Theory now has the “Austin” back in his name as an on-screen WWE character.
With Triple H now at the helm of WWE creative, a lot of changes have been made to the on-screen product. One being the old Vince McMahon rule of having one name, and stars not being able to use their names from the indies, nixed.
Upon joining the main roster in 2021, Theory debuted under the name Austin Theory that he used in NXT. However, several months later, the “Austin” was dropped from his name, and he simply was known as “Theory.”
With Triple H now nixing the one name rule, the ex-United States Champion now has the “Austin” back in his name. Speaking to SHAK Wrestling, Mr. Money In The Bank offered his thoughts on the new name change.
“I love Theory. To me, Austin was always the throw-on, my first name. Theory is what I created in the backyard as a kid. I love it. Theory. It’s all we need.”
(via WWE)
Since joining the main roster, Theory has become one of the most promising young stars WWE has to offer. He already has a United States Title reign under his belt, and is currently the Money In The Bank briefcase holder.
In fact, he’s often received many comparisons to the likes of John Cena, someone the former NXT star has admittedly molded his career after. He even believes the pair will share the ring together at WrestleMania 39 next year.
Austin Theory is “”pretty confident” he’ll get to face off against John Cena at WrestleMania 39 next year.
Theory was recently interviewed by CBS Sports, where he discussed the comparisons he’s received to Cena in recent years.
The former United States Champion and current Money In The Bank briefcase holder admitted to modeling his career after the 16-time World Champion.
“It’s so weird to meet somebody and pretty much have to explain to them, ‘I modeled my whole life after you.’ It’s one of those things as a kid getting bullied, my dad not being in my life a lot. Cena, I could watch him and just escape.
“It was the connection to his personality,” Theory said. “And that’s something I learned from him. He told me, ‘Don’t ever think people go out there and want people to connect to their performance.
“Nobody will connect to your performance unless they connect to your personality.’ I started thinking, even with that process through NXT to finally being drafted to Raw officially, it was a time to figure stuff out. How can I connect to them with my personality?
“This is a world in WWE where everybody can kill it in the ring. Everyone can go hard in the ring. So what’s going to set you aside from killing it in the ring? I learned that from him.”
With the comparisons between Cena and Theory running so rampant, there have been rumors about a potential match between the pair. Things really seemed likely for this past SummerSlam, however, that didn’t pan out.
Now, many speculate that the match could take place at “The Showcase Of The Immortals,” WrestleMania 39. Next year’s WrestleMania goes down from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. It will be a special two-night event on both April 1 and April 2.
“To have that moment with him, the person that — I had to put in my own work — but somebody that got me to the dance mentally, it takes the words out of my mouth to think of that actually happening,” Theory said.
Earlier this year, WWE implemented a rule that resulted in several Superstars having their names changed.
The rule was that Superstars would no longer be allowed to use any part of their real name on WWE TV, which could be later used outside of the company if they left or were released.
This led to several Superstars who used their real names being changed including WALTER (Walter Hahn) to Gunther, Tommaso Ciampa (Tommaso Whitney) to just Ciampa and Pete Dunne (Peter England) to Butch.
Not Just a Theory
One Superstar who had their name changed was Austin Theory, whose name was shortened to just Theory.
Theory’s real name is Austin White, and on WWE TV, it was explained that he wanted nothing to do with the ‘Austin’ name.
This came shortly after WWE WrestleMania 38, where both Theory and his mentor Mr. McMahon received stunners by ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.
Now, Theory may be getting his first name back, as CageSideSeats reports that Theory was advertised under his full name for this weekend’s live events.
On Instagram, Theory’s handle also uses his full moniker and can be followed at ‘austin_theory.’
Doing Away with the Rule
It’s unclear if Theory will receive his first name back or not, but there have been changes made.
During the taping for the episode of SmackDown that’ll air this Friday, Butch competed against Ludwig Kaiser, but worked in his Pete Dunne-era ‘Bruiserweight’ attire.
