A big change is reportedly in store for The Judgment Day faction in WWE.
And it could begin tonight on WWE Raw in Austin, Texas.
Ahead of tonight’s three-hour WWE Raw on USA Network, sources are reporting that “plans are in motion to rebrand the ‘new’ Judgment Day.”
The report from Wrestle Votes claims that the group’s “essence will stay the same, but a name change is likely.”
Additionally, the report states that the leading candidate for a new name for the group is the “Street Trash” insult that GUNTHER used for Damian Priest heading into their WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE SummerSlam 2024.
Plans are in motion to rebrand the ‘new’ Judgment Day. Sources say the group’s essence will stay the same, but a name change is likely. The leading candidate is an out-of-the-box, yet bold idea: ‘Street Trash.’
WWE is shaking up its commentary teams following the arrival of Joe Tessitore.
Tessitore will debut on RAW in Denver, Colorado, on September 2. This move aligns with Cole’s transition to SmackDown, prompted by Pat McAfee’s return to College GameDay.
This rearrangement will result in Cole partnering with Wade Barrett on SmackDown, while Tessitore will collaborate with Corey Graves on RAW.
WWE RAW is scheduled to move from the USA Network to Netflix in January 2025. The ten-year agreement is valued at over $5 billion, translating to at least $500 million annually.
WWE’s current contract with the USA Network expires in September 2024, and RAW will continue to air on the network as a transitional phase before moving to Netflix.
Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline is reporting that the changes to the WWE commentary teams are temporary. Tessitore will join SmackDown in January, and Cole will return to RAW upon its move to Netflix.
Moreover, Tessitore will continue working at ESPN, where he serves as a broadcaster for college football and Top Rank boxing.
After being drafted to “WWE Raw” back in 2023 after a run in “WWE NXT” — and then again earlier this year, having never officially debuted for the red brand — Odyssey Jones finally debuted Monday night to help The New Day in their ongoing feud against The Final Testament.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were taking on The Authors of Pain, with Karrion Kross, Paul Ellering and Scarlett at ringside. During the match, Kross hit a cheap shot to Woods while the New Day member was on the top turnbuckle, causing him to fall to the mat, where Rezar looked to do more damage. That’s when Jones came down the ramp — wearing a New Day t-shirt — and sent Kross into the ring apron, then over the barricade into the crowd. The distraction allowed Woods to roll up Rezar for the victory. An enraged Akam and Rezar started to beat down New Day before Jones got into the ring and took both members of Authors of Pain out, delivering a double sidewalk slam. Kross then got into the ring to try and take on Jones, but he also received a slam for his troubles.
The 30 year old, 405-pound, star appeared backstage with New Day, and Kingston explained they “linked up” at the Performance Center and Jones wanted to come help them with their Final Testament problem. Jones, Kingston, and Woods were greeted by the Alpha Academy, who started to dance with delight. Though not featured on WWE television, Jones was last defeated by Omos at a Road to WrestleMania house show at the end of March, according to CageMatch.
Tonight’s WWE Raw from the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland will air live on SyFy due to USA Network’s continued coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Despite the goth pomp and spooky circumstance of their arrival a month ago, The Wyatt Sicks have largely stayed away from “WWE Raw” in the weeks since, with the exception being Nikki Cross, who has been delivering packages containing the VCR tapes that featured segments from Bo Dallas and now Erick Rowan. This week, however, Cross delivered the tape prior to “Raw’s” air time, and after Rowan’s vignette aired, the entire group appeared once again, entering a WWE ring for the first time.
Earlier in the show, Chad Gable told General Manager Adam Pearce that he had solved the mystery of Uncle Howdy’s identity, confidently proclaiming it was Dallas. He then declared he would call out Dallas in the middle of the ring. Later, Gable made one last effort to persuade Otis and the rest of Alpha Academy to re-join him, but they refused. As a result, when Dallas (minus his Uncle Howdy costume) came down the ramp to answer Gable’s challenge, he wasn’t attacked from behind by Alpha Academy — he was attacked from behind by the Creed Brothers, who haven’t wrestled on “Raw” since May.
