Current champion claims John Cena and two other WWE legends 'fell short' against him in title matches

WWE Superstar Austin Theory dismissed his potential challenger and ridiculed John Cena, and two Hall of Famers, in an interview after SmackDown went off the air.

Theory has defended his gold against veterans like John Cena, Edge, and Rey Mysterio. His wins over the aforementioned legendary wrestlers have prompted the champion to stay confident in the face of a new challenge on the blue brand.

This week on SmackDown, WWE booked the first of two Fatal-Four-Way matches to kickstart the United States Championship Invitational. This bout saw AJ Styles, Butch, Santos Escobar, and Grayson Waller lock horns in a grueling encounter.

In the end, Escobar emerged victorious to advance in the tournament, but Theory refused to acknowledge the LWO member as a threat. In a backstage interview, Theory dismissed Santos' "big win" and claimed the latter's dream would be crushed.

"Well, you said he is one step closer. But there are a lot of steps he has got to take to make it to the top. I am sitting there, you know, nice and warm with this right here, the United States Championship. And sure, Escobar has big dreams, but what do I do? I just crush everybody’s dreams," said Theory.

Theory then noted how he had defeated John Cena, Rey Mysterio, and Edge, among other big names to retain the United States Championship. The 25-year-old continued:

"And next week, someone else is going to win a Fatal 4-way, and that person is gonna face Escobar, and the winner get the [title] shot. Wow, just imagine how their life could change, how great it could be, but you know what’s going to happen? The same thing that always happens. The same thing happened to Rey Mysterio, Edge, and John Cena, they all fall short. And me? I stay at the damn top." [From 0:15 - 0:58]

You can watch Austin Theory's full interview below:

WWE confirms huge Fatal 4-Way match for WWE SmackDown next week

Escobar will face the winner of a massive Fatal Four-Way Match booked for next week's SmackDown. This bout will feature Rey Mysterio, Sheamus, Cameron Grimes, and the fans' top pick for the winner, LA Knight.

It will be interesting if the bout ends with Rey Mysterio picking up a win to set up the final match between two LWO members.

The winner will challenge Austin Theory for the United States Championship, potentially at WWE SummerSlam. The latter has received a lot of criticism for his current title reign and will hope to turn things around with an intense title feud on SmackDown.

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