The former Universal Champion picked up a huge victory at WrestleMania. He defeated Dominik Mysterio in his demon avatar.
Tonight’s episode of Raw then featured a video package where Balor announced that he was not done with the Judgment Day just yet and confirmed that he will be facing JD McDonagh on the show.
The match took place before the main event segment involving Roman Reigns. It saw Finn Balor bringing back his OG ring gear, which he had abandoned after turning heel and joining the faction:
The match saw both contestants brawling outside before the bell rang. Finn picked up the victory over his former protege with a Coup de Grace in the end. Dominik Mysterio tried to attack his former teammate after the bout but Balor managed to fend him off.
This wasn’t the only Judgment Day story of the night as Liv Morgan celebrated her WrestleMania victory over Stephanie Vaquer elsewhere in the show. The segment led to the debut of a former NXT Champion. You can check out more about it here.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 9: <> during Monday Night RAW at Climate Pledge Arena on March 9, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by WWE/WWE)
The dynamics that have all but defined Judgment Day across its four-year run include in-fighting and transformation. Indeed, it’s telling that the group launched with Edge teaming up with Damian Priest, before Rhea Ripley and Finn Balor joined their ranks. Fast forward to the present and none of those four members remain in the faction. Rather, Dominik Mysterio, the youngster the faction seemed to manipulate into betraying his father now comes across as the mastermind who ousted Balor from the clubhouse.
Other talents have come and gone from Judgment Day, with R-Truth and Carlito each playing offbeat, often as not comedic supporting roles. The group still has Mysterio and Liv Morgan in the de facto leadership roles, with JD McDonough and Raquel Rodriguez backing them up plus, when she returns to action, Roxanne Perez as an up and comer. Balor’s departure from the group leaves a void, though, as, for the first time in group history, they lack a male performer who’s both in the upper echelon of in-ring workers and credible to insert into the main event picture.
Judgment Day has, to its credit, reinvented itself time and again. Assuming the faction isn’t winding down its run—and with Morgan likely walking out of WrestleMania as Women’s World Champion and Mysterio continuing to come into his own, they probably shouldn’t– it does feel as though the group would benefit from a new addition.
Perhaps a new talent could lend a hand in the group prevailing at WrestleMania, or else come in as reinforcements after some major setbacks in Vegas. Regardless, there’s a lot of potential on the WWE roster to write this stable’s next chapter.
Omos
Photo Credit: WWE
Omos has had a strange run with WWE. His story seems to come down to him being too awesome a physical spectacle for WWE to give up on him, while also struggling to come along as a performer, such that the company’s not fully behind him.
By virtue of the giant’s look and size, he could add immediate gravitas to Judgment Day. He can play the old school heater the way Diesel was for Shawn Michaels—someone Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonough can carry the work load for in the ring and on the mic while also hiding behind Omos as cowardly heels.
Ethan Page
Photo Credit: OfficialEGO on X
Ethan Page has had a fantastic run in NXT. There’s a case that he still has more to accomplish there or that when he gets the call up, he should renew his partnership with Chelsea Green on a bigger stage. Judgment Day is another option, though.
When Roxanne Perez joined the faction, it highlighted the ability of Judgment Day, with its notoriety and capacity for in-fighting, to immediately give a fresh main roster talent a clear role and interesting storylines. Page’s natural heel inclinations could fit the group, while also planting seeds for the next power struggle as his All Ego persona invites eventual conflict with Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan about who is actually in charge.
Importantly, while Page isn’t a giant, he’s also a big-bodied enough to add a different dimension and greater physical credibility to the stable moving forward.
Damian Priest
Photo Credit: WWE
For all the talents who’ve made their way in and out of Judgment Day, one angle WWE hasn’t explored yet is someone coming back home to the faction after having splintered off. Some of that’s with good reason. Edge felt more natural as a babyface legend before leaving for AEW. Rhea Ripley has thrived out on her own.
It has been a different story for Damian Priest. He arguably did some of his very best main roster work in the immediate aftermath of his old running buddies turning on him. Playing a destructive force of a babyface and working together with Rhea Ripley, Priest came across as a legitimate force and, in some ways, more credible at the top of the card than he had during his World Heavyweight Championship reign.