Recently, Angel teased bringing back the Angel Garza name, while his tag-team partner Humberto is rumored to be returning to being Humberto Carrillo.
Theory topped Mustafa Ali at the WWE Premium Event in Chicago, retaining his United States Title. Hours after the match, Cena took to his Instagram to share a photo of a boot stepping on the United States Title he himself once held during his rise to superstardom.
Check it out here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CedXjwiteGs/
The United States Championship was the first major singles title John Cena ever won in his WWE run. He truly turned the title into something important, and has one of the most memorable runs with the title in history.
Eventually, he’d go on to top JBL for the WWE Title soon after, beginning his reign as WWE’s poster-boy for the next decade-and-a-half. Many have compared Theory to Cena, seeing lots of similarities between the two.
There has been a lot of speculation about a potential match between Theory and Cena at SummerSlam this year, and Cena’s latest Instagram post only adds fuel to that fire.
Theory certainly seems to be favored backstage. He’s been paired up as the storyline favorite of Vince McMahon himself. He also had a segment with WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38.
Should Theory get the nod to work with Cena at SummerSlam, it should all but confirm that the company has very big hopes and plans for the 24-year-old moving forward.
The Get to Know Series looks at The Jobber Tears Podcast. The podcast is having great success, with all three hosts making strides in the professional wrestling business. The group will also hold its second live wrestling event called JobberSlam this Summer.
A strong work ethic and consistency can be crucial to a successful content creator. The wrestling podcast business has grown in recent years, with independent content creators getting opportunities in the wrestling business. In the case of The Jobbers Tears Podcast, they’ve grown to be one of the most popular wrestling creators amongst wrestling fans and talent.
Their success didn’t happen overnight, as they had to work hard to produce content consistently. However, it has earned them the ability to commentate on wrestling and helped them gain opportunities in the wrestling industry.
I recently had the chance to speak with the group. Here’s the video of our discussion, followed by written highlights.
How Did The Jobber Podcast Begin?
The road to becoming a popular podcast didn’t start well for The Jobbers Tears Podcast. It began in 2017 with Wilkins “Sir Wilkins” Petit-Frere and Janelle “Janella From The HR” Garcia from HR as the wrestling debators, with another individual acting as a moderator. The original podcast called Yep, I Got a Podcast only lasted a few episodes before the moderator went on vacation, leaving Sir Wilkins and Janelle from HR to find another member. Sir Wilkins’s brother Yardley “Mr. Blacc” Petit-Frere replaced the moderator, and the group began to find their stride.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CO264AFrgAK/
Unfortunately, the moderator returned and had creative differences, which resulted in the individual erasing the first six episodes from streaming platforms.
“…In general, he deleted all the episodes, got rid of them, whatever. So I asked my brother, would you want to do a podcast with me. I still wanted to continue it because I knew it was something there, said Sir Wilkins. Along with their ex cameraman, the group got together at a bar to figure out the new name of the podcast. “…We literally sat there, and then we googled names. Ironically, all of them were taken. Anything that was like somewhat wrestling related it was taken,” said Sir Wikins. He continued, “So then we went with Jobber and then we have this friend named Larry, who we are cool with, who used to always troll on sports websites. I got a cup of tears of Giants fans or I got a cup of tears of like Knicks fans stuff like that. So then Janelle was maybe like tears and then we were like Jobber Tears!”
The Jobbers Tears Podcast officially started on Jan. 11, 2018.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWlvq6APw1A/
Spotlighting The Independent Wrestling Scene
Once the podcast officially started, the group began to think of ways to differentiate themselves from most wrestling content creators. Instead of focusing on popular wrestling companies like WWE, they also spotlighted the indie wrestling community. They networked with talent by interviewing independent wrestlers and going to events and rose in popularity.
“…We had these built with certain people because we met them through the independent scene or we spoke to them. One of my first interviews was Austin Theory,” said Sir Wilkins. He shared that signed talents like Theory and Carmelo Hayes know them because they networked with them before WWE. The podcasts have numerous high-profile interviews, including Shad Gaspard, Tasha Steelz, Nick Aldis, and Thunder Rosa.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdD3uq4glyQ/
The group also became more involved in the professional wrestling business by getting into independent wrestling. They better understand the decision-making behind wrestling, which Janelle from HR believes sets them apart from other podcasts.
