Damian Priest Says 'The Shackles Are Off' For Judgment Day Member

The Judgment Day stable, currently consisting of Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley, has been causing chaos on "Raw" since April, though its early incarnation included the "Rated R Superstar" Edge before he was viciously expelled from the group in June. 

Priest, who has been along for the ride since the faction's inception, has now indicated that one of his fellow teammates will have a lot more added freedom going forward. "The world doesn't even know what she's [Rhea Ripley] capable of," Priest told Bleav in Pro Wrestling. "And that's the craziest thing about all that she's accomplished already. So now, the shackles are off a little bit. That was the point of The Judgment Day was, 'Let's do this our way,' you know? Now, we're really gonna have fun."

Ripley first joined the villainous group at WrestleMania Backlash, appearing during Edge's match with AJ Styles, causing a distraction allowing Edge to pick up the victory. Before aligning with The Judgment Day, Ripley was competing in the women's tag team division — initially with Nikki A.S.H. where she became WWE Women's Tag Team Champion for the first time, and then with Liv Morgan, who she ultimately turned on to begin her current run as a heel. 

Prior to joining the main roster, Ripley competed across two "NXT" brands, winning the 2018 "NXT UK" Women's Championship tournament to be crowned the inaugural champion before capturing the "NXT" Women's Championship in December 2019, ending Shayna Baszler's dominant 416-day reign. Ripley would ultimately be thrust into a major match at WrestleMania 36, losing the "NXT" Women's Championship to that year's Women's Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair. Ripley officially joined the main roster in March 2021 and won the "Raw" Women's Championship the following month at WrestleMania 37. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Bleav in Pro Wrestling with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.