6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (Sept. 12)

1. Theory Still A Focal Point, Just Shifted

It’s funny how Austin Theory has gone from Vince McMahon’s handpicked golden boy to whipping boy in less than two months, yet he still is a major focus of Raw each week.

Theory has been beaten at nearly every turn in the past several weeks, with Johnny Gargano and Kevin Owens beating on him and putting him in his place. But then Monday night, Austin laid out Johnny Wrestling after the NXT stalwart’s successful singles debut, only to face off with KO yet again.

Owens lambasted Theory in a tremendous promo, sounding like an avatar for Triple H as he said that Austin might have been the handpicked future, but that’s not how it works in WWE anymore. He noted that he might not look like Theory, but dozens of guys like him have come through WWE in the past couple of decades and fizzled out, while the KOs and Garganos of the world are the heart and soul of the business. He then dared Theory to prove him wrong, finally slapping him.

It all ended in a big pull-apart brawl that saw Theory bloodied. This is a clever way of leaning into Theory’s character and motivation under Mr. McMahon and turning it on its head. It allows Triple H to say – through Owens – what he wants to say to fans about WWE being more of a meritocracy. And it allows Theory – who isn’t just some pretty boy – to possibly evolve from this character, even if he has to be broken down to do it.

There seems to be a lot at work here through this storyline, and it feels a lot more ambitious than just battering Theory.