The years to follow have been rougher, though. Priest feels as though he’s largely returned to the early days of his main roster run, credible in the upper card, but a step behind talents like Drew McIntyre, matched up well against Aleister Black, but without a clear path forward. Spending his WrestleMania season in the SmackDown tag title picture makes reasonable sense, as his credibility and R-Truth’s comedy complement one another, but that doesn’t feel like a sustainable future, especially with so many legitimate full-time tag teams working today.
The Archer of Infamy and Judgment Day could help one another out. On one hand it would be throwback. On the other hand, the collab could revitalize Priest’s sense of direction while beefing up Judgment Day with a big man who carries former world champ credentials.
Danhausen
Judgment Day could use a big body and a ring general. An integral part of the faction’s history also comes down to odd couples, though, and humor offsetting their more serious pursuits. Indeed, the Prison Dom gimmick both put Dominik Mysterio on the map as a heel and added layers to Judgment Day. From there, R-Truth’s wacky antics kept the group vital, then Carlito’s background role and feeling smitten with the women in the group all added tremendous entertainment value.
Despite a rocky introduction, Danhausen has beaten the odds in getting some traction with the WWE audience over the weeks to follow. One of the keys to such an off-kilter character maintaining his momentum will be having straight men to play off and ideally build ongoing stories with. The Very Nice, Very Evil Superstar already interacted with Judgment Day, cursing Mysterio en route to him dropping the Intercontinental Championship to Penta. Could there be more in store?
Maybe Mysterio could try to harness Danhausen’s powers to curse opponents. Maybe WWE could play up odd couple dynamics between the new star and the women of Judgment Day. Regardless, there’s a great deal of potential for something genuinely new for the group and something to give Danhausen direction in them striking up a partnership.
Rusev
Photo credit: WWE
Rusev is a talented big man, but his decisive loss to Oba Femi on Raw seems to confirm what many fans have suspected for months. WWE sees Rusev, at this stage of his career, less as a featured player in his own right than an imposing jobber to the stars.
Positioning The Bulgarian Brute as a heater for Judgment Day could serve multiple purposes. Like Damian Priest, he’d offer a big body with some credibility, plus he’s a good worker. The old Rusev Day gimmick demonstrated his ability to play into comedy as well. Meanwhile, for Rusev’s benefit, enrollment in the faction would give him a regular purpose on TV. The alliance would also open up tag team options with Dominik Mysterio or especially JD McDonough to both drive the big man’s character forward and offer an organic route for Judgment Day to collect more gold.
Dominik Mysterio didn’t think the Judgement Day would succeed.
The faction had been left in a limbo when its founder, Edge, left the group in June 2022, only a couple months after its formation. The trio of Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, and Finn Balor found themselves trying to work out a new identity for the stable, and things only started clicking after Dirty Dom joined the faction in September that year.
During a recent interview with The Collection, the high-flying star was asked about his first impression of Judgment Day and whether he thought the group would find the success it has. Dominik Mysterio admitted that at first, he was not excited to be part of the whole thing:
“No, not at all. Man, I fought it for a long time. I just…I wasn’t, I don’t know, it felt like weird and hokey, like the very beginning of it, but then I was like, something happened where all four of us clicked.”
Explaining how things changed, Dominik Mysterio noted that the four members of the group became friends after they started riding together. The Judgment Day then took off when their chemistry in real life started transitioning into their work:
“I think that’s kind of like what made it work because we all clicked outside of the ring. We were all riding together. So it all kind of transitioned to inside of the ring and then it just, it worked man.
Like you said, there’s not one time in the Judgment Day where we haven’t had a championship or all of us covered in gold or constantly kicking people out to bring people in. It’s just it’s crazy man. It’s insane.”
The young wrestling veteran also discussed his WrestleMania direction during the interview and made an interesting offer to Penta for an IC title rematch. You can check out more about it here.
Dominik Mysterio has spoken candidly about his ascension to the top of The Judgment Day, the ousting of Finn Bálor, and why he thinks JD McDonagh is better off without his former best friend.
In an interview on The Collection with Brad Gilmore at Reality of Wrestling in Houston, Dom addressed the faction’s March 9 attack on Bálor and his own position atop wrestling’s most dominant stable.
“It had to be done,” Mysterio said plainly. “There were a lot of differences going on. We weren’t being a cohesive unit. At the end of the day, we played the Finn Bálor playbook and that’s what happened. He should have seen it coming.”
