Is Austin Theory better off in WWE without Vince McMahon?

Modified Nov 17, 2022 18:50 GMT

WWE Superstar Austin Theory and former Chairman Vince McMahon

The current WWE product under Triple H is well-received by fans, but one superstar who may not relate to the positive changes is Vince McMahon's former protege Austin Theory. However, it looks like the 'bad things' occurring in his run at the moment are just to set him up for a better run later on.

The relationship between Theory and Vince McMahon began in 2021 when the latter granted the young star a WWE Championship match against Big E. Vince aided Theory to have a spot in this year's Royal Rumble and the two even had a WrestleMania moment together.

Austin gained more than just title opportunities following this. Before Vince McMahon's retirement, his protege captured the United States Championship and became the youngest Mr. Money in the Bank winner.

However, things started to change for the 25-year-old after Vince stepped down. In one of his first segments after McMahon's exit, Roman Reigns immediately acknowledged that "daddy's gone" before laying Theory out. The latter also experienced a period of time where he was unable to win matches, was attacked by superstars left and right, and then lost the MITB contract after a failed cash-in.

While it may seem like Austin Theory's future in WWE is bleak, that may not be the case. In a way, it seems just a process of modifying Austin's current character since it wasn't built on stable ground.

Before becoming Vince McMahon's protege, the former NXT star showcased that he has the ability to become a well-rounded athlete. However, he was immediately placed in a top position without showcasing his full skills, and his association with the former Chairman didn't help him with the fans.

Austin Theory's current run in WWE is a way to rebuild his character, remove Vince McMahon's influence and allow the superstar's character to come out. The process might be unclear at the moment, but it's evident that Austin's character is better without McMahon since he is now gaining a more solid base.

Triple H reportedly has big plans for Austin Theory in WWE

The Game might be starting the process of building the former US Champion's character back up, and he's going to do so with the help of a top star.

According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the selfie gimmick will be abandoned, and WWE is setting Austin up with a feud against Seth Rollins.

"The show is all about making Austin Theory dump in the selfie thing which quite frankly, if you’re gonna make him a top guy, you needed to dump it. That was very much the second-match guy gimmick anyway. So they’re dumping that and trying to get him to be more of a vicious guy and put him in there. He lost to Seth last week, but they’re gonna go with the big Seth Rollins and Austin Theory feud, it looks like. Maybe even on the pay-per-view."