7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Raw (12 Aug - Results & Review)

2. Judgment Day Antics Dominate Raw Opening

Just when it felt like the Judgment Day and its act had grown weary and was played out, the purple-clad heel stable has managed to find a new gear through betrayal, retooling, and revenge.

As a unit, the group was limping along before the storylines that led to the dual betrayals of Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley took hold. It had been two years of the same old, same old, and conventional wisdom said that maybe it was time to give the Judgment Day the Old Yeller treatment.

Instead, the group rebooted after discarding Priest and Ripley, turning into a smaller, smarmier version that is just one huge heat magnet. That was on display Monday night when Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan interrupted Ripley’s show-opening promo, with Dirty Dom trying to declare his emancipation from Mami but sounding more like a whiny boy.

The crowd was way into this, especially when Priest appeared in the stands behind Liv and Dom, leading to a chaotic brawl and chase. They would pick this back up after Damian defeated Carlito, with Rhea coming close to nailing Dominik with a Riptide before Morgan saved her man. It also can’t be understated how perfect the visual is with the statuesque Priest and Ripley tangling with five *ahem* vertically challenged heels.

Even with some dodgy mic work, fans made this entire segment feel like the hottest thing on the planet. After all, what’s better than a revenge storyline? Two revenge storylines playing out side-by-side.