The shadow of Finn Balor
Dom was particularly effusive about JD McDonagh being the one to pull the trigger on the betrayal, calling it a long time coming for the Irishman who spent years operating in Bálor’s shadow.
“I’m so happy for JD for finally being able to leave Finn’s shadow — he’s been in it for too long,” Mysterio said. “Finn Bálor had his time. Past tense.”
He also offered a pointed summary of Bálor’s place in Judgment Day history:
“We’re in the future now, and the future is about Dom. It’s about JD. It’s about Liv. It’s about Raquel… and Roxanne Perez, of course.”
Original Plans for Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor
Finn Bálor vs. Dominik Mysterio was reportedly scheduled for SummerSlam last year, but WWE opted to hold off on that matchup, feeling the Judgment Day storyline was still running hot and the change should come at a later date.
At the time, the plan had Bálor bringing back the Demon gimmick for the event, according to the Wrestling Observer.
Dom initially reluctant to Judgment Day
In a candid moment during the interview with Brad Gilmore, Mysterio admitted he wasn’t a true believer when Judgment Day first recruited him.
“No, not at all. I fought it for a long time. It felt weird and hokey at the very beginning,” he said. “But then something happened where all four of us clicked outside of the ring. We were all riding together, so it all transitioned to inside the ring. And man, it just worked.”
Dom pointed to the faction’s uninterrupted run of championship success as proof of concept, noting that Judgment Day has held at least one title throughout its entire existence as a group. The faction is showing no signs of slowing down even as it enters a new chapter without another founding member.
Dominik Mysterio has officially issued a WrestleMania challenge to Penta (c), proposing a Mustache vs. Mask stipulation to go along with the WWE Intercontinental Championship on the line.
Speaking on The Collection with Brad Gilmore at Reality of Wrestling in Houston, Dom made clear he intends to reclaim the title he lost to Penta on the March 2 episode of WWE Raw — and he’s willing to put his signature mustache on the line to do it.
“I know Penta is an ugly, ugly dude, so I’m willing to put my hair up on the line against his mask and that IC championship — whatever it takes to get my IC title back,” Mysterio said. “Hell, I’ll even put up my mustache.”
Dom Blames Finn, Not Penta
Mysterio was quick to downplay Penta’s victory, pinning the title loss squarely on Finn Bálor, whose interference prevented JD McDonagh from intervening. Dom claimed the record between the two heavily favors him heading into any WrestleMania showdown.
“He got lucky on this last one because of Finn Bálor’s dumbass,” Mysterio said. “I’ve beat this dude probably seven or eight times already. I would like to walk out as a double champ at WrestleMania.”
The “double champ” vision refers to winning back the IC title while retaining the AAA Mega Championship he currently holds. Dom must first defend the AAA title the Saturday before WrestleMania 42, a defense he dismissed with zero concern: “Obviously I will. Not a problem.”
A WrestleMania Guarantee
Dom also made a bold prediction about his Judgment Day partner Liv Morgan, who will challenge for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania.
“Guaranteed. She is going to walk out as your new women’s world champion. She’s going to destroy Stephanie. It’s not even funny,” Mysterio said.
No official Mustache vs. Mask match has been announced, but the recent chaos inside Judgment Day — and Penta’s role in Dom’s title loss — makes a WrestleMania 42 rematch the obvious destination for this rivalry.
The mask stipulation would be one of the most personal stakes in the match’s history, given how sacred the luchador mask tradition is in Mexican wrestling culture.
Last week\’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw Dominik Mysterio losing his Intercontinental Championship to Penta, after Balor stopped JD McDonagh from helping their teammate.
The trio of Dirty Dom, Liv Morgan, and Raquel Rodriguez then made an appearance on this week\’s Raw with Mysterio demanding a rematch for his title. Finn Balor accompanied by McDonagh, made his entrance and confronted the now former champion.
After some back and forth, Balor told Dom that maybe his father was right, and maybe he is just a spoiled little prick. This led to Mysterio shoving the former world champion and then eating a Pelé Kick from Finn in return.
JD tried to calm things down by taking Balor to a corner. Finn, however, shoved McDonagh out of the way as he saw Dominik charging at him, leading to JD laying him out with a clothesline.
A full-scale attack followed, with all Judgment Day members beating up Finn Balor. Dominik Mysterio used the timekeeper’s hammer to deliver a 619 on his former friend and then took him out for good with a frog splash on a chair.
