Push or NXT: What Should WWE Do With Austin Theory After Ice-Cold Run as US Champion?

With proper booking, Austin Theory can emerge from his uneventful U.S. title run better than before.Credit: WWE.com

All signs pointed to Austin Theory being WWE's next big breakout star at this time one year ago, complete with a Money in the Bank briefcase that would have catapulted him to the main event level had he cashed in successfully.

Along the way, though, WWE dropped the ball–on multiple occasions.

Fresh off a forgettable run as United States champion, Theory finds himself at a pivotal point in his career. What the company chooses to do with him next is of utmost importance, as it will determine how bright his future is and whether he ultimately sinks or swims.

The 26-year-old has already overcome numerous obstacles–including questionable booking decisions–since signing with WWE in the fall of 2019. There's no reason to think he can't rebound from this latest setback, unless officials feel he's failed to live up to the lofty expectations set for him and isn't worth investing in again.

Is another return to NXT for Theory on the horizon, or can he be redeemed with a real push on the main roster?

In order for Theory to be built back up, WWE must ensure the same mistakes aren't made with him again.

The former Evolve champion was mere months into his run with the company when he was called up prematurely to the main roster at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic. The powers that be eventually realized he needed more seasoning and put him back in NXT, repackaging him as a comedy character in The Way.

Despite not winning any gold, his time alongside Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell was well-spent and earned him another shot at stardom on Raw in late 2021.

He quickly captured the United States Championship and the men's Money in the Bank briefcase soon after.

If his unsuccessful cash-in last fall didn't do enough damage, the lack of follow-up to what should have been a career-altering win for him over John Cena at WrestleMania 39 completely ended any momentum he had left.

Having been treated like a total afterthought post-'Mania, losing the U.S. title was the only way he could move forward.

WWE must start from scratch from Theory, as continuing on his current path will not yield positive results.

The many losses Theory endured during his time as Mr. Money in the Bank last year hurt his chances of being viewed as a legitimate threat to a world title, and thus WWE felt it made the most sense to build him back up by first knocking him down a few pegs.

That led to the most prosperous period of his career to date.

The first five months of his second stint as U.S. champion saw him rack up wins over the likes of Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Edge and others. It was only after he was verbally eviscerated by John Cena in the leadup to their WrestleMania match that he became less of a focal point in WWE.

There was nothing more he could do with the star-spangled prize that would have changed his positioning on the card. Hitting the reset button is the strongest solution, and that includes yet another character overhaul.

Everything about Theory's presentation for the better part of 2023 has come off as generic. The loss of the U.S. title can be a catalyst for adopting more of an edge, something that was teased with him late last year but amounted to nothing.

Certain stars should be above another run in NXT, and Theory is among them. Even with the way he's been handled this year, being sent to the developmental brand would be a significant step backward for him.

Such a move wouldn't speak too highly to his value to WWE following his win over John Cena at WrestleMania 39 and a United States Championship reign that ended less than two weeks ago. All of that, despite the botched aftermath, would have been for nothing.

Baron Corbin, Dana Brooke, Dijak and Mustafa Ali have all benefited from returning to NXT this year, but none of them were anywhere near the top of the card on the main roster before heading back to the gold brand.

As previously noted, Theory originally returned to NXT in 2020 and wound up being better off for it. However, that was before he became an established act on Raw and SmackDown and reached the heights he has.

NXT champion Carmelo Hayes has a plethora of challengers waiting in the wings, so it's not as if he could immediately contend for the brand's top title if he was reassigned there.

It's entirely possible for Theory to have his redemption story on the main stage in front of the biggest audience.

WWE's poor booking decisions with Theory over the years have obviously been well-documented, but none of them have been bad enough to alter the course of his career forever.

Not only has he merely scratched the surface of what he can do, he's proved he can bounce back from his failures and come away from them better than before. Putting his abysmal United States Championship reign behind him should be the top priority right now.

Of course, that can't happen until he gets his rematch with Rey Mysterio and loses again.

Beyond that, though, there has been nothing to suggest WWE has given up on Theory and doesn't see him as a future world champion.

His television time remains consistent and he faces main event players fairly regularly. He won't enter "damaged goods" territory until he has more start-and-stop pushes over a longer stretch of time.

There's no defending his fall from grace in 2023, but he shouldn't be written off as a case of "what could have been" when he still has so much untapped potential and room to grow.

Above all else, Theory must be the focal point of his own program, regardless of what he does next.

For far too long, he's been booked as the third wheel, and even against Cena, he was unsuccessful in showing the world he was on the 16-time world champion's level. He is in desperate need of a rivalry with a top-tier talent where he can be made to look strong.

SmackDown is loaded with popular babyfaces he can be paired with, such as LA Knight, AJ Styles and Bobby Lashley. Once he finishes his feud with the Latino World Order, he can set his sights on any of the aforementioned fan favorites and begin to get his heat back.

For that very reason, WWE experimenting with Theory as a face any time soon would be the wrong move. He'd get lost in the shuffle on the blue brand behind everyone much higher on the totem pole than he is.

The same can be said for reuniting him with The Way on Raw. There's nothing he can gain from them at this stage, so keeping him separate on Friday nights is the better option.

A series of pre-taped, sit-down interviews and vignettes that explore Theory's background and provide the audience with reasons to care about him could work wonders. That approach combined with an extra edge would give him his best chance yet at escaping his current rut and breaking through WWE's glass ceiling.