This Is How WWE's Austin Theory Mystery Attacker Angle Becomes Respectable

WWE's big Austin Theory reveal is a letdown. 

Sometimes it's best to keep things plain, simple and even predictable. Those traits sort of define the whole Theory thing that fans guessed long before WWE pulled back the mask to reveal him. 

But plain, simple and predictable doesn't have to be bad. There's a gulf between letdown and bad. And pro wrestling, by its very nature, can always pull a cliche rabbit out of a hat. 

First, why was it bad? Well, to say things got off on the wrong foot would be an understatement. If fans were on social media around the time of the masked man's debut, users quickly identified it was Theory because of how agile he was in getting up over a cage. 

But mostly because of his rear end. Not even slightly joking. 

In a funny meta sort of way, it seemed like WWE then used a different wrestler on a subsequent broadcast that featured the mystery assailant, attempting to throw fans off the trail, before going back to Theory for the big reveal. 

So…not the best. And from a very basic storytelling standpoint, the masked man always started at a disadvantage with fans when one thinks about how silly it was that a team of monsters, headed up by Brock Lesnar, needed outside interference help to pick up a win at Survivor Series: WarGames. 

And yet, there's still very real interest here. Theory's big reveal has millions and millions of views across WWE's social media platforms, dwarfing almost everything around it.

Problem is, while Theory's explanations for his actions while chatting with the likes of Paul Heyman are solid, things sort of fall apart in the ring itself. 

For now, anyway, now that the literal mask is off, Theory feels like a Vince McMahon-era throwback when actually fighting. He's big and muscular and locking in rest holds, and it just feels like a bygone-era sort of thing that's a little out of place. 

It doesn't have to stray that way, of course. Drew McIntryre is a massive wrestler who could've fallen into a similar bucket. But there was a very real human interest level to his life in this blurred-lines era. His story of leaving WWE, making a name for himself, returning and taking down Lesnar was fantastic and continues to propel him to this day. 

Theory, by that comparison, feels a little stuck in neutral. Getting him in with the likes of Heyman could work wonders and is a good start. But everything has a little holding-pattern feel to it until Seth Rollins gets back from injury.

Part of Theory's explanation to Heyman seems critical: "I've made some bad decisions: I got comfortable; I got injured. But then I saw The Vision. You didn't wait for anything, you took. And that's me now. I take."

It's really, really cliche at face value. But it's also a tip-of-the-meta hat to online fans who still share, say, Theory's ruthless promo battle loss to Cena years ago. Or the shockingly horrendous handling of his tenure as Money in the Bank briefcase holder. Or the general vibe that he's laced with potential that has never been fully realized. 

If the gradual long-form storytelling here, for example, eventually shifts Theory into a babyface role because a heel Rollins returns and viciously puts him down, it could eventually work. Seth is better as a heel, and fan reception is going to be critical to actually helping Theory succeed. 

Either way, the nucleus of the plan is Rollins and the infiltration or eventual takedown of the Vision. Going for a new Shield stable probably wouldn't work if the plan is to truly build a new solo main-event star here. 

At the end of the day, Theory is still just 28 years old. That's super young in a sport where the top guys headlining well into their 40s. 

In, well, theory, if WWE monitors fan reception to this whole thing along the way, we could look back at the initial ok reveal as the start of some really good long-form storytelling. A major feud win over Rollins and being booked to not look like a chump against main-eventers is the obvious path. 

There have been some major hiccups with Triple H's creative tenure in recent times. But things like the Bloodline have also stressed that patience is key and long-form storytelling more than possible.

The good news? Theory is in this spot for a reason. And he's now flanked by the likes of Heyman and Rollins. A mystery-attacker angle that got off on a limp doesn't have to stay that way. 

It requires patience, but an almost mini-McIntyre path where Theory and WWE acknowledge past missteps and rewrite almost his origin story on the path to a main-event presence? 

That's one all pro wrestling fans should be happy to embrace, if done well.