A Heel Turn for WWE and AEW, Austin Theory Has Gone Cold, More Quick Takes

Several stars in WWE and All Elite Wrestling are in desperate need of character shifts as the summer season gets underway.

There's plenty to be excited about already in both companies with so many major events on the horizon, but the easiest way to inject new life into the weekly shows is to give fans what they want and execute a few heel turns.

Austin Theory, on the other hand, needs a total reset based on how he's been booked in recent months. The United States champion has largely been protected throughout 2023 and yet hasn't meant less since arriving on the main roster two years ago.

While not impossible for him to be built back up, it's astounding to see how far he's fallen in such a short span of time.

This installment of Quick Takes will discuss where WWE went wrong with Theory, AEW needing to capitalize on Jay White, why a Judgment Day shakeup would be premature, and more.

Jack Perry Has Reached His Current Ceiling as a Babyface

Jack Perry has long been considered one of AEW's "four pillars," and given everything he's accomplished since the start of the promotion, it isn't difficult to see why.

From dominating the tag team ranks as part of Jurassic Express to everything he's been able to accomplish on his own this past year, he's had his fair share of success so far and still has yet to barely scratch the surface of what he can do.

After failing to win the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing, though, it's clear the 25-year-old has reached his current ceiling as a babyface and could use a fresh coat of paint.

Although the audience remains behind him, he has struggled to show significant character growth as of late. He has since reunited with Hook, which should lead to him betraying the uber-popular FTW champion and turning heel.

Perry's promos have improved immensely over the years, but a heel run would give him a chance to become even better. It would also allow him to establish more of an identity for himself and potentially link up with real-life girlfriend Anna Jay as an on-air act.

All of the teases for Perry going rogue must result in the turn coming to fruition sooner rather than later.

The Judgment Day Don't Need to Be Altered

The faction infighting from SmackDown with The Bloodline has made its way to Raw with The Judgment Day.

Tension was teased within the ranks of the group last Monday night when Damian Priest wished to go at it alone against Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship only for Finn Bálor to attempt to interfere on his stablemate's behalf.

Beyond Rhea Ripley's reign as SmackDown women's champion, The Judgement Day haven't scored too many meaningful wins since WrestleMania 39. Despite that, they've remained a recurring highlight on Raw, with all four members having excellent chemistry together.

They've had a great thing going this past year, but even now, it would be premature to break any of them away from the group at this point.

The most significant shakeup could see Priest get the boot in favor of JD McDonagh, who Bálor previously teased recruiting. It would be better to retain The Archer of Infamy while also adding the NXT call-up, if not simply keep The Judgment Day the way they've been.

Priest will have breakout babyface potential one day, but Raw has plenty of other fan favorites they can focus on for now. The Judgment Day's dynamic doesn't need to be altered and should remain intact for as long as they're on top.

How WWE Has Failed Austin Theory Since WrestleMania 39

Outside of headlining the event, it doesn't get much bigger than a WrestleMania match with John Cena. Facing the future WWE Hall of Famer on the grand stage seemed to serve as the ultimate endorsement for Austin Theory, at least until afterward.

The build was nearly nonexistent and the match was hardly memorable, but Theory beating Cena was what mattered most. Unfortunately, WWE has done absolutely nothing with the U.S. champion since then to convince fans he was worthy of that spot.

It should not have been a tall task to elevate the 25-year-old and the star-spangled prize he holds coming out of 'Mania. A natural progression would have seen him continue to take on top talent, make the title feel coveted and rack up equally important wins in high-profile programs.

Instead, he has become an afterthought on SmackDown with no real direction.

If WWE doesn't view Theory as a priority yet, then it was a mistake to put him in that position in the first place. As a result of how he's been handled, his reign has done more to hurt the title than benefit him.

Starting from scratch (again) might be his best bet.

Jay White Must Be on Verge of Bigger Push in AEW

Jay White is two months into his AEW run, but it hasn't been anything overly special so far.

He's maintained a semi-regular role on Dynamite as part of his program with Ricky Starks, but he has yet to be showcased as the star he was in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He's had some quality matches and promos but nothing that has helped him stand out up to this point.

Switchblade's latest victory in the main event of Dynamite, albeit tainted by interference from The Gunns, should lead him to becoming a much bigger focal point in the weeks ahead.

With his feud with Starks seemingly finished, White can now set his sights on the main event of the first-ever Collision. He, Juice Robinson and Samoa Joe will collide with CM Punk and FTR in a six-man tag team match, and from there, White and Punk can branch off in a rivalry of their own.

The 30-year-old New Zealander needs an established main event player to work with if he's going to get over at that level in AEW, and Punk fits the bill to perfection. Rehashing another version of Bullet Club won't cause his stock to skyrocket as much as an important angle with someone such as Punk will.

AEW has done decently with White up to this point, but now is the time to take him to the next level to avoid his run falling far below expectations.

Charlotte Flair's Return Gets Bianca Belair One Step Closer to Heel Turn

A Charlotte Flair return is not complete without her immediately injecting herself into the title picture. And that's exactly what happened on Friday's SmackDown during Asuka's championship celebration, but it could end up having a positive effect.

Bianca Belair was shown frustrated backstage afterward, asking Adam Pearce why she wasn't factored into Asuka's next title defense while Flair was. When he couldn't respond with a straight answer, it was evident that The EST of WWE's reaction was designed to plant the seeds for something much more significant.

In taking the time to tell this story properly, WWE will have a much-needed heel turn coming for Belair, who grew stale as a character toward the end of her year-long title run.

Being back in chase mode will be a refreshing change of pace, and there's no rush to turn her any time soon. She still receives strong crowd reactions, but if Flair will continue to be miscast as a babyface, that opens up a top heel spot on SmackDown for The EST.

The Queen winning the WWE Women's Championship in the near future wouldn't be ideal, and it's possible for a Flair vs. Belair feud to happen outside of the title picture. Either way, all signs point to a turn being imminent for The EST, as it should be.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.