Major WWE Superstar only appeared on SmackDown to avoid a hefty fine
This week's episode of WWE SmackDown saw Austin Theory and Grayson Waller reluctantly take on Kevin Owens and a partner of his choice in a tag team match. The bout was announced after Owens defeated both men in a Triple Threat contest. It now seems that the only reason Waller turned up for the show was to avoid a fine from general manager Nick Aldis.
The former WWE Tag Team Champion recently took to Instagram, where he made it clear that he showed up on SmackDown only to avoid a fine.
"I'm just here so I won't get fined," Waller wrote in the caption of his photo.
Interestingly, it seems that several stars either agree with Waller or like the car in the picture since Natalya, Carmelo Hayes, and Sheamus have all liked his update.
Waller probably wishes he had stayed home and taken the fine since he and Theory were quickly defeated by Owens and the returning Randy Orton. The Viper was widely expected to be KO's mystery partner when the match was first announced.
Nick Aldis likes to hand out fines on WWE SmackDown
Nick Aldis arguably runs WWE SmackDown a lot harsher than Adam Pearce manages RAW, with superstars always being punished for their errors. Many of the biggest names on the brand, including Kevin Owens and Randy Orton, have been fined by Aldis over the past year, and it seems that Waller knew what would happen if he didn't turn up for the scheduled match.
Of course, Waller would have known that it was already a loss since he and Theory lost to Owens in a Triple Threat match just a week earlier when they were not forced to tag in.
KO seemingly didn't need a partner this week, as he had already proved he could defeat both men if this had become a handicap match instead. There has been some tension between Waller and Theory, though, so this could all be building to the big betrayal.