With both Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley having no clear creative direction, the timing is perfect for them to turn back to the dark side and reform the best version of the Judgment Day.
There is no doubt that The Bloodline was the most popular wrestling faction of the last 20 years. They were led by one of the biggest stars of his era, Roman Reigns, featured a legendary tag team, and included outstanding drama creators in Paul Heyman and Sami Zayn. However, while they were dominating on SmackDown, Raw had its own highly entertaining evil faction.
While WWE Hall of Famer Edge created the Judgment Day, the group didn’t really take off until he was tossed out and replaced by fan-favorite Finn Balor. The trio of Balor, Ripley, and Priest had great chemistry and played their role of dastardly and fearsome baddies well. Then, when they were able to brutalize Rey Mysterio’s son, Dominik, into joining them in their evil deeds, they became one of the coolest things on the red brand each week.
However, after a really fun run that saw Ripley gain the women’s world title, Priest and Balor become tag champs, and Priest also go on to become the World Heavyweight Champion, it all came crashing down at SummerSlam 2023.
On that night, a coup from within occurred, and Mysterio betrayed his lady love, Ripley, for her greatest rival, Liv Morgan. Then Balor stabbed Priest in the back and cost him his title. The former friends feuded in the months after, before going their separate ways by mid-2024. But now may be the time to bring the old crew back together again.
Change is soon coming to Judgment Day
Unlike the Bloodline, the Judgment Day is still around on Raw, and now features Balor, Mysterio, Raquel Rodriguez, Roxanne Perez, and JD McDonagh. Eventually, Liv Morgan will return to the group as well. However, they haven’t been anywhere near as dominant as they once were, as there continues to be dissension between the longest tenured members.
Something has to give, and sooner or later, Balor and Mysterio will reach a place where they can’t co-exist in the group. With Mysterio becoming surprisingly popular, the opportunity is there for WWE to turn the Intercontinental champ and see if he can become a unique cash cow for them as an anti-hero. But his exit would leave the faction in a difficult position.
That’s why another evolution of the group that returns to its roots makes sense.
Is it time to bring Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest back to Judgment Day?
Rhea Ripley is one of WWE’s most popular talents. However, she has gotten a bit stagnant in 2025. While she has competed in several major matchups, she has been on the losing end of most. Plus, she has lost some of the edge that made her so beloved during her recent storyline with Iyo Sky. She needs a change.
As for Damian Priest, he has sadly hit a career ceiling over the last year. The New Yorker hasn’t sniffed a world title shot in a very long time and has taken some major losses in 2025. While he is a notable talent on the roster, he has completely lost the aura he had in 2023. An aura that was at its peak in the Judgment Day.
Both Priest and Ripley have hit a point where a major character shift makes sense, and could be very beneficial. A heel Ripley could lead to some interesting storylines with Sky and Stephanie Vaquer. A mean and nasty Priest could again become a force in the world title picture, especially if he returned to Raw.
Yet they couldn’t return to the group with Mysterio there. Especially not Ripley. However, if Mysterio turned, it would open the door to that possibility if Balor could make amends for his betrayal of Priest. A more streamlined version of Judgment Day with Balor, Priest, Ripley, and McDonagh could be the most dominant force on Raw, and they could all hold gold in different divisions. It’s something WWE should think about because Ripley and Priest need it.
