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Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell recently spoke about Austin Theory's run as the United States Champion.
Theory had built a lot of momentum heading into a dream match at WrestleMania 39 against John Cena. He managed to beat the 16-time world champion at the Show of Shows. However, his push fizzled out. The US Champion has not defended his title in a premium live event since then and does not have a match at SummerSlam either.
This week on Smack Talk, Mantell expressed concern about Theory's booking as the United States Champion. He claimed that the 26-year-old star felt stagnant despite being a prominent feature on the blue brand. He claimed the creative team needs to make some changes before fans lose interest in the young star.
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"He's missing the mark somewhere. He's not landing and I can't quite pinpoint it either. There's just something missing and they gotta start looking for it. So let's hope they find it. They gave him a little bit of a change, five-six weeks ago. He came out, he changed his appearance and his outlook. He sitting there and he's idling. He's not raising the edge and he's not doing anything. He's just sitting there. We'll see what they do, that's up to them. I don't know what to do with him." [55:37 - 56:25]
You can watch the full video here:
You can catch the full results of SmackDown here.
Austin Theory will face Santos Escobar next week
It will be a true test of grit for Austin Theory as he defends the United States Championship against LWO member Santos Escobar next week on SmackDown.
This week, Theory was in action in a non-title match against the up-and-coming Cameron Grimes. After some initial onslaught from Grimes, Theory planted his adversary with the A-Town Down for the win.
Theory didn't have much time to celebrate as Escobar planted him after the bout, sending a strong message ahead of their title clash next week.
Do you agree with Dutch Mantell's opinion on Austin Theory? Let us know in the comments section below.
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