5 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (5 Dec - Review)

2. Just Handing Out Title Shots

Austin Theory
WWE.com

Why is the uber-heel United States Champion Austin Theory handing out title shots to wrestlers who approach him backstage?

Theory gave an interview about Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins brawling all over the place in advance of next week’s #1 contender’s match, only to be confronted by Mustafa Ali. Rather than telling him to get to the back of the line, Theory offered Ali a title match for Monday night, with the match starting just minutes later.

If you’re keeping track, that makes for three total matches booked during the course of the show, plus a substitute for a tag title match.

The bigger issue here is the heel champ willfully putting his title up, even while two former world champions prepare to battle to be the #1 contender. What the hell is happening here? (Yes, in theory, Rollins or Lashley could have faced Ali if he had won, but come on now.)

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.