“…As we progressed with the podcast, we’ve also been understanding to the business side of wrestling, which I think a lot of podcasts and it’s not a shade or anything or a shot to anybody, but a lot of podcasts don’t do, because they are in that fan realm,” said Janelle from HR.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CcmBTtQOx52/
What’s Next For The Jobber Tears Podcast?
Although the podcast has reached success, the group is getting more involved in professional wrestling both together and individually. Mr. Blacc is training to become a referee and is working on a lifestyle project with The Dirty Heelz Podcast called The Sped Ed Kids Podcast. Sir Wilkins is preparing to have his first wrestling match and is working for Complex alongside Church of Joshi’s Alex Lajas for Complex Unsanctioned on Spotify. Janelle from HR has become part owner of Battle Club Pro Wrestling, which has an upcoming event Welcome 2 War on Jun. 19.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd4baPlukS0/
The group is preparing their second live wrestling event under Battle Club Pro Wrestling called Jobberslam for Aug. 20. The event is still in development, and shared that more information will be released later. The Jobber Tears Podcast is also planning their AEW Double or Nothing watch party for fans at Legends Bar in New York, NY, on May. 29.
The Jobber Tears Podcast hopes to have a legacy as great wrestling content creators who also have positively impacted the business. The achievements that they have earned are a reminder that a great work ethic, consistency, and ambition can lead to incredible opportunities.
John Cena says WWE fans have taught him many lessons that they are not even aware of. He says these lessons have helped him shape into a better person.
John Cena said this when he appeared on an episode of Backstage’s In the Envelope where he talked about his acting career. During the interview, he also thanked WWE fans for teaching him a lot of values and said that he can’t wait to let them know.
“There will come a time where I’ll be able to thank the WWE audience for all that they have taught me. That’s not just from a professional standpoint. They made me into the man I am, straight up, especially in lessons like humility and failure, persistence, countless things that they will never understand,” Cena said (as transcribed by Fightful).
“When I hear something from you like, ‘I watched WrestleMania 21’ or Austin Theory, for example, ‘I watched John Cena as a kid and Never Give Up got me through a lot of stuff and that’s why I’m here now.’ I don’t think he realizes what he did for me,” Cena continued. “It’s not just from a profession. I reference WWE in my daily life, it’s something I’m forever grateful for, because it’s made me into the man that I am.”
Austin Theory has said before that John Cena is his inspiration and the reason why he got into wrestling. Theory suffered bullying growing up and Cena’s way of handling himself have him encouragement to push through the harder times. “For me growing up, I was bullied in school, and I didn’t have my dad in my life, so it kind of helped me, like just his attitude and the way he was and the way he carried himself, no matter what the situation was. John Cena just gave me that encouragement, and even if it sounds cheesy, just to never give up. I mean it’s true, and that’s what’s gotten me here so quick,” Theory has said about Cena.
While it’s no secret that WWE is pushing Theory as the next big thing, some reports are claiming that WWE is trying to make him the next Cena. Theory is even teasing a SummerSlam match with his icon.
Theory recently taunted a fan at ringside who was wearing Cena merch and claimed that he is a better United States Champion than Cena was. Cena responded by giving him some advice along with a warning.
Finn Balor’s reign as the WWE United States Champion has come to an end as Austin Theory has become the new champion.
In the third hour of the show, Theory battled Balor in a title match which ended with Theory going over with his finisher. Post-match, several heels came out and lifted up Theory as he celebrated. He later took a selfie with Vince McMahon on the stage.
This is the latest in the push of Theory, who is seen as the next big star by Vince McMahon, who reportedly believes that he can be the next John Cena. Just like Cena, Theory’s first title on the main roster is the United States Title.
