abilities would be a wise move for WWE.
Dominik Mysterio
Without ‘Mami’ around, it’ll be interesting to see what Dominik Mysterio gets up to. As one of the most universally-hated heels on the WWE roster, there is a lot of potential for interesting stories moving forward.
Coming off the back of another WrestleMania defeat at the hands of his father, Rey Mysterio, ‘Dirty Dom’ should be seeking retribution. We’ve already seen him take on Andrade on Monday Night Raw, with a stunning performance not being enough to take ‘El Idolo’ down.
Dominik should come into his own over the next few months, as he’ll have to back up his trash talk without his Australian enforcer. A feud against Andrade would make sense initially, although it’s likely that Mysterio would emerge the loser.
His focus on Andrade, Rey Mysterio and the L.W.O. should cause him to lose touch with the faction’s common goals, leading to dissension between the group. Without Ripley’s ability to break down tension between the team, it could lead to infighting.
With potential places in the Money in the Bank ladder match at stake later in the year, the distrust could build between all four men, before Ripley makes her return.
Whether or not Mysterio should leave the group is another question entirely, but his attention being drawn elsewhere ought to provide enough jeopardy for the future of Judgment Day.
Finn Bálor
Finn Bálor has accomplished a lot during his time in WWE. A multi-time champion and prominent feature on Monday Night Raw, he has worked hard over the past eight years to maintain his relevance.
However, since losing the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championships at WWE WrestleMania 40, he has not had a clear path for the next few months. It seems as though he wants to try and reclaim the titles, although Damian Priest appears to have different priorities.
With that in mind, Bálor could enlist the support of one of his other stablemates in trying to recapture the gold. An unsuccessful attempt at winning their belts back would give Bálor an opportunity to re-align his desires, focusing his intentions on another title he has held before.
On the recent WWE tour of the U.K., WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn has been defending his belt against newly-heel Chad Gable, former champion Gunther and Finn Bálor.
Although the clear story is there for Gable and Zayn to battle over the next few weeks, Bálor should try and force his way into the picture.
A hunt for the WWE Intercontinental Championship would allow ‘The Prince’ to embrace his darker side, especially as he gets more and more desperate to reclaim the belt. Perhaps a return for his demonic alter-ego could be in store, as he goes to great lengths to claw his way to the belt.
Alternatively, Bálor could turn his attentions to the Money in the Bank briefcase. After last summer’s tension-laden story surrounding Priest and Bálor, it would be interesting to see the reverse after this year’s titular ladder match.
With the World Heavyweight Champion and Mr. Money in the Bank in the same stable, it would make for compelling television, as fans eagerly await the expected betrayal.
Pushing Bálor back into the main event picture would be a wise move, and the story is there for him to chase another world title, after never losing his in 2016.
Damian Priest
The World Heavyweight Champion, Damian Priest, is currently enjoying a well-deserved stint with the title after a successful cash-in at WWE WrestleMania 40. With two of his main challengers seemingly set on destroying one another, Priest’s attention is turned to Jey Uso.
While Uso and Priest are likely to have a great match at WWE Backlash 2024, ‘The Archer of Infamy’ is the favourite to walk away from the event with his championship still around his waist.
After dispatching ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso, Priest will need a new challenger. With WWE Clash at the Castle emanating from Glasgow, Scotland, it seems highly likely that Drew McIntyre will get a shot at recapturing the title in his hometown.
Although many would have McIntyre win in Scotland, it would be very interesting to see Priest retain, perhaps with interference from a returning CM Punk.
Keeping the belt on Damian Priest would make for a captivating story over the summer, especially with WWE Money in the Bank in July. If Finn Bálor captures the briefcase as mentioned above, the possibility of a Judgment Day implosion would be tantalising.
Bálor betraying his teammate to win a World Championship once again would undoubtedly tear the group apart. In that eventuality, Priest should assume the role of babyface, with Bálor potentially staking his claim as leader of the group in Rhea Ripley’s absence.
Although Punk vs. McIntyre is likely to be the preferred pick from WWE bosses, giving Priest vs. Bálor a major spot on the card would keep the group fresh as we head into the summer.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens to the group while Rhea Ripley is away, but the potential is there for Judgment Day to captivate audiences throughout the next few months.
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