JD McDonagh Confirms Surgery, Pumps the Brakes On a Brutal 2025
The Judgment Day is about to feel a little emptier, folks. JD McDonagh, the man who has taken more bullets for his friends than a Secret Service agent on overtime, is officially on the shelf.
The Irish Ace took to Instagram on Monday to break the news, posting a photo from a hospital bed. He didn’t look too thrilled about it—though, to be fair, nobody looks thrilled in a hospital gown—but he did offer a double thumbs-up. It was the universal sign for “I’m alive, but everything hurts.”
In the post, he noted that he’s been working through “some stuff” for months. Because in the wrestling business, you don’t just get hurt; you collect nagging injuries like Pokémon cards until your body finally decides to trade them all in for a surgery date.
JD McDonagh Confirms He Needs Surgery
Let’s be real for a second. If you watch the way McDonagh wrestles, this probably doesn’t shock you. The guy sells offense like he owes the other wrestler money. He bumps around the ring with a disregard for gravity that is both impressive and slightly concerning.
His Instagram caption was brief but telling:
“Pump the brakes” is a polite way of saying his body finally filed a formal complaint with HR. While he didn’t give us the gory details of exactly what is broken, torn, or just plain tired, he did show a hand in a cast. So, reading between the lines, it looks like the high-flying maneuvers might be grounded for a bit.
This isn’t his first trip to the medical facility this year, either. Remember back in January? He suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs courtesy of a dive that went a little too hard. He missed nearly three months then, only to return in April to help Dominik Mysterio retain gold. Honestly, it was obvious he was wrestling injured when rewatching his match at AAA Worlds Collide Las Vegas.
What This Means For The Judgment Day
The timing, as always in WWE, is terrible. The Judgment Day has gone through more roster changes than a fantasy football team in Week 12.
Liv Morgan just came back at Survivor Series, fixing the hole left by her own shoulder injury. For a hot minute, the gang was all back together. They had Balor, McDonagh, Mysterio, Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and the newcomer Roxanne Perez all on the same page. It was a beautiful, villainous harmony.
Now, with McDonagh out, the numbers game shifts again.
This is a guy who held the World Tag Team Championships with Finn Balor earlier this year. Sure, they lost them to AJ Styles and Dragon Lee—who, by the way, just defended them successfully at Saturday Night’s Main Event—but McDonagh has been a workhorse for the group. He’s the guy who takes the big hits so the others can sneak away with the win. Without him eating superkicks and spears, who steps up?
Looking Ahead To a Return
The good news? McDonagh says it “won’t be long.” In wrestler speak, that could mean anything from three weeks to six months, depending on how much “stuff” needs fixing.
For now, The Judgment Day presses on. Raquel Rodriguez has a massive title shot against Stephanie Vaquer on Raw, a match she demanded after wrecking Nikki Bella last week. The faction has plenty of gold and glory to chase, but they’ll be doing it down a man.