At first, Theory lost matches on TV, similar to Cena, but in his case, was sent back to NXT before returning to the main roster in last year’s Draft.
This past February on an edition of Raw, Bálor defeated Damian Priest to win the WWE United States Championship for the first time in his career.
Austin Theory was front and center for Vince McMahon’s horrendous stunner sell with Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38, and knows better than anyone how the locker room reacted once McMahon returned backstage through the curtain.
Speaking to Mark Andrews: My Love Letter to Pro Wrestling, Theory revealed that the locker room, especially the female talents, teased McMahon for the botched stunner once he returned backstage. However, it sounds like the boss took it all in stride and laughed it off.
“It was really cool. When Mr. McMahon walked to the back, everyone was screaming at him,” Theory said (via Fightful). “It was a lot of the female wrestlers, they were screaming at him and messing with him. He was like, ‘Okay, okay.’ It was proud, like being proud of your dad.
“Pat comes through and everyone was proud of what we did out there and everyone enjoyed it. You know it went well when everyone in the back enjoyed it. It was awesome. Even days after and now, hearing so much about it, you know you made that WrestleMania moment, which is really cool to me.”
McMahon was initially sitting ringside for Theory’s match with Pat McAfee, but angrily entered the ring after Austin Theory came up short against the SmackDown Live commentator. After ordering an impromptu match between himself and McAfee, it didn’t take McMahon long to put the ex-NFL punter down for a three-count. After the match, however, Austin hit the ring to give stunners to all three men – Theory, McAfee, and McMahon.
“The Chairman” is no stranger to taking stunners, probably having taken more than anyone over the years given his famed rivalry with Austin throughout the Attitude Era, but this one was one of the worst of all time. While Night Two of WrestleMania didn’t offer the best closing stunner, Night One certainly did.
Austin made his in-ring return after over 19 years, defeating Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match after nailing “KO” with the stunner. His appearance the following night wasn’t advertised, nor expected, but it was a tremendous treat nonetheless.
Austin Theory is not only getting support on-screen but also behind the scenes from Vince McMahon.
During today’s Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez was talking about what the finish might be for the Austin Theory vs. Pat McAfee match at WrestleMania 38. This is where he noted that McMahon sees Theory like John Cena and there’s a reason he is being groomed and always in McMahon’s segments.
Alvarez speculated that maybe he wants to teach Theory about being able to lose, but he presumed Theory is winning at WrestleMania.
Dating back to his time in NXT, there was talk that he would eventually become a top star on the main roster. WWE needs to create top stars. Theory and Bron Breakker could be two names that can carry the company in the future.
In December, Theory stated that Cena has been his inspiration not just in wrestling but in life and modeled his life at a young age on what he saw Cena do on TV. He also has said that his dream match would be to wrestle Cena in Cena’s retirement match
During an interview with TV Insider, Austin Theory discussed what he believes people get wrong about the WWE Chairman.
“For me, there has always been the stigma of Vince McMahon that he is not nice or one-way about stuff. That it’s his way or no way. From what I’ve seen and my experience, he is on another level. All the hats he wears.
“He is so invested in everybody and somehow makes everything work. I think that’s so crazy to see him doing it for that long and staying that sharp. If I have a question or see anybody have a question, and they want to talk to him, they always get an answer. They always get a conversation.
“I think that is so cool to really see the passion he still has for what he does. It hasn’t left him at all. For me personally, it is cool to know this man’s a billionaire and still working like he has a grand in his bank account.”
What Austin Theory Learned From Vince
Theory also discussed what he’s been able to learn from Vince McMahon. He claims to have learned “respectful aggressiveness” thanks to Vince’s guidance. Theory says it has allowed him to get ahead as a WWE performer.
“I’m in a position that anyone who aspired to do anything in WWE would be so honored to have. I understand just how big a deal the position I am in is. Just how crazy it is for me as a lifelong fan who grew up watching Mr. McMahon and the crazy things he did.
“It’s cool to be put in a position to perform live television with him. The one thing I’ve learned from him is this respectful aggressiveness. Showing you have that respect, but if you have an idea and are passionate about something, you have to use that aggressiveness to go after it.
