Why Now is The Time For WWE to End The Judgment Day Faction Once and For All

The Judgment Day have officially worn out their welcome in WWE.

A case can even be made that the mere existence of the faction is doing more to hinder than help everyone still in it.

That's a strange statement to make when two of the members currently hold gold and the group gets more screen time than almost anyone on Raw most weeks, but that's exactly why it's time for WWE to call it quits with them.

They're overexposed, uninteresting and stuck in the same stories. Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer have been at odds over the Women's World Championship since February, Dominik Mysterio has been feuding with his father Rey Mysterio on and off for four years, and the rest of Judgment Day are treading water.

Raw could use a significant shakeup in the worst way, and breaking up Judgment Day once and for all could be what benefits both the brand and everyone associated with the stable.

Liv Morgan Isn't Evolving as a Character

Liv Morgan replacing Rhea Ripley as the unofficial face of The Judgment Day in the summer of 2024 was the best thing that could have happened to her and the group at the time.

The incarnation of the stable with Ripley, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh was peak Judgment Day, but it had also run its course. Ripley and Priest had already begun to embrace the audience as babyfaces, so removing them from their ranks gave the group a fresh coat of paint.

It also put Morgan in a prominent position on Raw for the first time in her career, a spot she has shined in ever since. Her stock skyrocketed, and within a matter of months, she was one of the most popular performers—male or female—in the entire company.

As such, it made sense for her to win the Women's World Championship at WrestleMania 42. Unfortunately, the fallout left a lot to be desired, and she went until SummerSlam four months later without defending her title.

Stephanie Vaquer regaining the gold in her native Chile was a fun moment, but all it ended up being was just that: a moment. She won back the belt at Money in the Bank not long after, and currently, there aren't any obvious challengers waiting in the wings.

She's stuck doing the same shtick and being bogged down by Judgment Day isn't doing her or the title any favors.

Roxanne Perez Has Been Ready to Break Out for Months

Liv Morgan getting back the Women's World Championship at Money in the Bank would have been fine had Roxanne Perez won the women's Money in the Bank Ladder match earlier in the evening.

That would have allowed Perez to subtly tease tension with Morgan and plant the seeds for an eventual (successful) cash-in on her. Perez and Morgan weren't exactly on the same page in the wake of WrestleMania 42, but their dissension was quickly forgotten about and never acknowledged again.

Perez was the perfect addition to Judgment Day in 2025. She had just been called up to the main roster from NXT and the group served as a vehicle to introduce her to the audience in an organic way, not to mention she instantly had chemistry with everyone already in the faction.

At this point, she has become more of a background player than anything else. Although she beat Chelsea Green in non-title action on the Oct. 12 edition of Raw, there's virtually zero chance she wins the WWE Women's Championship from her in their eventual rematch.

Morgan vs. Perez being the ultimate endgame is acceptable, but it shouldn't be taking this long to get there.

WWE as a whole has been very faction-heavy since Triple H took the reins of WWE Creative in mid-2022, though most of the stables that once dominated SmackDown have since migrated over to Raw.

The Bloodline have obviously been a focal point of the flagship show this year, along with The 946 as part of their ongoing rivalry with the Roman Reigns-led group. The Vision, for some reason, still have a presence on the program as well and remain relevant largely thanks to Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed.

That has automatically made The Judgment Day the fourth-most important stable on the show, and arguably the least interesting.

Additionally, all four factions are heel (The Bloodline are babyfaces only when WWE wants them to be), so there is zero reason for them to existing simultaneously.

The faction warfare on Raw has grown tiresome and has led to lazy booking and storytelling. It forces certain Superstars into feuds where nothing is being accomplished, so pulling the plug on Judgment Day would free up television time and afford others the opportunity to get over with the audience.

Raquel Rodriguez's Women's Intercontinental Championship Is Irrelevant

The Women's Intercontinental Championship was at its most coveted whenever it was in the possession of Becky Lynch. She successfully elevated it to the next level through her feuds with Lyra Valkyria, Maxxine Dupri and AJ Lee in the latter half of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.

