To give its Superstars some time at home with their families over the holidays, WWE has taped several upcoming shows in advance (in an undeniably confusing manner).
To bring you up to speed, Friday's December 19 SmackDown, for example, was taped on Monday (December 19) after the live RAW. There was also a non-televised taping on December 19, for tonight's RAW (December 22) and Friday's SmackDown (December 26).
In case you missed them last week and need a reminder of what's to come later tonight, we have a full breakdown of RAW spoilers for you, courtesy of Cageside Seats:
Paul Heyman is seen talking with Austin Theory
Asuka de. Rhea Ripley
Heyman is now seen talking with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed about Theory
A Becky Lynch promo is cut off by Women’s Intercontinental champ Maxxine Dupri. The segment ends with Lynch tapping out to Dupri’s ankle lock.
Je'Von Evans def. Rayo Americano
Hall of Famer Nikki Bella got mic time to remind us of her legacy
Bayley def. Roxanne! Perez
A Gunther promo is interrupted by World Heavyweight champion CM Punk and Rey Mysterio, which somehow led to…
The Vision (Theory and Reed) def. Punk and Mysterio
This isn't exactly a game-changing episode of RAW, though that was to be expected when it's a pre-taped show. The big news is, of course, the fact that Austin Theory will officially join The Vision (with him picking up the win over the World Heavyweight Champion and WWE Hall of Famer, by pinning the latter).
Friday's SmackDown promises to be a little more eventful, thanks to a major title change. You can learn more about that by clicking here.
It was at Survivor Series: WarGames that we first saw an unidentified WWE Superstar in a black hoodie and mask enter the cage and hit CM Punk with a Curb Stomp, Seth Rollins' signature move, costing the babyfaces the win.
He later returned on RAW, taking out both Rey Mysterio and LA Knight. It never made sense for Rollins to be helping The Vision after they brutally ejected him from the faction (he's also legitimately injured), so who is lending Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Brock Lesnar, and Paul Heyman a helping hand?
During last Monday's episode of RAW, the masked man hit Mysterio with a Curb Stomp during his match with Paul. When Punk hit the ring, he made a run for it and unmasked as former United States Champion Austin Theory.
Here's a glimpse at Theory's new ring gear: