'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABkAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABggQAAEEAQMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAAQMEIQUGMgcIEzNhAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACBBEBAAIBBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDEQAEITETQYH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMx9HrAz73qyFE0nhpWAJpjOZiGTD8nw/wBVNq/bfUl1W8YbhkjErUziDVOLOT49iIjceEWK5ZYyq8fdVy3Fm6RsjWcdQrhWejqAa//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A well-known trait of Vince McMahon's whilst he was in charge of WWE's creative department was his desire to constantly remove first names from many of his performers. Austin Theory is one such superstar whose name has flip-flopped over the past year.
In April last year, the 25-year-old's name was altered to simply Theory, with many fans confused by the small decision as it did not make an overall difference to the young star's character.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, the current United States Champion revealed how he found out that his WWE name was going to be changed by Vince.
"I remember the writer bringing my promo and the promo said, 'Don't call me Austin. It's just Theory'. I was like, 'What? The name is gone?'. I was wondering why. I spoke with Mr. McMahon about it, and he felt that, you know, Theory could be a name that stood alone. He felt it had enough power behind it. Also, I think he just wanted to get away from that comparison of Stone Cold because we just did the WrestleMania stuff. So I think maybe out of circumstance, that's maybe why it happened." H/T (Wrestling News)
Check out the full interview below:
Following Vince's departure from the company in July last year, the RAW star was given his full name back after Triple H took over as the creative.
Austin Theory is ready for his biggest WWE match
On either April 1st or 2nd at WrestleMania 39, the young WWE star is set to take on one of the company's most iconic performers in the form of John Cena.
During the same conversation with Chris Van Vliet, Austin Theory stated that the 16-time World Champion is out of his mind if he thinks he will beat the US Champ on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
"If John Cena thinks he is, he's out of his damn mind because after WrestleMania 39, I'm gonna go to my show Monday Night RAW and John Cena's gonna go back to his little set, put on his skirt, put on his heels, and go about his day," he said. [17:33 - 17:55] H/T (Sportskeeda)
In what will be a clash of generations, John Cena will look to become a 6-time WWE United States Champion when he faces Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39.
Who will walk out of WrestleMania 39 as the United States Champion? Send us your predictions in the comments section below.
