Austin Theory's losing streak: Ranking his last 8 WWE matches
Former WWE United States Champion and current Mr. Money in the Bank Austin Theory has had a bad couple of months.
Austin has yet to win a match - singles or otherwise - since August 21st. How long ago was that? Well, let's just say he was still simply being called "Theory" at the time. That's 16 matches in a row, including non-televised live events.
The non-televised live events aren't too much of a concern. Unless a title change or a major return happens, WWE rarely acknowledges that they even happened. The matches on TV (or the Premium Live Events) are the ones we'll concern ourselves with. Counting two dark matches the week of September 12th, Theory has lost eight matches in a row.
That's surprising considering how heavily he was pushed as the future of the company. Is there a reason for this, or is it just the way things have panned out?
Well, we don't claim to have an answer to that, but we can look at these matches and try and see what everything is leading up to.
Let's start with the earliest bout on the list.
#8. WWE Clash at the Castle - 9/3/22
WWE's first major stadium show in the UK in decades had the former United States Champ featuring in the six-man tag team action. Teaming with Alpha Academy's Chad Gable and Otis, the trio faced off against the team of Madcap Moss and the Street Profits (which would also make a good band name).
As far as Theory is concerned, there's not much to read into this. The match was held during the pre-show, so it was more to hype the crowd than to make any storyline progress. In the end, Gable was pinned by Montez Ford, keeping Theory still looking pretty solid.
That is, until he attempted to cash in his briefcase during the main event and got knocked out by Tyson Fury.
#7. Monday Night Raw - 9/3/22 - Austin Theory vs Kevin Owens
It's bad enough when you have to compete in a high-impact tag team bout on a major show, then hop on an international flight to wrestle on Raw a couple of days later. It's even worse when you have to face off against a Kevin Owens who didn't go to Wales.
To the credit of both men, they put on a banger of a match. In what was the longest bout of the night, Theory and Owens went over 15 minutes in a fight that Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave 3 1/2 stars. Owens picked up the win (obviously), but Austin still came out looking good.
#6 & #5 - 9/12 & 9/16/22 - Austin Theory vs Bobby Lashley
While Theory didn't have any televised matches the following week, it didn't mean he was out of action. On both Raw and SmackDown that week, Mr. Money in the Bank took on United States Champion Bobby Lashley in title matches to close out both shows for the live audience.
Clearly, he didn't pick up the victory in either of them. However, for the live crowd, these matches were essentially the main event for their respective shows. While post-show dark matches are a way to send folks home, it was also a chance for WWE to see how Theory would perform in a Main Event-position bout.
#4. Raw - 9/19/22 - Austin Theory vs Kevin Owens
Another Raw for Austin Theory, another pinfall loss to Kevin Owens.
Much like their previous match, the two had around 15 minutes to perform. While Austin took the L here, it was mostly due to Johnny Gargano distracting him from ringside.
The two have been at each other's throats ever since Gargano's return. With the inevitable match between the two just weeks away, it was a loss Theory could afford to take.
#3. and #2. SmackDown - 9/30/22 vs Drew McIntyre & 6-man tag match
The main event of the final SmackDown on September featured Austin teaming up with his old pals, the Alpha Academy. Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano stood on the other side of the ring, joined by Drew McIntyre.
Unfortunately for Austin, nothing seemed to go his way that night. The six-man tag match was as result of the DQ finish of an Austin vs McIntyre singles match. When Alpha Academy came to the ring to help beat up the Scottish Warrior, Gargano and Owens came to make the same. Then, it was time to call Teddy Long, because we've got us a tag team match.
Things just got worse for Mr. Money in the Bank after that. First, he took a Claymore Kick to the face and ate the pin. That was followed by a vicious beating with a strap by McIntrye, who was gearing up for his match against Karrion Kross at Extreme Rules.
With no match schedule and no Roman Reigns on the show for him to cash his MITB in, it wouldn't be until Raw where we'd see Theory's latest stumble.
#1. 10/10/22 - Austin Theory vs Johnny Gargano
It would be a shame if that next moment was to be ruined. I guess we’ll just have to see The Way things go. #atowndown twitter.com/JohnnyGargano/…
The opening match to the "Season Premiere" on Monday Night Raw saw Theory and Gargano finally go one-on-one. It was a great match, and Gargano picked up a clean win over his former protege.
So, where the heck does this leave Austin, anyway? As long as he's got that Money in the Bank contract, he'll clearly still be in WWE's bigger plans. His work with Vince McMahon was evidence that the company thinks highly of him. And, Triple H worked with him in NXT, so it wouldn't seem like the recent regime change should change his standing in WWE, either.
Even if you don't count the dark match losses against Lashley, Austin losing six times in a row on TV isn't great. Is it a coincidence how the week-to-week booking has worked out? Or is it intentional? Share your ideas in the comments down below.