“There are little tips as we perform that I take away from for sure.”
Austin Theory will battle SmackDown announcer Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38. It should be an entertaining match, but it’s not what WWE originally had planned.
At one point, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was rumored to be competing against McAfee at the company’s biggest show of the year.
As of last night, Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee was listed as a match on the internal schedule for WrestleMania.
When McMahon was announced as a guest on the Pat McAfee’s Show, it seemed this would be the forum to set up the special attraction. McMahon offered McAfee a chance to compete at WrestleMania, which he accepted. On a subsequent episode of WWE SmackDown, Austin Theory revealed himself to be McAfee’s opponent.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shed some light on how McAfee vs. Theory came to be and what the original plan was for Vince McMahon’s involvement.
Vince McMahon’s Role at WrestleMania 38
“Obviously, from the 2/28 Raw, where Theory talked about McAfee perhaps attacking Vince McMahon and he’ll be there to help McMahon if that happened him on the 3/3 episode of McAfee’s show,” wrote Meltzer. “Then nothing at all transpired and Theory wasn’t even there, indicating a major change in plans.”
WWE sources confirmed there was a significant change from the original plans. While Vince McMahon won’t be wrestling, he’s still slated to be a big part of the match and will help get heat on Austin Theory.
Meltzer added, “What appears to be the idea is that there will be an angle to get McMahon into the match, likely overseeing the match and being at ringside rather than it being a handicap match, although that has been talked of as well.”
Had the Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee match taken place, Austin theory would have been heavily involved and taking all the bumps on McMahon’s behalf.
It’s speculative, but perhaps McMahon soured on the idea because he did not feel it was right to advertise himself in a match while ‘outsourcing’ his bumps to Austin Theory.
WrestleMania 38 takes place over two nights on Saturday, April 2nd and Sunday, April 3rd from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Austin Theory is being positioned as the next big star and he has already gotten to face many big names including The Beast Brock Lesnar himself.
Though there is one name that the protégé of Mr McMahon aspires to face in the future, that is the 16-time world champion John Cena.
Theory revealed this aspiration when asked about his dream opponents during an interview with WWE Deutschland. He claimed that he has been building himself for this match from the start:
“John Cena. Every time, John Cena, you know what, I, I feel personally that I just got to keep building myself and keep climbing that ladder and keep, you know, just impressing.
I felt like I kicked that off when I got drafted to Raw taking out Jeff Hardy.” said Austin Theory, “You know, dealing with Rey Mysterio, Finn Balor, AJ Styles, all these names.”
Apart from this, the former NXT star also talked about working with the boss. He recalled how he was very nervous the first time he found out about it.
Theory claimed that there is no bigger star in WWE than Mr McMahon and when it comes to Mt Rushmore of sports entertainment as a whole, he is the first person on the list. You can check out his interview below:
Tommy Dreamer has some pointers for Austin Theory.
Theory is currently enjoying a push on the WWE main roster. As a member of the Raw brand, he’s been featured in ongoing backstage segments with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
Theory’s segments have drawn strong viewership from younger audiences. WWE management is taking notice, according to the Wrestling Observer. Theory is particularly a hit with teenager viewers, a demographic WWE seeks to attract.
Tommy Dreamer Has Tips For Austin Theory
Tommy Dreamer spoke with Bully Ray during an episode of The Fat n The Furious on Busted Open Radio. During the show, Dreamer explained how Austin Theory can give himself the best chance at making this push last.
“Yes [I’m a fan of Austin Theory]. He is unproven I feel on the main roster. He was doing an excellent job when he first got called up when he was tagging with Andrade with Zelina Vega.
“I thought he was doing very, very good and then he went to NXT, answered the call in NXT, also became very, very entertaining in NXT, showed different sides of him and I hope we can see different sides of him on Monday Night Raw.
“You’re getting an opportunity, don’t blow that opportunity. Literally, do everything the best that you can, and like I said go above and beyond because they’re interested in you right now. That can change but run with it. It will only change if you mess it up.”
