4 signs The Judgment Day will move over to SmackDown in the WWE Draft
The 2023 WWE Draft is just days away and it is expected, both by wrestling pundits and fans, that a huge shake-up within the Stamford-based promotion is about to take place. Big names are likely to be designated from RAW to SmackDown and vice-versa, and the entire WWE Universe is now debating who these superstars are.
Aside from individual WWE Superstars, well-known factions are also included in the upcoming brand switcheroo. One of these stables is the heel faction, The Judgment Day. The team’s fate will be decided on whether they will be split up or kept intact. With the way things are going, though, it is pretty much certain that the latter will come to fruition.
With that in mind, here are four signs that The Judgment Day could be SmackDown bound.
#4 Dom Dom’s continuing daddy issues with Papa Rey Mysterio
WWE fans had a feel-good moment during Night 1 of WrestleMania 39 when recently inducted Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio finally gave his estranged son and Judgment Day member, Dominik, a sound beating. It had been a long time coming as Rey, along with his wife and daughter, had been hounded by his son and his newfound family for a while.
Despite being delivered a hefty amount of daddy discipline from Papa Rey, it looks like this feud's far from over. Clearly, Dom Dom hasn’t really learned his lesson after his 'Mania match with his dad.
A few months back, Dominik sat down with Mike Jones during the latter’s podcast and may have hinted about him and The Judgment Day jumping over to the Blue Brand.
#3 The Judgment Day-Latino World Order (LWO) rivalry
The two wrestling factions have been at odds for quite a while now in WWE, though the Rey Mysterio-led stable has been taking Ls as of late. The two groups have been going back and forth at each other, not to mention showing up on both RAW and SmackDown.
Provided The Judgment Day does get drafted to SmackDown, it would be convenient for the two factions to beat the heck out of each other since they would be on one program.
In line with this, LWO's only female member, WWE Superstar Zelina Vega, has challenged Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at the upcoming Backlash PLE to be held in Puerto Rico. For those unaware, Vega is of Puerto Rican descent and going toe-to-toe against the champion in front of her 'home' crowd would indeed be something.
Regardless of how the match turns out, there’s a possibility that a feud between the two female Superstars could be in the works.
#2 Another potential feud with The Bloodline on SmackDown
The Judgment Day has also had a few brushes with The Bloodline; the two villainous wrestling collectives banded together recently to solve each other’s problems. This took place on the April 17 episode of RAW, with the The Bloodline keeping their end of the bargain and defeating LWO in a tag match.
Unfortunately, The Judgment Day failed to do their part and were defeated by current WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens alongside Matt Riddle. The Bloodline’s Roman Reigns will definitely not be pleased with what happened and Dominik and Co. just might have to answer to The Tribal Chief himself sometime soon.
The Judgment Day will have their hands full in the event that their encounter with The Bloodline becomes a full-blown rivalry.
#1 Rhea Ripley being SmackDown Women’s Champion
Rhea Ripley’s current run as the SmackDown Women’s Champion is the strongest hint that she and the rest of The Judgment Day are heading to the blue brand. The Nightmare successfully captured the title from Charlotte Flair during Night 1 of this year’s WrestleMania. It wouldn’t make sense for her to stay on RAW while reigning as the blue brand’s lady champ.
As for The Queen, it was revealed that she would be taking some time off after her ‘Mania match. The reason behind her hiatus has not been disclosed but it is believed that she could be competing in a body building competition this summer.
Flair fans need not fret as she will eventually return to WWE, though it's not certain if she will still be on SmackDown after the upcoming WWE Draft. If she still is, one would expect Flair to eye that SmackDown gold anew, whether Ripley is still champion or not.