As this newsletter lands, 2025 is officially in the books and wrestling is standing in that quiet pocket between reflection and reset. The Cena chapter is closed. The Gunther era is loud, uncomfortable, and very real. RAW is setting pieces for 2026. SmackDown is testing authority and patience. NXT keeps proving the future is not coming, it is already here.

This edition is our year end exhale. You will find Darrion’s full drop on why WWE now has no excuses heading into 2026, our final RAW review before Christmas, and a clear look at where the stories are actually going once the lights come back on. This is not about fireworks or shock moments. It is about direction, consequence, and whether WWE finally commits to the long game it keeps promising.

Make sure you stick around until the very end, because we could not sign off on the year without doing it properly. Our favorite Straight Shoot memes of 2025 are waiting, and yes, Blake Monroe still managed to break the internet on the way out.

We are taking a short break until after Christmas. Enjoy your holidays however you see fit, unplug if you need to, recharge if you can, and come back ready. We will be back right after SmackDown with fresh eyes, loud opinions, and a brand new year to tear into.

From all of us at Straight Shoot, thank you for riding with us through the evolution of this newsletter. See you on the other side.

P.S. Want to listen instead? Hit Listen Online at the top right of your email.

The John Cena era is officially in the rearview. The farewell match happened, the tears dried, and the torch got ripped out of his hands in the most violent way possible. Gunther making Cena tap did not just end a career, it created a monster. The kind of monster WWE can build a whole year around, because now every legend and every fan-favorite has a quiet fear attached to them: what if Gunther is the one who ends your story too? WWE+1

That is the good news.

The even better news is that WWE is sitting on a ridiculous number of chess pieces heading into Mania season. The bad news is that WWE has been allergic to letting stories breathe in the Netflix era, and the IWC has been loud about it. Plenty of fans have basically summed it up as: “Not terrible, not great, just… mid.” The kind of “mid” that comes from hot moments with cold follow-through. Reddit

Now, heading into 2026, WWE finally has the excuse and the calendar to lock in.

Cena being gone does something WWE has needed for a while: it forces the company to commit to a new identity. Not a “legend rotation,” not a “special attraction cameo,” but a weekly product where the top heel is a real problem and the babyfaces are forced to evolve.

Gunther is that problem.
The internet is split on whether Cena tapping was “the right call,” but even in the debates you can see the bigger truth: people are talking about Gunther like a final boss, not just a champion who wins matches. That is rare. That is valuable. Reddit+1

This is where 2026 can either become elite, or become another “cool reveal, no payoff” year.

The Austin Theory reveal as the masked piece in the WarGames orbit and the ongoing “Vision” power struggle is the exact kind of long-term soap opera WWE claims it wants to tell. Fans are already side-eyeing it though, because the big fear is simple: is Theory actually being elevated, or is he just being used as a plot device? Reddit+1

One Reddit take that stuck with me was basically the vibe of: If Theory is “the guy,” then prove it fast, because the audience is not going to pretend. Reddit

Rollins being out is the catalyst. Breakker’s betrayal is the gasoline. Heyman’s allegiance is the match. Theory is the wild card that either makes this story genius or makes it feel like a reboot of ideas WWE already half-did before.

A lot of fans still remember “Messiah Seth” as an era with a clear character spine. That matters, because if WWE wants to echo that energy, it cannot do it with random weekly swerves. It needs structure.

If SmackDown is moving back toward a three-hour format, that is either going to expose how thin the brand is, or it is going to force WWE to finally build layers again. Instagram+1

And layers usually come from one thing.

Factions.

Not factions for the sake of matching shirts. Factions that fix TV pacing. Factions that let you rotate faces on screen without forcing single feuds to run in circles. Factions that give midcarders identity and purpose.

That is why this feels like it could become the year of the faction if WWE is smart:

Street Profits are the perfect example of a team WWE could reheat overnight if they put them in the right ecosystem. People remember them. The crowd will pop the second they feel important again. They just need a story that does not reset every Monday.

Judgment Day has been a machine for TV time, but the machine is starting to show wear. Fans are already floating the same idea in different ways: break it, refresh it, let it evolve into something new instead of watching it slowly rust.

If WWE wants 2026 to feel “new,” it cannot just swap one member and pretend it is a new era. It has to take a risk. A real fracture. A real power vacuum.

If RAW is going to be the flagship on Netflix, then here is what it has to carry, week after week:

The pieces are finally on the board for WWE to have a monster 2026. Cena’s chapter closing gave WWE a clean break, Gunther has the heat of a supervillain, RAW has a main story with real intrigue, and SmackDown getting longer demands actual depth.

The only question is the one the IWC keeps asking in a hundred different ways:

Are we finally about to get long stories with real endings, or are we about to get another year of loud moments and quiet follow-through?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from D. See you in 2026. 🎄👊

December 22, 2025
By Darrion Axel

The holiday season always changes RAW.

Not storyline wise. Not “the roster phones it in” wise. Just energy wise.

This was a taped Christmas RAW, and it wrestled like it. Shorter feel, quieter crowd moments, and pacing that screamed: “We are getting you to next week, then getting out of here before Santa clocks in.”

But even in holiday mode, this show still mattered. The Vision story got sharper. The women’s division carried the middle of the card. GUNTHER kept playing the role of the guy who shows up to Christmas dinner just to ruin the vibe. And Bron Breakker kept hunting CM Punk like a man who wants January 5th to be a funeral.

This is our last edition until after Christmas, so think of this one as the gift wrap episode. Not the flashiest present, but it sets up what is coming next.

