Gunther Achieves Nuclear Heat, WWE's Mystery Attacker Fail, More Raw Fallout
Following the retirement of John Cena, the December 15 edition of Raw on Netflix refocused on the future of WWE in 2026.
Gunther mocked The GOAT, his fans and his friends to start the show, leaving after a final personal taunt toward AJ Styles.
CM Punk returned to accept Bron Breakker's World Heavyweight Championship challenge and showed no fear in facing the destructive force of The Vision.
The Vision made their own statement at the expense of Rey Mysterio as the masked man again aided Logan Paul against The Master of the 619.
This time, though, he revealed himself to be Austin Theory with a new shaved-head look.
Stephanie Vaquer looked to successfully defend her Women's World Championship against Raquel Rodriguez, but she was attacked by Nikki Bella, causing a disqualification finish.
This was an eventful night, even if it wasn't quite the momentum shift WWE needed closing in on the end of 2025.
Gunther Positioned to Be WWE's Biggest Heel in Years
1 of 5Not since WrestleMania 30 has WWE received a crowd reaction quite like when Gunther made John Cena tap out in his final match on Saturday.
The hushed shock was palpable from fans who wanted a happy ending. The backlash that followed sold that The Ring General had nuclear heat rivaling some of wrestling's greatest heels.
While fans will argue for years whether it was the right call, all eyes are on Gunther and WWE to deliver something special with this moment.
It is a shame that much like Brock Lesnar's win over Undertaker at WrestleMania 30, WWE did not set the stage better for this.
Gunther should not have a 'Mania submission to Jey Uso on his record that allows fans to chant correctly that he also tapped out like Cena.
However, that does not mean WWE cannot make the most of this heat. No one is more hated in all of wrestling than The Ring General, and that is a major opportunity.
The Austria-born star should be challenging for world championship gold at WrestleMania 42, and he should win in that challenge whether he is dethroning Cody Rhodes or CM Punk.
Gunther should reclaim his spot atop the business as the indomitable heel that only a truly great hero can defeat.
Austin Theory Was Wrong Man for Masked Man Reveal
2 of 5
Austin Theory was once WWE's darling, pushed through an alliance with Mr. McMahon and even defeating John Cena at WrestleMania 39.
With Triple H now the creative lead in WWE, Theory has fallen into the background.
He is only 28 years old, yet it is hard to not see him as past his prime in terms of WWE's interest.
Why should fans get excited about his face reveal this week when he hasn't figured into the company's major creative plans for two years?
Perhaps this is a chance for him to restart, treating him as a fresh up-and-coming talent ready to work with the main event stars.
That is a distant hope at this stage and certainly not a worthy payoff after weeks of significant teasing to the importance of the masked man reveal.
Plenty of others could have fit this spot with less failed opportunities behind them, and even more names would have made a bigger impact upon their reveal.
CM Punk is the Most Important Star on Raw Right Now
3 of 5Raw is lacking for star power with Seth Rollins injured, Roman Reigns consistently away, John Cena retired and Cody Rhodes only working SmackDown.
The only established main event act on Raw right now is CM Punk, especially following The Usos' move back to the tag team division.
Bron Breakker is hoping to truly break out in 2025, but right now, he, Bronson Reed and Logan Paul are all working at the same level in Paul Heyman's shadow.
Even Gunther is still reascending after a messy 2025, though he is a staple of the brand again after defeating John Cena.
It would be ideal to say Stephanie Vaquer, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Liv Morgan and more could be considered main event talent, but WWE has not treated any of them that way in recent months, or even years.
Occasionally, a few of these women will main-event a Raw, but those same stars can be relegated to one backstage segment the next week.
What makes Punk especially valuable to Raw is that he is always relevant in a way few active competitors can match.
Each week, The Best in the World can go out with little or no hype and sell an entire crowd on his words and/or actions.
When he is not on television, his absence is felt, perhaps even more so than perennially-missing stars such as Reigns.
Punk and Breakker have sold their rivalry quickly and succinctly, and they should be the easy call for main event on the January 5 episode of Raw on Netflix.
WWE Spinning Its Wheels with Stephanie Vaquer
4 of 5
On September 20, at Wrestlepalooza, Stephanie Vaquer captured the vacant Women's World Championship by defeating Iyo Sky.
Nearly three months later, it barely feels like La Primera has done anything as champion.
She defeated Tiffany Stratton at Crown Jewel in a forgettable match for a Women's Crown Jewel Championship that had no relevance past that night.
She has feuded with Raquel Rodriguez to a pair of TV title defenses that mattered more as spotlights for her ongoing rivalry with Nikki Bella.
Her only true rival so far is Nikki, but no segment or match has sold why fans should actually care about this angle.
Their initial faux friendship was quickly undercut by a rushed heel turn, and since then, Nikki has looked out of her depth trying to compete with an athlete like Vaquer.
There is no reality where Nikki should or will defeat Vaquer for the title, and no segment has been good enough to justify this rivalry over putting a greater focus on her conflict with Rodriguez.
La Primera will not lose her gold until at least WrestleMania 42, which is likely why nothing matters at the moment.
WWE could at least set up interesting matches or segments that can elevate the talent around Vaquer.
Instead, everything to date has come off as WWE spinning its wheels until the company is ready to reveal who will face La Primera at The Show of Shows.
Another Raw With Little on the Line During In-Ring Action
5 of 5
WWE has often prided itself on a brand of storytelling that leans more soap opera than in-ring physicality.
The goal is to sell the story first over the in-ring action, but that is hard work for over two hours each week when so few stories actually resonate.
While The Vision storyline is lukewarm at present, it is clearly the centerpiece of weekly Raw, and the other major angle is the fallout of Gunther's defeat of John Cena.
Asuka and Kairi Sane vs. Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky was a major selling point when it first kicked off, but the angle has not developed for months, falling back on the same talking points in December as in October.
Everything else feels weightless, though. Stephanie Vaquer's feud with Nikki Bella boils down to Nikki being a veteran who does not feel respected.
Maxxine Dupri is the underdog champion struggling to find respect. AJ Styles and Dragon Lee are trying to earn the respect of the tag team division by fighting everyone they can.
Another week, another unnecessary disqualification finish after a match that did not go 10 minutes.
Another week, another Vision-focused main event where it did not truly matter who got the victory.
Two-and-a-half hours go by with little accomplished, which has been the trend for a while, especially outside of the men's main event picture.
It is long past time for WWE to develop the stories of the undercard and give them some of the overwhelming focus afforded to The Vision.
Maybe main-event a show with a match that has stakes for once over the latest combination of Vision members against their opposition that won't pay off until a premium live event.
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