Yesterday evening, WWE taped the December 22 edition of RAW, along with December 26's SmackDown. Spoilers have inevitably flooded social media, including footage of some huge moments.
On RAW, Austin Theory's place in The Vision was confirmed during a promo segment before he teamed with Bronson Reed in the main event to battle CM Punk and WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio. A first look at Theory's new ring gear has since been revealed, along with his entrance alongside Reed (he doesn't appear to have new music...yet).
In the match, Theory pinned Mysterio for the win, suggesting WWE is taking his renewed push seriously. So much for that report from Dave Meltzer that said he was only in the group to take pins, eh?
Over to SmackDown, and Boxing Day will bring a huge title change when Carmelo Hayes beats Ilja Dragunov for the United States Championship. For many fans, this is long overdue, and bodes well for the rising star as we head into 2026.
We've also learned from the SmackDown taping that Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes's rivalry with Drew McIntyre will culminate in a Three Stages of Hell match for the title on the January 9, 2026, episode of the show in Berlin, Germany. The three match types have not been revealed.
Earlier this year, Hayes addressed some of the criticisms surrounding how he's been booked since arriving on the main roster:
"It’s like, if I lose, I’m gonna find a way to win, somehow. You know that phrase, where someone goes over, someone gets over? It’s that. So I think that every time I have a match, it’s like, alright, well, let’s see. I’m gonna make sure that people don’t really think too much about the loss. They’re gonna be thinking about how cool that match was or whatever but, I understand my position right now and getting deeper into things."
"Like I said, I understand where I’m at. I understand what I need to be doing so it’s not — I don’t allow the smart marks and the people talking about this and that to affect where I’m at. I’m in a great place. I’m freaking mixing it up, I’m learning, I’m getting better. Every time I get to work with these guys, I’m coming out of it better. Win or loss. I don’t know what to say (he laughed). When the check clears, we’re not too worried about all that."
Check out these SmackDown spoilers in the X posts below.