4 signs Damian Priest will be the first member kicked out of The Judgment Day
It's been a tumultuous past few weeks for The Judgment Day on WWE RAW. First, Damian Priest won the Money in the Bank contract, causing tension with Finn Balor, who was competing for the World Heavyweight Championship at the time. Since then, a series of disagreements have slowly created a rift between the two leading male superstars which looks set to only keep growing.
Thus, fans are convinced that a member of the goth foursome will soon be ejected, making their run as the most dominant faction in WWE post-Bloodline, fairly short-lived. While some believe Balor is the likeliest to get the chop and possibly embark on a singles babyface run, others think The Punishment will be ejected first. Going into Payback, most indications point to the latter.
Here are four signs that Damian Priest will be the first member kicked out of The Judgment Day
#4. Being ejected from The Judgment Day would help Damian Priest gain some world champion momentum
Damian Priest is the current holder of the Money in the Bank contract. The Archer of Infamy is in a prominent position on WWE RAW by virtue of The Judgment Day's strong booking, but is arguably not quite yet 'world champion material.' Should management wish to pull the trigger on his inevitable cash-in, they may have to light a spark in his character to help him stand out.
Thus, all the tension in the faction could lead to his ejection, kicking off a dominant babyface run. This could happen before his cash-in to allow the creative team to build him up as a threat before putting the gold on him. Alternatively, he could be booted after the fact, as a throwback to Evolution turning on a newly-crowned Randy Orton. Either way, Priest's future in the faction looks bleak.
#3. Damian Priest is already the most detached member of The Judgment Day
The Judgment Day is a pretty close-knit faction. Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley seemingly never go anywhere without each other, while a great deal of Finn Balor's wins have come with his teammates' help. Damian Priest, on the other hand, has been pretty dominant by himself, giving a good account of himself as the most physically imposing member of the foursome.
For example, his Money in the Bank win was achieved with barely any help from his teammates, whilst Balor failed to defeat Seth Rollins with his faction's help. There has been a deliberate effort by the creative team to portray The Punishment as a strong and independent force, that's basically a singles star waiting to break out. If anyone is getting kicked out of The Judgment Day, Priest is the prime candidate.
#2. The JD McDonagh factor
During his time in NXT, JD McDonagh showed great aptitude for instigation of trouble, provocation and methodical sowing of dissension. McDonagh's signature brand of cerebral villainy has been lightly teased in recent weeks on WWE RAW. Through his association with Finn Balor, the Irish Ace has "serendipitously" found himself at the center of a few Judgment Day arguments and disagreements.
As the story progresses, all signs point to the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion weaseling his way into the group. This will most likely lead to someone being ousted, and while it's possible that he will usurp his old friend as a huge swerve, his relative newness to the main roster predicts another tale. Damian Priest will most likely be ousted first, with the betrayal on Balor coming much later.
#1. Damian Priest's Money in the Bank contract is currently the root of all of The Judgment Day's problems on WWE RAW
The tension currently threatening to rip apart The Judgment Day can arguably be traced back to Damian Priest winning Money in the Bank. Before The Archer of Infamy's triumph in London, the faction was mostly on the same page and pulling in the same direction. Since the event at the O2 Arena, nothing has quite been the same.
This can mostly be attributed to friction between Priest and Finn Balor stemming from their latent shared desire to be world champion. The contract has escalated that tension not only symbolically, but also physically, having been used to attack The Prince multiple times. The briefcase could easily be blamed for the group's misfortunes, making The Punishment's ejection the next logical step.