The title quickly lost a lot of relevance once Lynch lost it to Sol Ruca at Clash in Italy and abruptly disappeared from programming. Ruca had one televised title defense against Raquel Rodriguez in June before dropping it to her in a rematch at the end of July.

Rodriguez won their rubber match in August with the gold once again on the line, but the belt has not been defended on WWE TV otherwise since then. Rather, it's been treated like a total prop in The Judgment Day with the Women's World Championship taking precedence.

Raw's midcard women's division are more concerned with fighting with the faction in meaningless multi-person matches instead of challenging for the championship. Becoming the champ was a cool accolade for Rodriguez, but the title serves no purpose around her waist if she isn't going to be doing anything of note with it.

The Women's Intercontinental title has been well worse off in the time it's been held hostage by Judgment Day, and ridding Raw of the group would get the belt back in matches that matter.

Dominik Mysterio Is Currently an Afterthought

It's astonishing to see just how far Dominik Mysterio has fallen from where he was at this time one year ago in WWE to where he finds himself on the card today.

The third-generation star walked out of WrestleMania 41 with a ton of momentum as the new Intercontinental champion. He went on to have a memorable run and beat a slew of Superstars in the remainder of the year, including John Cena.

The abysmal booking of Mysterio in 2026, however, has been nothing short of bizarre.

He lost the Intercontinental title in March followed by the AAA Mega Championship in September, he failed in his feuds with Finn Bálor and Danhausen, and couldn't even qualify for the men's Money in the Bank Ladder match.

He's currently as directionless as he's ever been and has shown no signs as of late of entering anything remotely consequential. He's instead being relegated to being a punchline in promos involving Liv Morgan.

At the age of 29, Mysterio has his entire career ahead of him and can still ascend to main event stardom someday, but after doing so much to get him where he is today, it's The Judgment Day that's holding him back from fulfilling his full potential.

What's Left for Judgment Day to Accomplish?

The Judgment Day first formed in April 2022 when Edge enlisted the help of Damian Priest to defeat AJ Styles at WrestleMania 38. After being on the brink of collapse, the supernatural-esque stable evolved into something so much more once Edge was excommunicated in favor of Finn Bálor a few months later.

They experienced their most success between early 2023 and mid-2024 by holding the World Heavyweight Championship, the Women's World Championship, the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, the NXT North American Championship and the men's Money in the Bank briefcase, sometimes simultaneously. They also headlined Survivor Series 2023 in a WarGames match.

They've gone through several periods of dissension, resulting in Edge, Priest, Ripley and Bálor being betrayed and removed from the faction over time. If that's what awaits the likes of Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez, it would be no different than the same story they've told before.

Judgment Day will go down as one of the most decorated and accomplished groups in WWE history, but after almost five years, there's nothing left for them to do. Not even shifting them over to SmackDown at this stage would be enough to make them feel fresh again.

Adding more members isn't the answer, either. With WWE having gotten all it possibly can out of Judgment Day and then some, the next step is building toward their imminent split.

WarGames Must Be the Beginning of the End

All signs point to WWE holding two WarGames matches again this year: one for the men and one for the women. The Bloodline and The 946 are bound to have the men's matchup on lock, but the women's installment could easily be occupied by the remaining female members of The Judgment Day.

There's been a bit of faction warfare with the women on SmackDown in recent months, but there's a stronger story to tell with the ladies of Raw inside WarGames, specifically with Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez not being able to coexist and that being the catalyst behind Judgment Day's demise.

Judgment Day have no shortage of enemies in the women's division at the moment between Lola Vice, Sol Ruca, Stephanie Vaquer and Becky Lynch. Other women can logically be added to fill out the five-on-five format, but the focus should primarily be on Judgment Day and Perez no longer wanting to fall in line.

The group has always turned on anyone on the verge of breaking off on their own, so Perez should be the first to sever ties with them before it happens to her. The rest of the faction can gradually dissipate from there with Perez moving on to bigger and better things as a babyface.

The Judgment Day deserve a proper payoff for how pivotal they've been to Raw since 2022, but to drag it out much longer will squander any equity the group has left.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant , and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.