Damian Priest Believed WWE Would Release Him After Edge Left The Judgment Day

At one time, The Judgment Day comprised Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, and Dominik Mysterio. Together, they had been wreaking havoc in WWE. With that said, Edge was the leader of the faction and it appears Damian Priest believed WWE would be firing him after Edge left the faction.

Back in June 2022, Finn Balor joined Judgement Day and ended up taking over the faction. They all kicked out Adam Copeland and shocked fans. It marked the first time Balor was a heel in pro wrestling in many years.

While speaking to Sports Illustrated, Damian Priest reflected on his experience with The Judgment Day, initially set to work alongside Edge, who was to be the faction’s leader along with Rhea Ripley. Priest recalled a pivotal moment when Edge informed him that he was being removed from the group, which was revealed to him after a TV taping while they were on the road. Priest was devastated and felt that their plans were ruined. Rhea Ripley was even more upset upon learning the news.

“We’d just had a major moment joining together forming The Judgment Day,” said Priest. “It felt like no time had passed, and then it was Edge who told me that he was being taken out of the group. He waited to tell me after TV one night when we were on the road. I thought we were done. I was so upset. When Rhea found out, she was even more mad than me.”

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With Edge’s departure, it seemed The Judgment Day’s future was uncertain, if not doomed. Priest noted that Edge was also frustrated and expressed feelings of disillusionment, saying, “All of this, for nothing.” Priest shared that he echoed this sentiment, feeling that their efforts had amounted to nothing at that time and believed WWE was going to release him.

“Edge was mad, too,” said Priest. “I still speak with him–he was one of our biggest backers. When he told me, I remember him saying, ‘All of this, for nothing.’ And I repeated that–for nothing. That’s the way it felt at the time.

“I was waiting for the phone call to get released. Obviously, it worked out a lot differently.”

Edge also revealed the motivation behind Judgment Day’s formation. Rhea Ripley also admitted it was hard to re-establish The Judgment Day after kicking out Adam Copeland. Regardless, The Judgment Day is now one of WWE’s hottest acts and that’s all that matters.

What’s your view on what Damian Priest had to say about Edge’s exit from The Judgment Day? Do you feel everything worked out for the best? Sound off in the comments section below!