Austin Theory shares his mindset surrounding his feud with John Cena.
Theory, the reigning WWE United States Champion, has often been compared to the former WWE Champion. Since he returned to the main roster in 2021, Theory has often been featured in the spotlight, as he was Vince McMahon's on-screen protege for several months. Even in the aftermath of McMahon's retirement, Theory has remained a prominent member of the Raw roster.
Given his star quality and his previous comments about how much Cena meant to him, the two have continued to be linked together. They also had a brief on-screen interaction in 2022 when Cena appeared on the June 27 episode of WWE Raw. Cena was set to return to WWE on the March 6 episode of WWE Raw, and Theory had made it clear that he intended to give the former world champion a "warm welcome" at the show.
Speaking with Kevin Kellam for WrestleBinge by Sportskeeda prior to the March 6 episode of WWE Raw, Theory commented on his budding feud with Cena. He responded to being called the John Cena of this generation by emphasizing that he's the one and only Austin Theory. The WWE United States Champion then stated that he first won the title at the age of 24, so he believes he's going to excel beyond Cena's rate of success.
“I am not the John Cena of this generation. I am the Austin Theory. That’s all there is. John Cena, you can put me in that category if you want, but it’s probably because I’m excelling at such a fast rate, and people can see it, but I’m certainly gonna excel past that. I’m 25. How many championships did John Cena have at 24? I was the United States Champion at 24. He didn’t have any. So just putting that into perspective. There’s only one Austin Theory," Theory said.
When asked why he has been targeting the 16-time world champion, Theory pointed out that everyone loves bringing the old legends back, so he thought it was a fitting approach to set his sights on Cena, who had been the face of the company for many years. He then stated that there's no bigger mountain than Cena, as everyone knows who he is.
“It’s almost like nobody gets the message here. Everybody loves relating to the past. Everybody loves bringing back the old legends. They love bringing them back, letting them live their glory days. That’s what it’s all about, and it’s not. It’s not about that. So why not point out the guy that literally has carried the WWE well over a decade, somebody that, even if you don’t watch WWE, you know who John Cena is. Even before the Hollywood, you knew who he was. There’s no bigger mountain than John Cena, and that’s exactly why I need to pay my respects to him on Monday, and that’s what I’m gonna do," Theory said.
Theory confronted Cena on the March 6 episode of WWE Raw, and after the veteran sent him an intense message, Cena accepted the young star's challenge to a match at WrestleMania 39. More information is available here.
Cena previously praised Theory. Click here to see what he had to say.
Catch up on our coverage of the March 6 episode of WWE Raw here.
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