At the Survivor Series PPV, WWE did a movie tie-in with Red Notice, starring The Rock. During the PPV, Vince McMahon showcased Cleopatra’s egg valued at $100 million.
The egg went missing but it didn’t take long to find out who took it. It was Theory who was the culprit. Vince ended up giving him a pass, however, and is taking him under his wing.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
The storyline involving Cleopatra’s golden egg worth $100 million advanced on this week’s Raw as Vince McMahon continued looking for the culprit who stole the artifact.
The opening segment of the night saw McMahon threatening to fire Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville if the egg is not found. He also announced that the person to bring him the culprit will get a shot at Big E’s WWE championship.
After several segments of people looking for the egg backstage, Sami Zayn got into Vince McMahon’s office and claimed to know the person who stole the egg.
In a later segment, Zayn called in Austin Theory to the office and Theory walked in with the golden egg. When asked why he did it, Austin said that he just wanted to take a selfie with the egg.
Vince McMahon said that he will drop the charges on the high-flying star. He said that Austin reminds him of himself and that he will now get the announced title shot in the main event of the show.
Sami Zayn protested this call. He ranted about how Vince went back on his word but the boss told Sami to shut up because no one likes a snitch.
The main event saw both Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens coming down to the ringside to watch the WWE championship match between Theory and E.
Rollins interfered in the bout at one point and attacked the injured knee of the WWE champion when the referee was distracted.
However, Owens then got involved as well and he threw the architect in the ring. Rollins confronted Kevin outside and Theory got distracted by this.
The distraction allowed Big E to regain control of the match. He delivered a big ending to Austin Theory to pin him and retain his title.
After the match, he attacked both Rollins and Owens. Rollins ended up getting the big ending too while Kevin Owens retreated. The show ended with Big E standing tall in the ring and Owens ranting on the stage.
Several NXT stars were reported to be backstage for this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw and at least four of them competed during the night, taping matches for the upcoming episode of Main Event.
The first match of the night saw Aliyah facing Dakota Kai in a one-on-one bout. Aliyah ended up picking the victory in this match against Kai.
The second bout which was taped for the show before Raw was between Odyssey Jones and Austin Theory. The heavyweight star managed to defeat Theory in this fight.
Odyssey Jones is competing in the ongoing Breakout Tournament on NXT. He is scheduled to face Trey Baxter in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Theory on the other hand walked out of The Way faction led by Johnny Gargano. The former Raw star has been on a hiatus from the black and yellow brand since then.
Dakota Kai is involved in the feud for the women’s championship in NXT currently. She is expected to challenge the current NXT women’s champion Raquel Gonzalez at NXT Takeover 36.
Aliyah was rumored to be sent to Raw after Mandy Rose was traded to NXT. Though there hasn’t been a solid update in that direction recently.
Austin Theory is missing. There is concern about his well-being. He was last seen walking to the ring with other members of The Way as they accompanied Johnny Gargano for his NXT North American title match against KUSHIDA. It appeared Dexter Lumis rendered him unconscious after placing a towel over his mouth and nose.
Indi Hartwell has been broken up about her brother-figure’s disappearance. She posted the following to Twitter recently.
This photo was taken during a photo shoot before Johnny’s match last night, moments before Austin went missing. I regret fighting with him during the shoot. I wish I could take it back, because now we don’t know if we’ll ever see him again. pic.twitter.com/Z048bTmbRw
Ever since Austin Theory went missing, his Twitter account has begun posting some suspicious content. First, the profile pic associated with the account was changed.
Gargano successfully defended his title against KUSHIDA at TakeOver: Vengeance Day on Sunday. It seems likely that he will eventually have to face Lumis with the title on the line, however. Gargano recently regained the NXT North American title for the 3rd time when he won a triple threat against Leon Ruff and Damian Priest at War Games IV.
Gargano recently spoke about what his remaining goals in NXT are in an interview with Sportskeeda.