🎄 OPENING VIBE: “Happy Holidays, Now Fight”

RAW opened in that familiar taped show rhythm. Recap packages, arrivals, and a general “we are here, let us advance the board” tone.

And then Paul Heyman showed up, because nothing says Christmas like emotional manipulation and career ultimatum contracts.

🎤 PAUL HEYMAN, AUSTIN THEORY, AND THE VISION TRYOUTS
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Austin Theory finally delivered something WWE has struggled to give him: a reason that connects.

He admitted he got comfortable. He admitted he made mistakes. He admitted the mask was a strategy, because he wanted people to judge his actions before they saw his face. And most importantly, he framed it like this: The Vision does not wait. The Vision takes. So now he is going to take too.

That logic works. It is not “tough guy of the year” material, but it is coherent, and coherent is a massive upgrade.

Heyman’s response was perfect. No acceptance. No rejection. Just that quiet “interesting” energy that always means somebody is about to get used like a pawn.

Then Heyman brought it home to Breakker and Reed: if Theory does not prove himself, they can toss him out like a Christmas tree on January 1.

This group feels more dangerous when Seth is absent, because it is clearer than ever that Heyman is the engine. He is pulling strings, forcing outcomes, and building leverage.

🥋 ASUKA VS. RHEA RIPLEY
⭐️⭐️⭐️½

This match was simple storytelling done right.

Rhea wanted to do it alone. She told IYO SKY to stay back. But when Kairi Sane started interfering, IYO could not just stand there. IYO hit the ring, got clipped for it, and Rhea’s compassion became the opening.

Asuka took advantage, stole the win, and walked away with exactly what she needed: momentum and heat without Rhea being damaged.

Rhea did not lose because she is weak. She lost because she cared. That is good character work, and it keeps this rivalry layered going into the new year.

🎙️ BECKY LYNCH AND MAXXINE DUPRI: CHRISTMAS DRAMA, WWE EDITION
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Becky Lynch came out acting like the holidays personally disrespected her legacy. She complained, threatened power, talked like she was about to call corporate, and honestly, it fit the season. Every family gathering has somebody like that.

Maxxine Dupri held her own, and that matters more than the segment itself. She did not sound like a rookie champion. She sounded like someone who believes she belongs.

Then it got physical.

Becky tried to take the title moment. Maxxine trapped her. Becky tapped in the ring. That visual is massive for a champion still building credibility. It also keeps Becky dangerous, because now she is leaving embarrassed and angry.

That is the best version of this feud.

🚀 JE’VON EVANS VS. RAYO AMERICANO
⭐️⭐️⭐️½

This was a showcase match disguised as a regular TV bout.

Evans did what he always does: wrestle like gravity is optional. But the key detail is he also showed he can slow down and work in tighter, more grounded stretches. That is the difference between a highlight reel and someone who can carry main roster stories for years.

The “free agent” tease adds intrigue. WWE is basically telling you they see Evans as a bigger piece than just an NXT cameo.

If they stick the landing, this kid is going to be a problem in 2026.

👑 BAYLEY VS. ROXANNE PEREZ: JUDGMENT DAY FRAGILITY
⭐️⭐️⭐️¼

Solid match, messy orbit, and that is the point.

Bayley played veteran survival. Roxanne played frustrated ambition. The ringside chaos turned it into a story about dysfunction more than anything else. Judgment Day is not aligned, not synced, and not stable.

Bayley winning was the right call. But the real takeaway is this: someone in that group is about to get left behind, and WWE is building toward it slowly.

🎅 GUNTHER AND CM PUNK: THE GRINCH TOUR CONTINUES
⭐️⭐️⭐️

GUNTHER is wearing the post Cena heat like a designer coat.

He walked out smiling through boos and acting like he enjoyed ruining Christmas for everybody. Punk stepping to him was short, sharp, and effective. GUNTHER doing the Cena gesture while laughing on the way out was petty villain perfection.

This was not a match. It was a mood.

Then AJ Styles crossing paths with GUNTHER backstage added a little extra tease. That feels like a future collision WWE is actively planting.

🔥 MAIN EVENT: AUSTIN THEORY AND BRONSON REED VS. CM PUNK AND REY MYSTERIO
⭐️⭐️⭐️½

This main event did its job.

Theory looked useful instead of carried. Reed looked like a bulldozer. Rey brought the speed and sympathy. Punk brought the structure and the fire.

Theory scoring the pin on Rey was the whole point. It is the “audition passed” stamp, at least for one night.

Then the real ending.

Bron Breakker hit the ring and put Punk down again, because that is his role right now: the monster who will not stop hunting until he takes the title.

If WWE wants Breakker to be a 2026 centerpiece, this is exactly how you book it.

🏆 THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT
🥇 Austin Theory
🥈 Bron Breakker
🥉 Maxxine Dupri

✅ FINAL THOUGHTS

This was a holiday RAW. It was taped, slightly subdued, and more interested in setup than payoff.

But it still mattered.

Theory’s motivation finally makes sense. The women’s division got real time and real progression. GUNTHER stayed hateable. Breakker stayed dangerous. The board is set for the next two weeks.

Not every episode needs to feel like fireworks. Sometimes it just needs to feel like the last gift placed under the tree before everyone goes to sleep.

This is our last edition until after Christmas. Enjoy the holidays, enjoy the reset, and we will be back right after with the next wave of chaos.

Score: 7.25 / 10

That is it.

Be Good People🤘
mr.teshk

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