WWE managed to catch many viewers off guard on the June 6th edition of Monday Night Raw, and the swerve of Finn Balor taking over Judgement Day after kicking Edge out of the faction works on a lot of levels. Over the last several weeks, The Rated R Superstar had taken to social media and live broadcasts alike to make it sound as if Judgement Day had sleeper agents throughout the roster. While that might still be the case, they'll be taking marching orders from Balor now and not Edge.

In what amounts to a shocking swerve by WWE standards, Balor joined Judgement Day on Raw before Damian Priest decked Edge in the face. The new-look group gave Edge a conchairto that will likely keep him off of television for at least a few weeks. These actions give Priest and Rhea Ripley the kind of edge the company seems to have been hoping for while also placing Balor as one of the most prominent heels on Monday nights and presumably turning Edge face.

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It's impossible to know for certain, but these moves could very well be a direct response to the Cody Rhodes injury prior to Hell In A Cell. The American Nightmare has been the top good guy in the company since returning at WrestleMania 38, and losing him for at least four or five months is a big blow to WWE's storytelling on the whole. It also left Raw without a top babyface. AJ Styles hasn't felt like a main eventer for the better part of two years, while Randy Orton is off television with an injury, and Riddle is already pulling double duty on Friday Night SmackDown. The betrayal at the hands of Judgement Day sets Edge up to return as a face, perhaps for a match against Balor at Money In The Bank. That is a high-profile program that could run all the way to SummerSlam.

Judgement Day WWE

The move brings a good deal of balance to the roster overall. WWE has seemingly preferred Balor to work as a heel as of late, and Ripley has been positioned to chase after Bianca Belair as the Raw women's champion. Damian Priest could go in any number of directions, while Balor seems poised to take on Edge in the top every-Monday feud now that Rollins and Rhodes are on the rocks.

All things considered, this was a well-calculated and executed swerve by WWE. Creative has been known to hotshot things in the past, and June 6th's events give off the feeling that they are in an experimental phase with their talent once again. Fundamentally, Balor and Edge flipping sides with Judgement Day at the crux works as they figure out how to produce compelling television with less airtime from Roman Reigns and an injured Cody Rhodes.

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