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Austin Theory is the current Mr. Money in the Bank. He captured the briefcase in July this year. The very same night, he lost the United States Championship to Bobby Lashley.
Many believed that the 25-year-old dropped the title and then won the briefcase so he could be slotted into a main event spot.
Unfortunately for A-Town's Finest, the push hasn't quite come as expected. Since winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, Theory has lost time and time again. In fact, he's only won two recorded matches since July 2022.
Only one of those two wins took place on television. The vast majority of his losses came after Vince McMahon stepped down as WWE Chairman in July.
The reception to Theory's win-loss record has been mixed. Those who aren't fond of the superstar are happy to see him regularly lose or get beat up. Meanwhile, fans of his are more critical of his constant losses. Why is he losing so often? What could be the reasoning behind it?
Below are five reasons why Austin Theory is losing so much after Vince McMahon retired as WWE Chairman.
#5. Austin Theory may be losing often as a subliminal message to fans
It was over two months ago that Vince McMahon shockingly retired from his role as WWE Chairman & CEO. While many fans were sad to see someone they grew up watching leave, others were excited about a change in direction for the promotion.
Several fans and wrestlers have grown dissatisfied with the product World Wrestling Entertainment has been offering in recent years. There was also resentment stemming from mass releases and the treatment of superstars.
Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and the management as a whole are aware of the criticisms fans, industry insiders, and wrestlers have had of the company. The regular beating of Austin Theory may be a subliminal message that the way Vince McMahon did business, both behind the scenes and in terms of the television product, is a thing of the past.
#4. Theory may have been pushed too soon
Austin Theory had quite the push on Monday Night RAW throughout the first half or so of 2022. He was paired up with Vince McMahon on-screen. He won the United States Championship and later the Money in the Bank ladder match which guaranteed him a world title match.
With a future world title match looming and a teasing feud with John Cena, Theory was seemingly being propelled to the top of the card. While some fans were behind his push, there were some who believed that it was too much too soon.
If WWE management is also of the belief that he was pushed too quickly, they may be having him lose to slow down his momentum a little bit. In doing so, it allows for the 25-year-old to further develop as a performer and potentially enhance a relationship with the audience before his push resumes.
#3. Theory may be losing so often as revenge for WWE's past treatment of NXT and Triple H-led initiatives
From the outside looking in, it often appeared as if WWE management resented NXT. When popular acts from the black-and-gold brand were called up to the main roster, they were often changed or even buried.
When Triple H had to take time away due to his serious heart condition, NXT was changed completely. Bron Breakker even symbolically destroyed the old logo. Many took these changes as a slight against Triple H and his vision. Kevin Nash even spoke out about what happened on his Kliq This podcast:
"Look at the guys; you know the people that he has kind of hand-picked and pushed up on the WWE product," said Kevin Nash. "And on RAW, every time one of them went up there, it was just like, 'how quickly can we dismantle what got him over and f*** this dude up?' Like, I just, you know, it was almost like when he got sick, when he had the heart episode, they couldn't f***ing get down there and dismantle what he had built in NXT quick enough. I thought that was f***ed up, man."
While it may seem unlikely, there's a chance that the booking of Austin Theory is a measure of revenge. There's no denying that Theory was a personal project of Vince McMahon's. This could be Triple H and the company's way of destroying his project as he destroyed theirs.
#2. WWE may no longer see star potential in Theory
The reality of regime changes in professional wrestling is that what one booker or head of creative sees in a talent may not necessarily reflect the tastes of another. For example, Vince McMahon obviously saw great potential in Theory, but it's possible that Triple H doesn't see him in the same light.
It can be argued that Triple H was the one who hired the former United States Champion and regularly featured him on NXT, so he must see his talents. The counterpoint to that argument is that there may have been belief in his potential, but not necessarily belief in what he's become.
While Austin Theory is clearly a very talented performer, WWE may have expected more out of him or they simply believe other stars currently offer more to the product than he does.
#1. The plan may be to rebuild him
The reality is that more than one of the reasons on this list may apply. For example, WWE may believe that Theory was pushed too soon or that the young superstar isn't quite ready for the spotlight. If that's the case, there may be a plan behind his defeats.
World Wrestling Entertainment and Triple H's creative team may be tearing the former United States Champion down in order to rebuild him in their vision. The previous regime pushed Austin in a manner, but the new regime may want to do something else with him.
If that's the case, there's a chance Austin Theory will still eventually be pushed up the card. Given that he has the Money in the Bank contract for another nine months, there's plenty of time to potentially heat his character back up.
A-Town's Finest hasn't had the best of luck ever since capturing the Money in the Bank briefcase. Still, there's always a chance that his booking could turn things around. For now, fans will have to sit back and see where his career goes from here.
Would you like to see Austin Theory win more regularly on WWE programming? Give your thoughts in the comments section below.
