4 Mistakes WWE has already made with the new Judgment Day
The Judgment Day is one of the most prominent factions that has been ruling Monday Night RAW for the last two years. However, SummerSlam 2024 has witnessed the rise of a new chapter within the group as Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio turned on their stablemates, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley, respectively, in what was a heartbreaking betrayal.
From the ashes of the treachery, a new era of The Judgment Day has risen, with Balor at the helm and Liv Morgan replacing The Eradicator. Despite a new direction, the revamped faction has stumbled into several creative missteps, be it questionable character developments or a lack of clear motive. It has undeniably compromised its credibility to some extent.
Let's look at four mistakes WWE has already made with the new Judgment Day.
#4 Making the new Judgment Day look weak
The new Judgment Day has been formed with a new direction and a clear vision, which is to dominate the roster and evolve as a more intimidating faction. However, the group has struggled to establish its dominance on RAW.
For the second week in a row, Finn Balor and his crew have been portrayed as vulnerable, as they have failed to tackle their former comrades. Despite having the numbers advantage, the new Judgment Day has failed to reign supreme over Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley.
This undoubtedly undermines the faction's credibility and raises questions about its ability to deliver on its promises of dominance. The fact that WWE made them look weak just after revitalizing the group is arguably a huge mistake.
The consequences of this creative misstep could be far-reaching, potentially hindering the new Judgment Day's ability to establish itself as a formidable faction. Moreover, it could gradually erode the star power of the group that has ruled WWE for the last two years.
#3 Lack of focus on the World Tag Team Championship
Another big mistake WWE arguably made with the new Judgment Day was the lack of spotlight on the World Tag Team Championship. Despite Finn Balor and JD McDonagh holding the coveted titles, the company barely has any focus on the fact that the heel faction has a prestigious championship in its arsenal.
WWE has inexplicably chosen to keep the titles in the shadows, failing to capitalize on the potential storylines and feuds that could arise from their reign. By neglecting to put the championship in the spotlight, the Stamford-based promotion has also stripped the new Judgment Day of a key aspect that could have actually helped it establish its dominance and authority on RAW.
The lack of focus on the World Tag Team Championship not only harms the faction's legitimacy but also devalues the prestige of the coveted title.
#2 Dominik Mysterio's terrible reasons for betrayal
A huge blunder that WWE made with the new Judgment Day is failing to provide credible reasons behind Dominik Mysterio's betrayal of Rhea Ripley. This week on RAW, Mysterio gave a terrible explanation for his treachery, saying that he left Ripley because she never gave him tendies or allowed him to play video games, which now Liv Morgan does.
The lackluster justification for what is believed to be one of the most shocking betrayals utterly failed to create excitement. By providing such childish and petty reasons, WWE squandered the potential of a compelling narrative and made Mysterio's actions look preposterous, which reduced the credibility of the storyline.
Hence, WWE's handling of Mysterio's betrayal of Ripley has arguably been a monumental misstep, as the Triple H-led management could not justify his actions and motive.
#1 Lack of clear motive for Finn Balor
Ever since Finn Balor turned his back on Damian Priest, he has been doing nothing that can solidify his actions and make him look like a formidable threat. Instead of going right after his stablemate for revenge, Balor has been launching sneak attacks on Priest from behind and running away from him on Monday Night RAW.
The rivalry that once had the potential to deliver explosive things has somewhat started to lose its spark. WWE should have kept featuring Finn Balor and Damian Priest in massive segments and promo battles, even if a match between them happened later. That could have escalated their rivalry to new heights, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
However, the fact that Balor has looked without any clear motive since his betrayal and has only been playing petty hit-and-run tactics with The Punisher has arguably diminished his momentum and made him look weak. This seems to be one of the biggest flaws in the rise of the new Judgment Day.