I am an utterly shameless Damian Priest fan. He’s my favorite part of Judgment Day, and Judgment Day is one of my favorite things going in WWE. I was writing articles all the way back in March about how WWE could turn them into the next main event stable, and spoiler alert: we’ve gotten there. They run Monday Night Raw, and despite Finn Bálor infuriatingly being the only member on the SummerSlam card, it’s pretty obvious WWE sees them as feature attractions.
So, you’d think, based on all that, I’d be pushing for Damian Priest to cash-in his Money In The Bank contract and win The World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam, but I actually hope he does not. I think pulling the trigger this quickly would be a huge mistake. I’m all for him being on the show and teasing the big moment, but a full-on cash-in would be a mistake. Let’s talk about why…
#1) There’s More Story Options With The Briefcase Than Without
The Money In The Bank briefcase is, at its most basic level, a storytelling device. It adds uncertainty and tension into any situation and raises the potential stakes. So far, in the last month, WWE has used the briefcase to seemingly cost Finn Bálor his MITB match against Seth Rollins and to build tension within Judgment Day. They’ve also teased a possible cash-in on multiple episodes of Raw, and now, the briefcase is lingering over this Finn and Seth rematch like an approaching storm cloud.
I’m not saying I want Damian Priest to hold onto this thing for six months, but wielding it bestows a gravitas and sense of importance on whoever has it. Right now, it’s helping Damian Priest look more and more like a future main event guy by the week, and even if he successfully cashes-in and wins The World Heavyweight Championship, he would still lose that element of chaos that’s making him so fascinating right now.
I don’t know what’s going to happen with any of this. I don’t know if Priest is going to cash-in on Rollins or cash-in on Bálor. I don’t know if this is going to lead to Judgment Day breaking up or getting stronger. I don’t know if he’s going to succeed or fail when he tries. Right now, there’s a bunch of fun possibilities, and even if his eventual cash-in is handled perfectly, that sense of uncertainty will be gone. Let’s hold onto it for at least another month or two!
#2) SummerSlam Should Be Finn Bálor’s Moment
Damian Priest might be my favorite member of Judgment Day, but I really love everyone else too. I’m convinced Rhea Ripley will ultimately go down as the greatest women’s wrestler in history. Dominik Mysterio has somehow gone from the overwhelmed and boring tag pattern of his father to one of the best heels on the entire roster, and Finn Bálor has reignited his career in his new role. I want big, breakout moments for all of them, and the story is there to make this Finn’s moment.
Seven years ago, Finn Bálor beat Seth Rollins for the inaugural Universal Championship, but an injury suffered during the match forced him to relinquish his title. To be honest, it’s been a great many years since the Irishman has felt like a real world title threat, but he’s really found a new direction and a purpose within Judgment Day. His promos have been some of the best of his career, and he still remains one of the most talented in-ring guys WWE has. He’s bought in, put in the work and I’d love to see him rewarded with another reign with a major belt. A Priest cash-in at Judgment Day would almost certainly prevent that from happening.
#3) I Don’t Want Judgment Day To Break Up
There comes a time when every stable should break-up. That’s what we’re seeing right now with The Bloodline, but in my opinion, we’re nowhere close to that with Judgment Day. Despite a somewhat bumpy start, they’re the hottest thing on Raw right now, and while a feud between its members would be a really hot storyline, I think it’s way too early for that. I want to keep rising for them!
Triple H, Bruce Prichard and the other writers have given us repeated doses of tension between the members over the last month, specifically between Priest and Bálor. At Money In The Bank, the former seemingly cost the latter a world title when it looked like he was going to cash-in. I’m not sure their relationship could survive another moment like that. I’m not sure Finn could co-exist with Damian if he thought he cost him another match. I certainly don’t think they could co-exist if Priest straight up cashed-in on Bálor. So, I’d much rather we see them work together, which would mean the briefcase doesn’t get used until a future WWE premium live event.
You can stream SummerSlam free with a Peacock subscription on Saturday August 5th. You can also check out my full SummerSlam predictions here.
