{"id":120081,"date":"2023-09-03T09:00:28","date_gmt":"2023-09-03T13:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=120081"},"modified":"2023-09-03T02:46:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-03T06:46:00","slug":"judgment-day-breakup-should-not-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2023\/09\/03\/judgment-day-breakup-should-not-happen\/","title":{"rendered":"Passing Judgment: Teased The Judgment Day Breakup Should Not Happen…Yet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, WWE<\/strong> has been heavy-handed in insinuating that one of their marquee acts on Monday Night Raw<\/strong><\/em> is headed for a split. The Judgment Day<\/strong> breakup should not happen, though. In fact, the continued teases of a division have hurt the team’s momentum and intrigue in the Payback<\/strong><\/em> Premium Live Event (PLE) lead-up. <\/span><\/p>\n

The story could be clearer recently with too many moving parts, and it is murky where everyone is standing now. That may be a shortcut to create interest, but given how the act got several superstars over, there isn’t a need or a want to rush this story among fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

The inclusion of new characters to the rag-tag team turned dominant heel stable had injected plenty of intrigue for them. They are a true WWE success story<\/a> in that way. Likewise, none of the characters has been successful without the others in recent times, with the work going into changing that happening for the first time recently. Yes, eventually, Judgment Day, as we know it, will need to move on. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, it didn’t happen at Payback<\/em> and that time hasn’t come, at least not yet.<\/span><\/p>\n

What About The Rise of Judgment Day McDonagh?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Judgment Day breakup should not happen unless WWE doesn’t care about JD McDonagh<\/strong>. After his initial push, JD has finally found his way back on Raw<\/em> after being a non-factor. Even as far back as the 2023 WWE Draft, McDonagh tied into Finn Balor’s<\/strong> story and Judgment Day. <\/span><\/p>\n

It has been clear for some time that this was the direction, but PLE’s needs made his inclusion too tricky until now. His inclusion, though written to benefit the team, has only been a problem or, at the very least, coincided with some hard times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/jd_mcdonagh\/status\/1696361612448264552<\/p>\n

Part of the confusing aspect of this story is JD’s involvement. If the team is disbanding, why is he looking to join<\/a> so badly? He has actively supported and bolstered the faction, but fans, writers, and commentators patently ignore that to focus on the tension between Finn Balor and Damian Priest<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is a way to have JD take Finn away from Judgment Day, but that is not what happened last month on Raw. He is clearly assisting the team to get back to winning, and joining is his aim. Continuing a story about the team breaking apart makes all that feel incredibly silly, and he isn’t the only person who needs a united front.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Judgment Day Breakup Should Not Happen to Protect Dom<\/span><\/h3>\n

While nobody will mistake Dominik Mysterio<\/strong> as Judgment Day’s leader, he is its star. Most fans were not high on the son of legendarty luchador Rey Mysterio<\/strong>. He was often seen as a nepotism hire given a spot he wasn’t quite ready for, even with some natural ability. <\/span><\/p>\n

His turn to the dark side, alignment with Judgment Day, and partnership with Rhea Ripley<\/strong> turned his career around. On the heel side, he gets some of the loudest reactions in the company today. Also, he has had matches with greats like his father, Edge<\/strong>, and Cody Rhodes<\/strong>, in which he handled himself well. All of this success, though, comes on the back of Judgment Day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Without Judgment Day, most of his heat could disappear. Whether it is his and Ripley’s antics or the team’s general penchant for cheating, they make the act. Also, he has only ever felt like a credible competitor for these top stars because of his allies. <\/span><\/p>\n

He is fine in the ring but not anything special. His moves are still slightly less natural than his coworkers, and it shows to the fans watching. Many ignore it, though, because he is so crazy hot right now as a weasly heel. His current run on NXT<\/strong> is long overdue. <\/span><\/p>\n

He realistically shouldn’t have skipped that step to begin with. That he is doing it with nuclear heat from the crowd gives Shawn Michaels<\/strong> a shot of making lemonade out of those lemons. He will improve on NXT if given a chance. Judgment Day staying together and unified for now is the only way that happens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Slow Build to Se\u00f1or World Heavyweight Champion<\/span><\/h3>\n

Perhaps the biggest reason the Judgment Day breakup should not happen is because the next part of the story isn’t ready to unfold. The pieces still need to be put in place at the moment for Damian Priest to take over the World Heavyweight Division. Rushing to that moment will make the win feel less meaningful. It will also create a scenario where Judgment Day must carry Raw<\/em> alone without a top babyface to feud with.<\/span><\/p>\n