The three continued to assault Dallas, but the late Bray Wyatt’s brother only laughed. That earned him a further beating, but as Gable and the Creeds celebrated together in the ring, Dallas (who was slumped in the corner) began laughing loudly and saying “yeah, yeah, yeah”, a reference to late former Wyatt Family member Brodie Lee, known then as Luke Harper. Gable grabbed Dallas by the ears and demanded to know what he was laughing at. Dallas responded, “There you are!”
At that point, smoke began to fill the arena and the fireflies came out as the familiar music played. The Wyatt Sicks approached the ring, and Gable and The Creeds initially took fighting stances before ultimately deciding to flee. Once the rest of his new family got in the ring, Dallas dropped to his knees and threw his arms out wide, reminiscent of his late brother.
Erick Rowan spoke in the latest Wyatt Sicks video on this week’s Raw, referencing the passing of Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt. The video aired on Monday’s show, in which Rowan was asked how he’s been and said that the last few years have been hard. He said that he used to have a family and they always had each other’s backs. But then one day he lost a brother, the person who believed in him more than anyone. He said that he kept moving and life went on, but then when he thought he had everything going,m his other brother was gone too.
Rowan said that he had no more family and didn’t want to get back up after that, but he was given hope and took a hand at his lowest point. He then said that he has a purpose now and that they would “take our broken hearts and make some beautiful art.”
Due to the upcoming Summer Olympic Games, WWE’s regular programming, including Monday Night RAW and NXT, will be affected multiple times over the next month.
This is a recurring pattern every four years for RAW, although it is expected to change in 2025 when the show moves to Netflix. In the meantime, NXT will move to The CW in the fall, as the Olympic Games will be broadcast across various NBCUniversal networks, including the USA Network.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that RAW and NXT will be relocated to SYFY during the Olympics for four shows: RAW on 7/29, NXT on 7/30, RAW on 8/6, and NXT on 8/7.
The Wyatt Sicks continue to terrorize Chad Gable, complete with a third VHS tape delivery to commentary from Nikki Cross/Abby the Witch, after Bo Dallas revealed why the stable was going after the Alpha Academy leader in a video segment with his Uncle Howdy alter ego last week on “WWE Raw.” Last week, Dallas called Gable a “false prophet” who was belittling his family for his own gain. This week, the stable’s front man took things a step farther, appearing on “WWE Raw” for the first time without the Uncle Howdy mask since 2019 in a backstage segment.
As Gable was fighting fellow Money in the Bank ladder match contender Jey Uso following in the first match of the night, some of the lights in the arena went out while Gable had Uso in an ankle lock. Thanks to the distraction, Uso hit a spear and got the victory, then “yeeted” to the crowd and ran back in the ramp in the dark. All the lights in the arena then went out, the jarring piano tune signaling the arrival of the Wyatt Sicks began, and smoke filled the ring with Gable still in it. Cross/Abby then rose from underneath the ring once again, and Gable followed Uso up the ramp in complete darkness while the apparation once again put the box on the commentary desk, to be played later on the show.
When Michael Cole threw to the video from the commentary desk later in the night, Dallas delivered a monologue to the camera about his new family. He said he took in those that “no one wanted,” the discarded and forgotten. He said he gave them a purpose.
“They are so happy you remembered them,” Dallas said, as the video cut from the Firefly Funhouse characters to those who portray them behind the masks. Huskus the Pig was officially revealed to be the former Joe Gacy; Mercy the Buzzard, Dexter Lumis; Rambling Rabbit, Erick Rowan; and Abby the Witch, Nikki Cross.
“For grief is the price we pay for love,” Dallas can be heard saying as the video cut between characters. “So now we must set the captives free, so they need no master.”
The video of Dallas then kept cutting to show him as Uncle Howdy as he delivered the line, “Do you think we are sick?” and the over-modulated voice of Howdy from the tapes of weeks prior responded, “Yes, I do.”
“Then sick is what we’ll be,” Dallas said.
After the video, the broadcast cut to Gable backstage with “Raw” General Manager Adam Pearce. Gable lamented to Pearce that he was being targeted by the Wyatt Sicks, to which Pearce responded, “If they’re coming after you, did you stop and think why that might be?” Gable said he would deal with the Wyatt Sicks himself. Pearce turned to walk into his office, where he found Dallas waiting for him. The last thing viewers saw was Pearce walking into his office and shutting the door.
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