13 Ups & 9 Downs For WWE In 2022

4. The Judgment Day

Dominik Mysterio The Judgment Day
WWE.com

For the longest time set to be one of the most appalling entries in Edge's historic career, his former makeshift goth group has somehow evolved into one of the industry's most entertaining heel stables in years.

It'd be too simple to blame/thank 'The Rated-R Superstar's exit from the group too. That felt just as stupid as the formation when it first happened - Edge was booted out a night after they picked up their biggest win to date, and for new leader Finn Bálor, who'd been on the losing end. It turned out to be a saving grace for both sides, with (and not a soul had this on their bingo cards) a turned Dominik Mysterio was the missing piece of the puzzle.

Unashamed in their sh*thousery, the quartet are a joyously devious pack of bastards on Raw that have found their place in singles, tags and stables wars thanks to clearly-defined roles and characters that don't feel remotely forced. This is most obvious when they're legitimately very funny - WWE has never done consistent and knowing comedy that well, but this lot just loving their evil deeds is irresistible stuff.

There's a reason Rhea Ripley is one of the first faces you saw opening this article too - the former NXT Champion has at long last found success on the main roster that should have arrived instantly, and is becoming a one-woman dream match factory based on recent simple stare-downs with Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch. She feels a certainty for the WrestleMania slot against the former, and is now a runaway favourite Royal Rumble winner in order to get there too.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett