Austin Theory has finally lost the United States Title.
On the July 28th episode of SmackDown, Santos Escobar became the number one contender for the United States Championship after defeating Rey Mysterio in the finals of a tournament. The win came after Mysterio suffered a real-life injury during the match, although it was reported that Escobar was always set to win.
Fast forward to August 11th and Escobar was due to have his match with Theory, but the champion had other plans. Theory attacked the LWO star backstage, but he was cleared to wrestle after having his knee assessed by doctors. Later on, Theory attacked Escobar again as he made his entrance, but Adam Pearce announced that Theory wouldn’t be getting out of defending his title, and would be wrestling Rey Mysterio.
Mysterio hit two 619s and pinned Theory in just under three minutes. The defeat ended Theory’s run with the gold at 258 days, the star won the championship back at Survivor Series 2022.
What Happened Between Austin Theory and John Cena After WrestleMania?
The most high-profile match of Theory’s United States Title reign came against John Cena at WrestleMania 39. In the lead-up to the match, Cena brutally put down Theory in a promo on Raw where he said the star wasn’t up to his level and the fans didn’t believe in him. Cena even reiterated these comments in an interview after their match.
However, it seems there are no serious issues between the pair. Austin Theory recently revealed that Cena had told him to enjoy the moment, and praised his work.