Austin Theory is the reigning WWE United States Champion, and since his failed cash in for the title in November, has developed a mean streak that has taken him to new heights.
Theory has been a featured player on WWE television for over a year now, dating back to the winter of 2021 when he stole the Golden Egg and became aligned with Vince McMahon. He won the WWE Money in the Bank briefcase, and though he didn't cash in successfully on any title, has remained a consistent presence on TV.
Speaking to ESPN, Triple H commented on Theory's potential.
"It's a nuanced feeling... once you see this guy's a great athlete, I'm looking for their personality, their charisma," Triple H said. "Austin Theory has it, and then some. Do I think he has all the potential to be one of the biggest stars in the business? Absolutely. What determines that? A lot of that is up to him now. You give him little bits of things here and there and he's improving his game and he's smart. He listens to the crowd, he listens to the people. He sees all the stuff that's going on, and he adapts his game on a regular basis."
One of Triple H's first orders of business was to add the "Austin" back to Theory's name after it was taken away as part of Vince McMahon's habit of shortening names.
Triple H said about the change, "It's a little bit hard to just refer to him as Theory, and even to me, it was a little awkward when he was announced, like 'Theory!' It's weird. Is that Stone Cold Steve Austin coming in? Is it confusing for fans? I'm of the opinion that if you don't know the difference between Austin Theory and Stone Cold Steve Austin, there's already a problem, right? So, we're fixing the wrong end of the problem."
Theory headlined WWE Raw XXX on Monday, defeating Bobby Lashley with some help from Brock Lesnar.
Though he is the reigning WWE United States Champion, he has officially declared for the WWE Royal Rumble. Fans can find the list of updated Rumble entrants by clicking here.
