"Three-belt Theory" - WWE United States Champion Austin Theory makes bold statement ahead of Royal Rumble (Exclusive)

WWE United States Champion Austin Theory skyrocketed into popularity in early 2022 when he associated with Vince McMahon. Despite harsh criticism, the young superstar remained in the spotlight until Roman Reigns destroyed him in a promo segment on RAW following McMahon's departure from the Stamford-based promotion.

After briefly floundering, Theory is once again the US Champ. Ahead of the big event inside the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Austin spoke about entering the Rumble in an interview with Emile Mae Heller for Sportskeeda Wrestling.

"I feel great. I'm the United States Champion, and I'm going into the Royal Rumble match, where I can literally win and go on and headline WrestleMania and become three-belt Theory." [:36-:46]

He further went on to mention that he had "this one in the bag."

"It's a tough one to kind of strategize but, I think I've got this one in the bag." [1:16-1:21]

Check out the entire interview down below:

This will be Austin Theory's second time entering the annual 30-Man Battle Royal. Last year, the US champ was eliminated from the bout after 22 minutes by former WWE Champion AJ Styles.

You can read more about what Theory had to say after defeating Bobby Lashley on WWE RAW XXX here.

Austin Theory has been on a roll of late as WWE United States Champion

The Forever Champ Is Here🚀 #thenow #smackdown https://t.co/1bV3vWEE3J

Theory defeated Seth Rollins in a triple threat contest at the Survivor Series Premium Live Event last year to capture the latter's title. The bout also featured Bobby Lashley.

Further, he retained the US title in singles bouts against both the former WWE Champions, with the most recent victory coming over The All Mighty in the main event of Monday Night RAW's 30th Anniversary Special.

Whether he surprises the fans by winning the Royal Rumble remains to be seen, but the fact of the matter is that the champ is definitely looking to make it to the WrestleMania 39 match card, and chances are, he will be featured in a prominent contest.

Theory also recently took a dig at former 16-time world champion John Cena, using the Franchise Player's phrase "The Champ is Here."

Do you think Theory is heading into a massive showdown with John Cena at WrestleMania 39? Let us know your opinion of the contest in the comments section below.

Check out the 10 Worst Booking Mistakes in WWE Royal Rumble History: