Judgment Day Taking Over WWE, Cody Rhodes Must End Brock Lesnar Feud, More Raw Takes

The Judgment Day cannot stop winning, taking over WWE Raw one step at a time.

The July 24 edition saw Sr. Money in the Bank Damian Priest and NXT North American champion Dominik Mysterio pick up victories. They also helped Finn Bálor take out Seth Rollins ahead of SummerSlam.

The build to the August 5 pay-per-view did not stop there as Cody Rhodes made another statement of intent toward Brock Lesnar.

Drew McIntyre picked up an impressive win over Ludwig Kaiser that could be his first step to dethroning Gunther as intercontinental champion.

Monday's show was focused on one stable above all, but it also took the time to keep building WWE's biggest summer stories.

Damian Priest, Not Finn Bálor, Should Be Next World Heavyweight Champion

Finn Bálor will face Seth Rollins one more time at SummerSlam. While this match should feel important, The Prince has still not sold himself as a worth world heavyweight champion.

He lost to The Visionary in the championship tournament and again at Money in the Bank on July 1. He cannot seem to put it together, even taking advantage of an injured Rollins.

Meanwhile, WWE has created a sleeping beast in Damian Priest, who continues to deliver in big moments. He has an air of menace that makes him a threat to any titleholder.

He is much closer to Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio in The Judgment Day than Bálor, and the champions will grow even tighter holding gold together.

Rollins is not going to hold the world title forever. During an appearance on the Impaulsive podcast (h/t Andrew Thompson of Post Wrestling), he said he is dealing with multiple injuries that need to be addressed.

When The Visionary is ready to drop the gold and enjoy some needed respite, Priest is the man to take his title by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase to level up his status in WWE.

Dominik Mysterio's Championship Win Has Elevated NXT

Dominik Mysterio's shocking win on the July 18 edition of WWE NXT put an end to the most dominant reign in the history of the NXT North American Championship.

While it wasn't the most impressive performance in the ring, Mysterio has made up for it by defending the belt twice in the past week against Butch and Sami Zayn.

His work with Zayn was especially memorable as the future world title contender allowed Dirty Dom to control the action. It was clear what it meant to both men to hold the belt.

This story is going to bring fresh eyes to NXT. The WWE Universe will want to see who will step up to the most hated man in wrestling.

It also helps that Rhea Ripley is always with Dirty Dom. She will be competing on Tuesday's edition of NXT against the rising Lyra Valkyria in what is certain to be a can't-miss encounter.

This may not be a long title reign as Dom cannot work multiple brands every week, but he is making the most of the moment. If the momentum continues to build, many fans could add NXT to their weekly rotation going forward.

Cody Rhodes-Brock Lesnar Feud Must End at SummerSlam with American Nightmare Win

Cody Rhodes may be the most over star on Raw, but WWE is wearing his feud with Brock Lesnar thin.

The Beast Incarnate is barely on television. When he has been, he has beaten down The American Nightmare without any explanation.

All the way to the final match, the WWE Universe has never learned why Lesnar hates Rhodes. The only thing fans have heard is repeated promos from the 38-year-old about why he needs to beat The Beast.

The matches have been good. The promos have been solid. However, the story has grown stale, and it could begin to sour fans on The American Nightmare. Luckily, they are still committed to him for the moment.

It's time to put an end to it all. Rhodes needs to win with a stipulation that can allow this story to reach a memorable and brutal conclusion.

The American Nightmare can do so much more for Raw. His popularity and promos can elevate anyone, and the brand needs help bringing up fresh heels like Bronson Reed, Shinsuke Nakamura and Imperium.

None of that can happen while Lesnar lurks in the background, and nothing Rhodes does in the near future will matter unless he can definitively defeat The Beast.

Drew McIntyre Should Dethrone Gunther, But Not at SummerSlam

Since his return to WWE, Drew McIntyre has looked unstoppable. No one has physically challenged Gunther like The Scottish Warrior.

It feels right that McIntyre should dethrone The Ring General. He can keep the legacy of the Intercontinental Championship growing while Gunther can move on to an even greater prize.

However, WWE has to be careful with its timing. Gunther will break the record for the longest IC title reign on September 7, just over a month after SummerSlam.

He has done so much work to elevate the belt and deserves that accolade. For that reason, WWE cannot have McIntyre win on August 5.

However, Imperium could well protect The Ring General in the first singles match between these Superstars. This can set up a rematch after Gunther has taken the 453-day record from The Honky Tonk Man in which The Scottish Warrior can dethrone him.

Gunther should quickly rebound as a World Heavyweight Championship contender sooner rather than later.