Balor could stay out of action for some time to sell this attack but he\’s likely to be back before WrestleMania to set up a match with Mysterio at the Show of Shows.
Raquel Rodriguez recently addressed the state of Judgment Day, sidestepping questions about the faction\’s internal drama while laying out an ambitious vision: a full championship sweep at WrestleMania 42.
In an interview on WWE Now\’s Raw Recap, hosts Sam Roberts and Megan Morant immediately pressed Rodriguez on the Judgment Day clubhouse situation, specifically involving Dominik Mysterio losing the Intercontinental Championship on the most recent Raw. She delivered a deadpan non-answer that was itself a character statement.
\”The Clubhouse wishes to not speak on the subject at this moment in time. Thank you very much for your consideration on that. I would like to just focus on maybe what\’s gonna happen next week and how La Familia is gonna bring it back next week — that\’s what we can talk about.\”
IC Gold as the Faction Reunion Catalyst
Rather than dwelling on the title loss or the tension between Dom and his stablemates, Rodriguez re-framed the narrative around her upcoming opportunity.
\”Next week when I win this multi-women match — and I get my chance to have that IC title — that is gonna bring the family back together,\” Rodriguez said. \”That is what is gonna put us back on the map. And Judgment Day is gonna continue to run all of WWE like we have been doing this entire time.\”
The Championship Sweep Vision
Rodriguez painted an expansive picture of where the faction is headed, one where every member of La Familia walks into WrestleMania with gold — and walks out with it still around their waists.
\”La Guerita is gonna be champion, Big Sexy is gonna be champion, El Sucio\’s gonna be champion,\” she said. \”We\’re all gonna be champions. And then we\’re all gonna laugh because it\’s gonna be amazing.\”
She closed the interview with a characteristically exclusive note about the post-WrestleMania celebration:
\”We\’re gonna have a big party and no one will be invited but the Judgment Day.\”
Rodriguez also aimed a jab at CM Punk — AJ Lee\’s husband — while discussing a potential match with Lee:
\”I\’d be happy to ragdoll her and send her home with CM Punk as soon as Dominik Mysterio\’s done with him again.\”
WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Rodriguez\’s number one contender\’s match airs on the next episode of WWE Raw on Netflix.
Raquel Rodriguez has fully embraced the \”Big Sexy\” persona, and in a candid conversation with WWE Now\’s Raw Recap hosts Sam Roberts and Megan Morant, she offered a rare look at the mindset behind the evolution, from a difficult stretch following illness to the confident, dominant force she is today.
\”There\’s not one moment that springs to my memory that\’s like, \’oh, that was the time I knew I had to change,\’\” Rodriguez said. \”It\’s really been a progression over the past year — coming back from my illness, not feeling very confident — but every week I get an opportunity to show everyone why I belong on this roster, why I belong on Monday Night Raw, why I am Big Sexy Raquel Rodriguez.\”
Letting the Action Do the Talking
When online discourse questioned her presence and power, Rodriguez chose not to respond with words. Instead, she poured the doubt into her performances — a deliberate choice that became central to the Big Sexy persona.
\”I\’ve always considered myself a woman of action,\” she said. \”Words are words, but they only mean so much. I just let it go. I said, I don\’t need to open this beautiful mouth — I\’m just gonna show you guys what this strong, beautiful, powerful, tall, amazing, just great at everything woman can do out there. And that\’s the kind of confidence I\’ve been carrying into every single match, every single week.\”
Moment with John Cena
One moment crystallized the shift more than any other: Tejana Bombing John Cena during his retirement tour. It functions now as something Rodriguez actively invokes — a psychological credential she carries everywhere.
\”My confidence just — oh, okay, we can do this,\” she said. \”If I could Tejana Bomb John Cena, I can Tejana Bomb anyone.\”
She elaborated that she still references the moment constantly, including at fan meet-and-greets when she encounters Cena merchandise:
\”I just go ahead and say, \’Hey, you know, I picked him up and I threw him right down. I Tejana Bombed him. Don\’t forget about that. And it\’s not AI — I can promise you that.\’\”
Thriving in Chaos
The Elimination Chamber setting brought out the best in Rodriguez, who views multi-person, high-chaos environments as her natural habitat.
