Now that Adam Copeland is signed to AEW, it can be easy to forget that he was the Judgment Day’s original leader, having formed the WWE faction with Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest in 2022. Despite the Judgment Day being a fresh idea for WWE, Copeland went from a legend who returned from one of the most serious injuries in recent memory, to a heel faction leader that was kicked out of the group within just two months. Four years later, the Judgment Day is still in tact despite its overhauls, but during a recent interview with “Westwood One Sports Night,” Copeland admitted that it was a major mistake to make him the leader of the first version of the faction. 

“If The Undertaker were to come out now, would it work? I don’t know. Right? But I still truly believe if you fully commit to something as the performer and you go all in, then there’s no questions at least,” he explained. “I got all day for people who are going to try and recreate themselves. From my personal standpoint, I’ve always tried to make it more of a gradual character shift. So, it is more of a shift than a change because the one time I did that was the creation of Judgment Day and it was too fast. It was too much, too soon … I was a babyface that they saw fight back from a neck surgery he’s not supposed to fight back from. Then I’m working AJ [Styles] who’s just turned babyface.”

Today’s rendition of the Judgment Day doesn’t consist of any original members, with Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez being the five current wrestlers in the group. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Westwood One Sports Night” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.