It is hard to believe that this iteration of Judgment Day, founded in 2024, is WWE’s longest-running non-Bloodline-related faction. It’s even harder to believe that the group’s origins go back four years. Since 2022, there has been some form of Judgment Day in WWE, and while there have long been rumors that the group would go their separate ways, it seems that may be premature. It looks like, continuing into 2026, there will be an iteration of Judgment Day, but for the first time in four years, it won’t include Finn Balor.
JD McDonagh Turns on Mentor, Lays Final Nail in Coffin of Finn Balor
After Finn Balor refused to allow JD McDonagh to aid Dominik Mysterio in his Intercontinental Championship defense against Penta last week, it seemed it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. McDonagh wanted to give Mysterio the bell hammer, but his mentor wouldn’t let him. McDonagh has seemed to be in the middle of Balor and Mysterio’s ongoing issues ever since he returned from injury. One would have assumed McDonagh would have sided with the man who trained him and with whom he won tag team titles, aside, but that wasn’t to be.
Credit: WWE
After an incensed Mysterio walked into the clubhouse on Monday, he was met by McDonagh, who said he’d help the former champ find Balor. Raw went to commercial, and Mysterio, accompanied by Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan, made his way to the ring to confront his factionmate. Mysterio said he wanted to air this out in private, but Balor was making that impossible, so he called him to the ring.
Finn Balor entered, joined by McDonagh. Mysterio demanded to know if Balor made things right by going to Adam Pearce to grant him his rematch for the title because he’d still be champion if it weren’t for Balor. To his credit, Balor admitted Mysterio was right, but he was just trying to help the man and teach him a lesson. Judgment Day is a family, and they’ll always back Mysterio. But…Balor said Mysterio needs to learn to fight his own battles, especially if he wants to be considered the greatest Mysterio of all-time. If he doesn’t, well then, maybe Rey Mysterio was right about his spoiled little “b***h” son. Mysterio and Balor got into it, but things quickly turned into a three-on-one as Morgan and Rodriguez joined the fray. McDonagh was quick to follow as he held Balor in position against the ropes for Mysterio to hit his bell hammer-aided 619. Mysterio followed with a frog splash before McDonagh laid into Balor with a steel chair over and again before Mysterio hit a second splash, with the chair still on Finn Balor.
Judgment Day Survives…For Now
WWE has been teasing dissension in the Judgment Day for what feels like a year now, starting back when Dominik Mysterio first won the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 41. Mysterio and Balor found themselves fighting over the same prize, as it seemed Balor would turn on Dirty Dom back then. He didn’t, and ultimately ended up playing the part of the loyal soldier. Though he didn’t hide his actions to replace Morgan with Roxanne Perez when she was injured. With both McDonagh and Morgan back from injury, it looked this time as if Morgan and Rodriguez’ issues would lead to the faction’s split. Even that got resolved with Rodriguez seemingly giving up on her own world title pursuit at the moment to back Morgan in hers. In the end, Finn Balor met the same fate of Edge, the man he kicked out of Judgment Day four years ago.
It seems the Judgment Day may finally be fine, as they’ve been telling people. They just needed to shed some deadweight.