\”Elimination Chamber — I was in my element,\” she said. \”There\’s nothing more I love than being inside of a cage and throwing women against it. I thrive in chaos. I thrive when it comes to having multiple women at my fingertips for me to just think of insane things to do to them.\”
Rodriguez also offered a self-assessment that may be her sharpest line yet:
\”I think that is the scariness of Big Sexy — I don\’t recall another person that can come across with more glee and more charm when discussing punching people in the face.\”
Dominik Mysterio lost the Intercontinental Championship to Penta on the March 2, 2026, episode of WWE Raw. The reaction from Judgment Day indicates possible friction within the group.
Finn Balor prevented JD McDonagh from interfering in the match, stopping him from handing Dominik Mysterio the Bellhammer. Penta won the match with a Mexican Destroyer after taking out JD McDonagh and Finn Balor.
Dominik Mysterio\’s second WWE Intercontinental Championship reign ended at 94 days. He remains the AAA Mega Champion.
Judgment Day Clubhouse Mood
Judgment Day members Finn Balor and Raquel Rodriguez have both issued brief reactions to this rare setback for their faction.
On the Raw Recap after-show, Raquel Rodriguez essentially deflected a question about Dom\’s loss, and redirected the conversation about her plan to bring gold back home next week.
“The clubhouse wishes to not speak on the subject at this moment in time. Thank you very much for your consideration on that. I would like to just focus on maybe what’s gonna happen next week and how la familia’s gonna bring it back next week.”
Next week on WWE Raw, Rodriguez will compete in a gauntlet match along with Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Asuka, IYO SKY and Ivy Nile to determine the #1 contender for AJ Lee’s Women’s Intercontinental Championship.
Back in 2022, Liv Morgan transitioned from her perennial role as a face in the crowd for the WWE women\’s division to one of its stars. She won Money in the Bank and, in the same night, converted the briefcase into her first world championship. The reign itself was lukewarm but signaled that WWE saw something in her, and she wouldn\’t be on the chopping block when a wave of releases came.
Fast forward to 2024 and Morgan finishing first runner-up in the Royal Rumble for the second year in a row, then the first runner-up at Elimination Chamber too. The writing was on the wall that, in a new heel persona, she was moving up in the world. Her feud with Rhea Ripley was a huge success in generating heat and cementing Morgan\’s place as a top player.
After missing a substantial part of 2025 due to injury, Morgan is back and just won the Royal Rumble. With preceding Internet buzz that she was due for a big push, the question becomes: might WWE go from treating Morgan as a major star to the new face of the company?
Liv Morgan May Be Getting Her Biggest Push Yet
Liv Morgan has been a world champion, a Crown Jewel Champion, and Ms. Money in the Bank. Winning the Royal Rumble quite arguably elevates her to a new echelon of stardom, though. Indeed, while Morgan has existed in the upper card ecosystem for much of the last three and a half years, there\’s a reasonably well-defined list of women who\’ve remained a half-step ahead of her, with names like Asuka, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey, Rhea Ripley, and Bayley. In other words: the women who\’ve won Royal Rumbles.
So it is that Morgan has added a career milestone and punched her ticket for a featured title match at WrestleMania. Morgan has hitherto spent her WrestleMania career locked in battle royal and tag match scenarios—her biggest moment to shine a straightforward two-on-two bout last year. That all changes this year as Morgan may challenge Stephanie Vaquer or Jade Cargill in first-time lowkey dream matches, or else face off with someone else who captures the title in the interim. (A Triple Threat scenario with Raquel Rodriguez also looms as a possibility given recent tensions.) Regardless, between her credentials and the Rumble victory, there\’s reason to call Morgan the favorite to emerge from the biggest show of the year as world champion.
Liv Morgan Is A Young Veteran
When one thinks about the face of WWE in the last two decades, the conversation has turned to Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and John Cena. While Reigns took up the mantle as a reasonably young man, there\’s no hiding that all of these men are north of 40 now. With Cena retired and Reigns working a selective schedule, not to mention other tip-top stars like CM Punk also finding themselves in the twilight of their careers, WWE has to be looking to the future.
At 31 years of age, Liv Morgan lands in a sweet spot. She\’s experienced enough that WWE knows what it has in her and she has buy-in from the fans. On the flip side, if she stays healthy and chooses to stay in the business, there\’s every reason to think she could have another decade at or around the top of her game. That\’s a solid space to build from in centering the company on what she brings to the table.
