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The Week in Wrestling: The Last Ride

Damian Priest discusses the early struggles of The Judgment Day, and Braun Strowman shares his joy for what Bo Dallas is creating with The Wyatt Sicks

Justin Barrasso

SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.

Time to say farewell

The Week in Wrestling on SI.com has run every week since January 6, 2016.

Nearly nine years later, that run has reached its end.

There will be no new column next week for Sports Illustrated. My contract is up, and I have decided to move on. While I am grateful to have spent almost a decade with SI, it is time to explore new opportunities.

As I was thinking about how change is inevitable, a story came to mind. I had the chance to connect with Damian Priest in Cleveland the day before SummerSlam, just after the screening of his new documentary (which, for what it’s worth, was extremely well done).

Priest was about to put the finishing touches on a career-altering world title run, and we reflected on his run in The Judgment Day–where, initially, he was slated to work alongside Edge, who would be the leader of the faction that would also include Rhea Ripley.

“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.”

Without Edge, who was prematurely removed before the storyline could develop, it appeared there was a limited future–if any–for Judgment Day.

“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.”

As it turned out, the Priest-Ripley-Finn Balor-Dom Mysterio version of The Judgment Day reached a level of brilliance that no one could have envisioned. To me, Priest’s memories of the abrupt ending of Edge’s run in The Judgment Day captured the goal of this weekly column. Not that change is inevitable, though it most certainly is, but rather how he shared his side of the story. That was always my goal–reveal a different side of professional wrestling.

The wrestling industry has changed dramatically over the last eight years. Vince McMahon is no longer the end-all, be-all in WWE; in fact, he is no longer involved in any part of the company as Nick Khan oversees WWE and Paul “Triple H” Levesque handles creative. Tony Khan changed the landscape for the better with AEW, adding the ingredient that WWE thrives off most: competition. Covering the indies, which is the heartbeat of the industry, was also a passion, and I thoroughly enjoyed directly connecting as many mainstream stories as possible to pro wrestling.

I’d be remiss not to thank Andy Gray, an extraordinary piece of SI’s past. Without him, this column would never have become a reality. I had the privilege of working with Dan Gartland for years, connecting with him every day–and looking forward to every conversation. If you’re reading Dan’s daily piece, it serves as a reminder of how talented he is as a writer.

I also had the joy of working with the extremely talented Shemar Woods. We connected more on the MMA beat, but he was intertwined on the pro wrestling side, too. Shemar pushed me in different directions as a writer, and his voice and passion for the fundamentals of journalism left a lasting impression on my work.

And if you enjoyed reading this weekly column, then, like me, you are forever grateful to Francis Connolly. Every single column went through Francis before anyone else. He makes an art out of editing, and as much as I enjoyed writing this column every week, reading the edits and comments from Francis brought a whole different level of enjoyment.

As for me, there will be more stories to write. Where and when will be a story for another day.

Until then, thank you for reading.

The (Online) Week in Wrestling

  • Wrestling suffered a tremendous loss last week with the passing of Kevin Sullivan, who helped revolutionize its modern form.
  • Roman Reigns returned to SmackDown last Friday, making an entertaining show infinitely more interesting.
  • Last week on SmackDown, Kevin Owens first explained why he did not deserve a shot at Cody Rhodes’ WWE Championship–then, backstage, his infuriated response when being told Roman Reigns was next in line for a title shot prompted him to change his opinion–was a perfect use of logic in pro wrestling storytelling. But are we rushing into the Owens-Rhodes match?
  • Dustin Rhodes has his sights set on the Ring of Honor tag team titles. Cody Rhodes is watching his work–and says the Rhodes’ family has its own pro wrestling bloodline.
  • Mercedes Mone against Hikaru Shida should be an outstanding match tonight on Dynamite–and it serves as another reminder of why wrestling is a better place with AEW involved.
  • Welcome back, Maple Leaf Wrestling. Scott D’Amore will, once again, find a way to add value to the industry with his promotion.
  • Is there a worse faction name than Pure Fusion Collective? The group is talented, but the name does not do them any favors.
  • Joe Hendry is the perfect choice to challenge Ethan Page for the title. If people in NXT want to build an air of unpredictability, they should do what the decision-makers in TNA opted not to do–and put the belt on Hendry.

Braun Strowman on Bo Dallas: “People are getting a glimpse at how talented he is”

Braun Strowman got his start in WWE when he debuted as the fourth member of The Wyatt Family in the summer of 2015.

The Wyatt Family
The Wyatt Family / WWE

Despite a limited experience in professional wrestling, Strowman had the privilege of learning from Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper (who also starred in AEW as Brodie Lee), and Erick Rowan. Tragically, Wyatt–Windham Rotunda–and fellow Wyatt brethren Harper–Jon Huber–both passed away far too soon.

“I learned so much from those guys,” said Strowman, whose name is Adam Scherr. “They were like brothers.”

Braun Strowman, Luke Harper, and Bray Wyatt
Braun Strowman, Luke Harper, and Bray Wyatt / WWE

Strowman is watching closely as Bo Dallas carries on what Bray Wyatt built. Dallas is Taylor Rotunda, his real-life younger brother, and he is now leading The Wyatt Sicks, which also includes Rowan. It is a tribute act to Wyatt, yet it represents even more.

“It’s really cool,” said Strowman. “Not only is he carrying on Windham’s legacy, but he’s also getting his own opportunity, too.”

Strowman has found every single segment from The Wyatt Sicks extremely captivating. He believes that the group has laid the foundation to leave a lasting impact, especially with the right person leading the way.

“Just wait,” said Strowman. “Taylor is special. He is every bit as talented as Windham, he’s just never had an opportunity to show it. People are getting a glimpse at how talented he is.”

Tweet of the Week

You can clearly see how much fun Max is having during this run.

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Justin Barrasso

JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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