Copeland looks back on The Judgment Day.
WWE’s Judgment Day faction started out with Adam Copeland a.k.a. Edge, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley. Present day, the group consists of Ripley, Priest, Finn Bálor, Dominik Mysterio and their affiliate, J.D. McDonagh.
On the 6/6/22 episode of Monday Night Raw, Bálor was revealed as the newest member of Judgment Day, but with his addition came with Copeland being kicked out. As Copeland was speaking to Chris Jericho on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, he revealed that the initial plan was for Bálor to join and then ‘about a year’ later, the group would turn on him.
He said once they got to the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, those plans shifted quickly. Copeland reiterated that Judgment Day was going to be swimming upstream with him in it.
It was odd (working at WWE when Vince McMahon resigned as CEO in 2022), because that’s all I knew there, right? And even just in terms of me coming in and out, I missed a lot of things. So I’d come back and go, ‘Oh! This is happening now. Got it. Right’ and just trying to wrap my mind around that because when we were doing Judgment Day, the plan was (Finn) Bálor joins and then about a year later, they all turn on me. Well then I get to Hell in a Cell and it’s like, no, we’re changing everything and we’re speeding up that year-long process and he’s joining tomorrow and turning tomorrow. It wasn’t long and it was just starting to find some legs, but it was gonna be swimming upstream with me in it. It really was and I started to have that realization. It’s like, I don’t think they’re gonna get where they need to get to with me in this thing.
He spoke about reverting back to being a babyface. The WWE Hall of Famer stated that both Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes got sidelined, so the powers that be needed him back on the babyface side.
He commented on Dominik Mysterio being added to Judgment Day and having two talents such as himself and Rey Mysterio to feed off of.
Again, Randy (Orton) got hurt, Cody (Rhodes) got hurt so he’s like, ‘We gotta flip ya.’ It was like, okay, I’m a utility batter. So wherever you need me, that’s where I go and again, Dom (Mysterio), all of that, it all took off and it was great and then to have Rey and I to work with. So, in order to solidify being a heel, we’re two good babyfaces for it.
Copeland is now with All Elite Wrestling and he had his first match in the company on Dynamite Title Tuesday. He picked up a win over Luchasaurus in singles competition.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Talk Is Jericho with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
