3 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (29 December - Results & Review)

1. Theory Just Ain’t It

At least Austin Theory ditched the Shield-adjacent combat pants with the unfortunate coloring.

CM Punk deserves an up for interrupting Theory during the opening segment on Raw, because Austin was in the middle of another bland, cue card-reading promo when “Cult of Personality” hit. One would think that spending months off television would have afforded Austin the opportunity to work on emoting and delivering his lines with conviction, but apparently not.

In the ring against Rey Mysterio later, Theory was his usual competent self, and that’s not a knock against him, but nothing he does is memorable. Quick, name something he did in that match other than his rolling dropkick attempt. It was just a basic match that ended in a DQ when Logan Paul interfered. Penta returning to make the save was the only true positive.

Austin Theory is the most “factory settings” guy on the roster. He’d be right at home in that mid-2000s group of Johnny Ace-endorsed, flavorless warm bodies.

It’s not that Theory is bad, but Paul Heyman lumping him in as a future WrestleMania main-eventer just screams the same mistake Vince McMahon made in pushing him a few years ago, and the only thing that’s really changed is his haircut.

To paraphrase Mean Girls, “Stop trying to make Theory happen.”