6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (10 June - Results & Review)

1. A Non-Existent Aura

WWE Raw Judgment Day
WWE

There is a multitude of intangibles that truly successful wrestlers have to possess if they want to reach the top of the profession. “Aura” is one of those intangible qualities, often used to describe a champion.

A world champion needs to have an aura about them, appearing to be above the fray, almost walking above everyone else and exuding a confidence that says they’re at the top of the game.

Damian Priest has an aura about him, but it does not scream “world champion.” It’s difficult to nail, but something isn’t clicking with this title reign. His show-opening promo was lacking – Drew McIntyre broke out the dreaded John Cena “fine speech” quip. Priest’s interference in the main event was ineffective, and it belied the confidence he tried to project in making the match in the first place.

And his stable has mainly turned into a comedy troupe without Rhea Ripley, though the Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan angle is genuinely intriguing. Judgment Day has become two jobbers, an aging hanger-on (Carlito), and a bigger star just waiting to get heated up again.

Priest is heading into Clash at the Castle facing McIntyre in his home country of Scotland and will be a huge underdog and heel in fans’ eyes, which will make his path to appear more like a champion even more difficult.

None of this means WWE should abandon Damian Priest or that his reign is a failure, but if it continues beyond Saturday, they should be looking for ways to improve his presentation and surroundings.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.