Liv Morgan Can Appeal To Fans On Multiple Levels
Liv Morgan is solid in the ring and solid on the mic. While it may not be the most politically correct consideration, she also has sex appeal that she\’s willing to lean into, recapturing some of the spirit of what made women like Sunny or Sable so over with wrestling fans back in the 1990s.
All these factors make Morgan a draw and an entertainer. WWE has also positioned her to have a wealth of creative possibilities around her. Her history of feuding with Rhea Ripley will always be there to return to. She also has fresh or at least under-exposed feuds awaiting her with the likes of established stars like Bianca Belair, Tiffany Stratton, or Charlotte Flair, besides helping elevate up-and-comers like Lyra Valkyria or Sol Ruca.
In addition to the possibilities outlined, there\’s the matter of The Judgment Day faction. One of the greatest successes of this group is the degree to which it has organically spun out in new creative directions across years and different membership rosters. Whoever may turn heel or babyface, leave the group or stay, there\’s reason to envision Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez as eventual rivals who\’d not only pose interesting in-ring rivals to Morgan but have rich stories to tell for the faction\’s history.
Might Liv Morgan Main Event WrestleMania?
One way of evaluating just how seriously WWE is taking Liv Morgan is whether she main events WrestleMania. It\’s a leap to imagine her closing out Sunday which, for better or worse, WWE has held out on making the truest, biggest main event since the show transitioned to its two-night format. But can she close out night one?
There is precedent, with Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey main eventing WrestleMania 35 and Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair closing Night One of WrestleMania 37. It\’s an uphill battle for women to secure such a spot, though, as CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns will presumably main event Sunday, and Morgan\’s title match would then have to beat out the other men\’s world title bout and other special attractions among top stars like Brock Lesnar and Gunther that will always be a threat to main event.
Morgan main eventing would make a statement, nonetheless, that WWE does seek to reaffirm women\’s wrestling as a top draw and Morgan in particular as a company leader moving forward.
Liv Morgan may well still feel like a dark horse to stand atop WWE. There\’s a catch-22 at play that longtime fans remember her as a lower and mid-card performer so it\’s hard to envision her as the main eventer, while that story of rising through the ranks is also what has created so much fan investment in her. Time will tell. Morgan has a lot of the tools to graduate to a new echelon of stardom in 2026.
Dating back to 2022, Judgment Day has become one of WWE’s longest-running and most decorated factions. On paper, their collective resume includes four members winning three different world championships, besides the unusual distinction of members holding gold across the WWE main roster, NXT, and AAA.
Add onto that four different permutations winning tag team championships, a Royal Rumble victory, and a Money in the Bank win and it’s hard to question the group’s success.
Ever since ousting Edge from Judgment Day, Finn Balor’s had some claim to being the faction’s leader—often sharing some tension with others like Priest, Mysterio, and Liv Morgan for that role. Moreover, Balor’s exceptional in-ring talent and credibility as past main eventer have helped the group at every stage of its development.
As 2026 gets rolling, though, there’s a real question as to whether it\’s time for Balor to move on to other things.
Finn Balor Had Been Judgment Day’s Longest Tenured Member
Finn Balor is the longest tenured member of Judgment Day, well-exceeding founding leader Edge, as well as earlier inductees Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest. Indeed, Balor has, in many ways, been at the heart of the group, joining months before Dominik Mysterio and carrying forward the legacy of being the last remaining contributor who betrayed Edge in a hostile takeover of the faction in June 2022.
Balor’s talent has seen him regularly featured as a spotlight singles performer in Judgment Day, in addition to winning tag team gold alongside both Priest and JD McDonough.
Three and a half years into his membership, it is, in some ways, difficult to imagine Judgment Day without Balor or vice-versa. On the other hand, there’s a real case to be made he’s done all he can do with the group. At 44, Balor hasn’t openly discussed retirement, and all external indicators suggest he has years as an in-ring performer left on him. That said, one might argue he’s squandering the tail end of his prime in a largely supporting role for his heel group.
Judgment Day Can Be OK Without Finn Balor
At several stages of Judgment Day’s development, the group truly needed Finn Balor. Indeed, without him, the group would’ve been less of a proper faction than an intergender team of Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley by summer 2022.