“For me, being the underdog ‘Johnny Wrestling’ character, I was always more about the chase than the actual title and holding it and defending it,” Gargano explained. “So now I feel like that’s the one blemish on my legacy is not being able to hold the title, not being able to defend it, not being able to have a run with it. So, I feel like that is the number one goal on my mind right now.”
After making a return to WWE television, Austin Theory is officially a member of the WWE NXT roster once again.
Just this past Wednesday night on an episode of NXT, Theory appeared to do a backstage segment with Bronson Reed on the USA Network. It appears that WWE is setting up a match between Reed and NXT North American Champion Damian Priest on an upcoming NXT episode.
As of Wednesday night, Theory was still listed on the RAW roster, but Pwinsider.com reported on Friday that he has been moved back to the NXT roster.
Thus, Theory is no longer affiliated with Seth Rollins and Murphy in the storylines. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on why Theory has been sent back to NXT.
This marked his first appearance on television since working the RAW episode on June 22nd. Before the disappearance, he had been grouped with Seth Rollins and Murphy.
WWE never gave a reason as to why he was removed from TV, but it was reported earlier this month that WWE had suspended Theory for unknown reasons. However, Rollins did state in a recent interview that it was due to personal issues.
Austin Theory hasn’t been seen on the WWE programming for a while and not a lot of details have been revealed about the former Evolve Champion’s sudden disappearance from the company.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer opened up on the story a bit more recently and he suggested that Theory has some serious accusations against him:
“There’s an allegation against him and then he disappeared. It’s not an injury or anything like that. Is that why? [WWE] may go and say he had a car accident.
I think that Seth Rollins said that – he used some term like ‘personal reason’ and he’ll be back so I presume that it’s a Patrick Clark [Velveteen Dream] type of story.”
WWE seems to be taking things seriously in the case of the former NXT star so if the allegation against Austin Theory are proved then it could even mean the end of his career in the company.
However, Meltzer did not reveal a lot of details on his case so it’s hard to say how serious things are and if there is any chance of the high flying star returning to WWE TV anytime soon. We’ll keep you updated on his status.
Former NXT star Austin Theory hasn’t been seen on WWE programming for a while now and latest updates on the situation suggest that he might be in hot waters with WWE management.
A fan recently asked Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer on why the former Evolve Champion hasn’t been seen on WWE TV recently and replying to the question, Meltzer claimed that he is on an “unannounced suspension”:
Though Meltzer did not confirm the reason for this so it’s hard to say if the former champion has done something to upset the management or if he has beef with any top star instead.
Austin Theory made his wrestling debut in 2016. He made his name working for many independent promotions including his stint with Evolve which led to his WWE signing in August last year.
Theory made his televised debut for the promotion in December. Though he didn’t stay in the development for long. He was called up to the main roster just before WrestleMania 36 and he later joined Seth Rollins’ stable.
However, his name hasn’t been mentioned on WWE programming in recent times and this latest report now puts a question mark over the future of the young star. We will keep you posted on any updates on his status.
WWE has confirmed that NXT star Austin theory will be making his WrestleMania debut this year and competing in the Raw Tag Team Championship match at the show.
The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter provides some details on this change and reveals why the 22-year-old star was chosen to replace Andrade on the event.
According to the report, the decision to put Theory in this bout was made by none other than the Raw Executive Director Paul Heyman, who is responsible for pushing many unused stars in recent times.
Heyman is high on The Raw Tag Team Champions, The Street
Profits and the United States Champion Andrade and it seems the same can be
said for Austin Theory and his partner Angel Garza as well.
For those who don’t know, The US Champion Andrade suffered a rib injury during a Raw episode two weeks ago and he wasn’t cleared to compete at WrestleMania.
Due to his injury, WWE altered the plans for his match at
the Show Of Shows and brought in the NXT star to replace the Mexican wrestler
at the PPV event.
Austin Theory has not wrestled much on NXT TV but he has
been wrestling in the independent circuit since 2016. He held the Evolve
Championship for a while before signing with WWE and has wrestled for companies
such as CMLL in Mexico as well.
