MITB Briefcase win, shocking title change: 5 Directions for The Judgment Day at WWE Money In The Bank 2023
The Judgment Day runs Monday Night RAW as arguably the top heel stable of WWE's flagship show. Money In The Bank is the company's next Premium Live Event, set to take place on July 1, 2023, inside The O2 Arena in London, England. The red brand's dark faction will surely leave its mark on this UK-based event.
Edge was originally the leader of Judgment Day. But after breaking away from The Rated R Superstar, the group has ascended to new heights. Each faction member has benefited greatly from being a part of the sinister collective. Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley are once again treated as major stars of their respective divisions, while Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio have gone from directionless to having a clear path to the top.
What will Judgment Day be up to when WWE goes to the United Kingdom for Money In The Bank 2023? Without further ado, here are five directions for Balor, Priest, Dominik, and Rhea at WWE's next Premium Live Event.
#5. The Judgment Day goes after the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Money In The Bank 2023
Damian Priest recently answered Seth Rollins' open challenge for a World Heavyweight Championship match on the June 5 episode of RAW. Last week, Priest fell to Rollins' Curb Stomp in a tag team match also featuring Finn Balor and AJ Styles. This week, The Archer of Infamy will be looking to gain retribution on Rollins by not only defeating him but taking his title.
Considering it hasn't even been two weeks since Rollins won the title, it's likely that Priest won't be winning the new Big Gold Belt this Monday. But when it comes time for Money In The Bank in early July, luck for Judgment Day may change for the better.
It's very possible that at the upcoming London-based Premium Live Event, a member of The Judgment Day could be challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. Finn Balor would be a good candidate, considering his history with Rollins as well as their great in-ring chemistry. Meanwhile, Dominik Mysterio has been getting nuclear heat lately, and he'd also be an interesting candidate to challenge Rollins for the gold in England.
Damian Priest would be another excellent candidate to battle Rollins once more, this time under the bright lights of a PLE in the United Kingdom. Priest proved his worth as a major star in one of the headlining matches of WWE Backlash 2023, and WWE can reward his efforts with a major title match that potentially results in a shocking title change.
#4. Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
Raquel Rodriguez is a multi-time Women's Tag Team Champion, and though she did find singles success in NXT for over 200 days as their Women's Champion, she has never won a singles title on the main roster. That could change if Raquel steps up to Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women's Title.
Last month, Raquel was forced to vacate the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles after Liv Morgan sustained an injury. Rodriguez wasn't able to win the titles back with Shotzi last Monday, so maybe she's better off forging a path on her own.
Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez are both powerhouses, and many wrestling fans would love to see these two titans clash. WWE has a few weeks to build up Rhea vs. Raquel for Money In The Bank. That may seem like a short window of time to tell a proper story, but considering the top-tier talent involved, that's more than enough time to pique interest for the encounter.
#3. A member of Judgment Day becomes Mr. Money In The Bank - Dominik Mysterio, Damian Priest, or Finn Balor could win the MITB briefcase
So far, only three wrestlers have been confirmed for the 2023 Men's Money In The Bank ladder match. LA Knight, Ricochet, and "The King of Strong Style" Shinsuke Nakamura have all qualified for the match. Two qualifier matches are set for this Friday's SmackDown, pitting Butch of The Brawling Brutes against Baron Corbin, while Santos Escobar of the Latino World Order is set to battle Mustafa Ali. "The Original Bro" Matt Riddle also seemingly has a chance to qualify for the ladder match.
Clearly, not all the spots have been filled for the men's ladder match. So what's stopping The Judgment Day from at least attempting to qualify for a place in the match? Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, and Damian Priest would all make for compelling MITB winners.
Priest has reportedly been viewed very favorably in WWE following his standout match against Bad Bunny at WWE's Premium Live Event in Puerto Rico last month. Plenty of wrestling fans would support WWE if they decided to book him to win the men's ladder match in July.
Dominik Mysterio is arguably the most-hated heel in WWE today, and he might even get more heat if he somehow wins the MITB briefcase in London. And while Finn Balor doesn't get nearly the same amount of boos that Dominik receives, he is the most experienced wrestler in The Judgment Day and more than deserves another shot at the main event scene.
Whoever becomes Mr. MITB on July 1 could cash in the briefcase that night in England or at any time of his choosing for up to one year. If a member of The Judgment Day wins the men's ladder match, there's a decent chance we'll see a new champion crowned, and that could possibly happen at the Premium Live Event in the United Kingdom. A shocking title change might be on the cards for fans in the O2 Arena if either Damian, Dominik, or Finn wins the briefcase.
#2. Rhea Ripley (c) vs Natalya Neidhart for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship w/ the rest of Judgment Day banned from ringside
Rhea Ripley made short work of Natalya following a distraction from Dominik Mysterio. Even though Ripley squashed Neidhart in less than two minutes at Night of Champions, The Queen of Harts might not be finished with the current SmackDown Women's Champion.
Natalya could demand a rematch at the Money In The Bank PLE in London. Adam Pearce could make the match official and ban all other members of Judgment Day from ringside, especially Dominik, to provide a level playing field for the bout. However, if Natalya isn't outright granted a rematch against Ripley, she may have to fight for it in a qualifying match against one or more of WWE's top female stars.
Natalya is currently scheduled to face Zoey Stark for a spot in the Women's Money In The Bank ladder match. That match is set to take place on the June 5 episode of RAW. If Neidhart loses that match, she could then set her sights back on Ripley.
However, if Natayla were to face Rhea in a rematch at WWE Money In The Bank 2023, Ripley would predictably once again walk away with a victory over The Queen of Harts. Rhea doesn't necessarily need another strong win over Nattie to advance her wrestling career, but it wouldn't hurt either.
#1. Judgment Day goes after the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles
Presently, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn both appear to be locked in a rivalry with Imperium over the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. However, KO and Zayn were also involved in a recent conflict with The Judgment Day, one that wasn't resolved and can come back to bite them.
On the May 15 episode of RAW, Finn Balor seemingly indicated that if Sami and KO were to win at Night of Champions against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa, Judgment Day would be first in line to challenge them for the gold. Owens and Zayn did end up winning at the Saudi-based PLE, but their top rivals now appear to be Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci of Imperium rather than any member of The Judgment Day.
However, The Judgment Days already own a win over the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions. Balor and Priest defeated KO and Zayn in the main event of the May 15 edition of Monday Night RAW. Finn would mention this victory during an in-ring segment on last week's episode of RAW, bragging about doing something that The Tribal Chief wasn't able to do.
KO and Zayn already seem to have their hands full with Imperium, but they could also be facing off against Judgment Day when the next Premium Live Event comes around this July. What if Sami and Owens defended their titles against not only Kaiser and Vinci but also two members of Judgment Day in a triple-threat encounter? That would certainly get wrestling fans eager and excited to watch tag team action.