From there, after Priest was out of the group effective SummerSlam 2024, there was a credibility gap to address. For all the heat and general improvement he underwent, Dominik Mysterio’s character was not credible in the ring as anything more than a mid-card or tag team guy at that point, while JD McDonough, Carlito, and R-Truth were all very clearly situated as supporting players who alternately took bumps or provided comic relief, they weren’t about to wage war with Priest or flirt with a world title picture.
Balor’s stock as a credible main eventer has grown tainted over time in losing major feuds and failing to recapture a world title since his snake-bit Universal Championship win. He was still essential to Judgment Day feeling like a threat, though for some time. The picture has changed, though. 2025 saw Dirty Dom really come into his own as Intercontinental Champion, AAA Mega Champion, and the man to pin John Cena in his final PLE match. Moreover, between Liv Morgan as the group’s top female star and Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez each coming along nicely as serious threats in the women’s division, the group doesn’t feel short of star power.
So it becomes time for Balor to fill a very different Judgment Day role than he has for over three and half years. Rather than the bedrock solid hand and stable character, he may actually carry more value now as the group’s next major nemesis after he parts ways with it.
Finn Balor Has Crowd Support
To close out 2025, Finn Balor cut a promo in which he discussed refocusing and bringing singles gold back to Judgment Day. His words got a warm response, the message clear that WWE fans are ready to see him in a featured role again after spending so much of the last two-years-plus out of the spotlight.
Add onto that, despite playing the heel quite well, Balor is an excellent in-ring worker whose aerial offense and look make him naturally appealing to fans. He’s an Internet darling who honed his craft pre-WWE and someone fans want to see succeed.
Add up all the factors, and a path forward became clear when Balor challenged CM Punk to a match in Ireland. It feels unlikely Balor will be the one to unseat Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship. With a groundswell of home country support, though, and every possibility of a banger of a match, Balor will more likely than not emerge from this match feeling an awful lot like a hero.
If there’s one thing WWE has consistently done well with Judgment Day, it\’s demonstrating patience in allowing twists and turns to unfold. Don’t expect Finn Balor to full-on turn babyface in the next week. Do, however, keep an eye out for WWE to plant those seeds that may well blossom by WrestleMania as the original Universal Champion enters the next chapter of his WWE career.
Roxanne Perez is shutting down rumors about any romantic involvement with Dominik Mysterio.
In an interview with Scott Johnson for Going Ringside, the Judgment Day member was asked directly about the speculation surrounding her relationship with “Dirty Dom.” Perez’s response was clear and direct.
“What do you mean by that?” Perez initially responded when asked what’s going on with Mysterio. “He’s the king of the luchadors. He’s double champ. I think that’s pretty much all that’s going on for Dominik Mysterio.”
Perez made it crystal clear where Mysterio’s loyalties lie, emphasizing his relationship with Liv Morgan while listing off his close friends in the faction.
“He’s got his güerita. He’s got his best friends in the Judgment Day. Me, Raquel, JD, Finn,” she said.
When pressed further about whether Mysterio is in the “friend zone,” Perez maintained her position without hesitation.
“Me and him have always been buddies. I don’t know what people are trying to misconstrue in there, but we’re just friends,” Perez stated firmly.
The former NXT Women’s Champion also went out of her way to respect Liv Morgan’s place in Mysterio’s life, making her stance abundantly clear.
“I would never get in the way of him and his güerita. I would never,” Perez declared.
The comments come as Judgment Day continues to be one of WWE’s most prominent factions, with Liv Morgan recently returning from injury at Survivor Series and getting back in the ring this past weekend. Perez joined the group earlier this year, filling a key role while Morgan was sidelined.
Despite fan speculation about potential romantic storylines, Perez appears committed to keeping her relationship with Mysterio strictly professional and friendly within the faction.
![https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2026/01/\"Liv](https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2026/01/\"https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2026/01/liv-wins.jpghttps://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2026/01/\")
![https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/07/\"Raquel](https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/07/\"https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/07/raquel-rodriguez-and-liv-morgan.jpghttps://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/07/\")
![https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/11/\"https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/11/\"](https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/11/\"https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/11/liv-dom-survivor-series.jpghttps://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/11/\")
![https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/11/\"WrestleMania](https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/11/\"https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/11/wrestlemania-42-vegas.jpghttps://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2025/11/\")