With long-term storytelling seemingly the calling card of WWE these days, and The Judgment Day at least here and there borrowing some story beats from The Bloodline, there has been a groundswell of wonder as to when the storyline and the faction might run its course from time to time, especially as infighting within the group has been teased time and again. I, myself, have been close to sure that the implosion was looming any moment at least once or twice. But the inclusion of R-Truth of late has opened up plenty of new opportunities for the group, its story, and for what’s next for all involved, and on top of that, as is anything with Truth, it’s been hilarious all the while.

Who knows if this was the intent right away or if they fell into a twist for the faction that caught fire but also, who cares? If it works, it works. And this works for all of Truth himself, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, JD McDonagh, and Dominik Mysterio (not to mention “Tom” and “Nick!”) Whether it was planned or whether WWE quickly realized that this was a hot angle, they’re throwing a lot of effort into it now, with multiple R-Truth/Judgment Day t-shirts available, and his just-hokey-enough inclusion in their TitanTron graphic for their entrance in tonight’s tag match between Truth and The Miz against McDonagh and Mysterio (Dominik, to be clear).

Truth’s antics are always entertaining and tonight was no different, with him hoping to gain favor by giving each member their cut of his “bootleg” merchandise sales. Of course, to Truth, that doesn’t include McDonagh since, as he said, the payoff was “for members only.” Those two will likely have a blowoff in the near future, be it in the Royal Rumble itself or shortly thereafter.

Overall, R-Truth in and around Judgment Day can’t last forever, but his involvement has extended the life of the group, which may have been fizzling out before WWE was ready. And maybe more importantly, it’s reminded us all of Truth’s ability and entertainment value, hopefully leading to an extended run for a surefire eventual WWE Hall of Famer.