WWE might finally be ready to break up The Judgment Day

The Post’s Joseph Staszewski takes you inside the world of professional wrestling in his weekly column, Post Match Angle.

Judgment Day is heading towards a creative crossroads in WWE and perhaps the end of it as we know it.

The faction has had a rather dominant run since Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor dumped its creator Edge a little over two years ago.

Ripley became one of the biggest stars in the company, Priest won his first world title, and Balor was tag team champion multiple times during the run.

But the group’s stability now faces attacks and potential cracks on all fronts — including perhaps from within after this week’s “Monday Night Raw.” It seems like wishful thinking for WWE to let them get through all these challenges unscathed.

The most obvious is that Priest agreed that if he loses his World Heavyweight Championship to Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank, he will have to leave Judgment Day – a group he believes needs him more than he doesn’t need it.

Liv Morgan appears to launch a multi-pronged attack on the group with an injured Ripley, trying to lure Dominik Mysterio away from Mami with sexy texts, a PS5 and chicken nuggets while trying to convince the others by helping Balor and JD McDonagh to win. the world team championships.

Priest, who assumed leadership duties after Ripley left and may not want to concede them upon his return, is the only one who seems to see through Morgan.

Balor might be a snake on the inside since he was seen slipping Morgan’s hotel key and may have had a secret meeting with her in the Judgment Day locker room.

Maybe Ripley will come back and set everything right, but that wouldn’t be fun television.

What if, like Bloodline, Judgment Day was heading toward its own internal war?

You can have Morgan, Balor and McDonagh on one side and Ripley, Priest and Mysterio on the other? Carlito’s place complicates things, but he seems to be a pretty free member at this point – but I’d put him on Ripley’s side for now.

The foundations of Judgment Day have never seemed so fragile, and WWE may finally be ready to shake them.

WWE saved the best for last by completing its Solo Sikoa-led Bloodline and left an intriguing dilemma when it came time to complete the team of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns for the inevitable matches to come.

Best for last

Jacob Fatu, the son of Umaga and Rikishi’s brother, the Tonga Kid, stormed into WWE on SmackDown last week, helping to decimate Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens – who will face The Bloodline in a match at six to Money. in the bank.

Fans who have followed Fatu’s career – particularly his record 819 days as MLW World Champion and leader of the vicious Contras faction – are very familiar with the unique blend of power, intensity and athleticism he possesses.

If you didn’t, you got a taste of it at the end of SmackDown with a big splash from him from the top rope onto Rhodes and the commentary table. It also looks like he’s gotten into even better shape for his chance in WWE.

Fatu, 32, has all the makings to become a WWE star – although his inability to work outside the United States due to his arrest for theft and incarceration at age 18 could put a cap on the company’s doing an increased number of international shows. Let’s see if he makes the trip to Canada for Money in the Bank.

Still, you can put Fatu – who could end up eclipsing Solo Sikoa – against any main-event talent and make them a legitimate threat.

The count of 10

AEW is rightfully starting to use Will Ospreay as its biggest star. He was in three different segments on Dynamite to end his current major feud with Swerve Strickland, a future major feud with MJF and his match against Brian Cage on Collision – which was the best on the show.

If the VHS promo of Bo Dallas opposite Uncle Howdy is the first real sign of what we’re going to get from Wyatt Sick6, it will be an emotional adventure. Talking about Bray Wyatt’s death takes things away from the supernatural and more about the deep desire in his mind of wanting to honor his brother’s legacy.

The forgotten part about how cool the shot revealing Drew McIntyre’s attack on CM Punk is that you never saw the actual violence – which makes fans still need to see them take real hits. McIntyre has Punk’s blood on his hand and gives him more time to get medically cleared. Although McIntyre takes the Larry and AJ bracelet from Punk, this seems to be a clear sign that he’s screwing him a third time at Money in the Bank.

Am I the only one who expected a bigger surprise when Saraya said she didn’t come to Dynamite alone? Happy though for Anna Jay, who deserves a bigger role.

Jeff Jarrett probably won’t win this year’s Owen Hart Cup tournament and All In main event, but man, it’ll be hard not to root for him to do so after this emotional promo on Collision. Jarrett, who was close to Hart, needs to at least make a special run, perhaps a loss in the finals.

We’re starting to see the next generation of women in NXT get their chance in the spotlight. Lola Vice will face Roxanne Perez for the Women’s Championship and Sol Ruca will face Killani Jordan for the North American Women’s Championship at Heatwave.

Kazuchika Okada doesn’t say much, but I really appreciate the charisma and bits of humor that come through. I can’t wait to hear what he says next and see his playful sales during matches.

My two big takeaways from the third episode of “Who Killed WCW?” » It was Bill Busch, who hired Vince Russo, who made the fatal mistake that Eric Bischoff didn’t make in trying to outdo WWE. This was never really going to work. I also found it very interesting that Russo – whether true or false – thought he would have had a great relationship with Hulk Hogan if Bischoff wasn’t there.

Toni Storm will be a true babyface when Mariah May’s betrayal is complete as she continues to sacrifice herself for her protégé after barely knowing his name when it all started.

I can’t wait to see what Kayla Braxton does next, because she doesn’t have much left to prove in WWE. His charisma, preparation and willingness to respond sincerely and have fun have always made him stand out.

Extra: Danhausen and Paul Walter Hauser in Wrestling Revolver are the wrestling team we never knew we needed.

Extra, Extra: For those interested, Ronda Rousey announced her debut graphic novel “Expecting the Unexpected,” launching July 25 via a special Kickstarter campaign.

Wrestler of the week

Je’Von Evans, NXT

You can see how much WWE values the 21-year-old rising star. Evans won the battle royal to become ally Trick Williams’ next opponent for his NXT Championship. Some would say they then underrated him with Ethan Page beating him in the main event last week. You can also see it as a test and trust Evans to deliver on the spot and add some babyface sympathy. He now finds himself in a main event match at Heatwave.

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Match to watch

Swerve Strickland (c.) vs. Will Ospreay for the AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door (Sunday, 8 p.m., Bleacher Report, Triller)

Forbidden Door has a card full of matches that should be fun to watch from a technical standpoint, but none have a better story than Strickland vs. Ospreay. The outcome will likely set up what AEW has planned throughout the summer. Strickland and Ospreay, who are close friends, delivered must-see segments as the champion tried to disrupt his challenger’s concentration, and their contrasting styles will make what happens in the ring fascinating to watch.