Austin Theory will now be teaming up with Angel Garza to challenge the Street Profits for The Raw Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania. You can check out an updated match card for the event here.
Austin Theory has sent waves through NXT since he made his debut in December last year. In this week’s episode of NXT, he took on Tommaso Ciampa and gave him a run for his money but eventually lost the match.
Theory was recently interviewed by ComicBook.com where he was asked about his goals for 2020, which he revealed to be a match against his inspiration, John Cena. Austin said that Cena was the first person that got him into wrestling and he liked his attitude the most. Theory also revealed that he was bullied growing up and Cena’s way of handling himself gave him encouragement to push through the harder times.
“I remember turning on the TV, and the first thing I ever saw was John Cena in the ring doing a segment with Johnny Nitro at the time and Melina. I know that makes everybody’s eyes roll. But I remember watching that, and just his attitude, I just liked it.
“For me growing up, I was bullied in school, and I didn’t have my dad in my life, so it kind of helped me, like just his attitude and the way he was and the way he carried himself, no matter what the situation was. John Cena just gave me that encouragement, and even if it sounds cheesy, just to never give up. I mean it’s true, and that’s what’s gotten me here so quick,” said Theory.
As mentioned before, Austin Theory faced Ciampa and he actually shocked him in the early portions of the match with his upstarting performance. He dominated most of the match and gave an impressive performance despite losing.
Nine prospects have signed with WWE with some notable names that fans will know.
On Wednesday, WWE announced that these signees have reported for training this week at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
The new class of athletes features a former Mae Young Classic star, a Jiu-Jitsu world champion and competitors from the worlds of football and combat sports.
The biggest names are EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory and former Impact Wrestling star Santana Garrett.
Theory appeared sitting in the front row at Saturday’s (August 10, 2019) WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto II event in Toronto, Ontario at the Scotiabank Arena.
Here are some details on the other prospects that are included in the class:
Tehuti Miles – The U.S. Army veteran and former Division I football player attended WWE tryouts in 2017 and 2018. Miles has gained wrestling experience competing on Maryland’s independent circuit.
EJ Nduka – He played professional football for four years, including stints in the CFL, IFL and AFL, and later became a champion bodybuilder.
Aleksandar Jaksic – He has spent the past several years wrestling in Germany under the alias “LX Ken,” and took part in WWE’s tryout in Cologne last November.
Briana Brandy – She has years of ninjutsu and “extreme CrossFit” training under her belt.
Rita Reis – She is a Jiu-Jitsu world champion and a multi-time medalist in both Jiu-Jitsu and judo.
Marcos Gomes – The 260-pounder specializes in Jiu-Jitsu but also trains in boxing and wrestling, and is an instructor in Muay Thai.
Catalina Garcia – She has competed in Chilean promotions 5 Luchas – Clandestino and MAX Lucha Libre, as well as the Santiago-based Revolución Lucha Libre.
PROGRESS has announced that the new EVOLVE Champion will be heading to the UK next year. Austin Theory will be taking part in the March 9th/10th weekender in Birmingham, England. Chapter 85: Progro.Naut will be taking place on Saturday 9th and Chapter 86: Corrupted Harmony on Sunday 10th.
Theory became the new EVOLVE Champion at last weekend’s EVOLVE 117 event. Austin defeated both Fabian Aichner and Roderick Strong to win the belt. Theory pinned Aichner after hitting the Ataxia. after the match Theory took the microphone and declared that “EVOLVE is Theory.” The new champion also fired Priscilla Kelly as his manager. Darby Allin appeared and brawled with Theory until he escaped to the back.
The working relationship between WWE and EVOLVE has long been publicised. WWE’s ties to PROGRESS are also now more in the limelight than ever before, with PROGRESS co-owner Jim Smallman apparently being groomed to run the NXT UK territory. Theory heading over to the UK might well be an opportunity to get him working with NXT UK Superstars and get more seasoning before moving up to NXT in either North American or the United Kingdom.
