At WrestleMania 39, Austin Theory had one of the most significant matches of his career, leading off the show with a bout against John Cena for the WWE United States Championship. Although it may not have been the most memorable of the night, it was a crucial moment for Theory’s rise on the main roster.
Before their match, Cena threw numerous verbal barbs at Theory on Raw, which may not have helped the young pro wrestler’s standing. However, behind the scenes, Theory apparently received plenty of verbal wisdom from the one-time Doctor of Thuganomics.
On The Babyfaces Podcast, Theory said that Cena, after their WrestleMania match, told him to take everything in and enjoy being part of it. It seems Theory took that advice to heart, too (h/t Cageside Seats for transcription).
“Post-match, it was a really cool moment. He just told me to enjoy this day and enjoy this moment. And literally, there was no stress that day whatsoever. I wasn’t nervous. Everything that prepared me for that moment, everything that I had to go out there and perform, I felt like I had it. That was something really cool.
But something that John says … it’s so true, is just not being afraid to fail. And betting on yourself and just going for it. And a lot of times that’s what holds a lot of us back from things is us just, worried about this or that. And it might not even be you. You might believe in yourself, but just because one person has an opinion it bothers you, and it sets you off. That’s the biggest thing. Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s gonna be a ride. It’s gonna go up. It’s gonna go down. But just continually press forward.”
Cena’s advice may be sound, but Theory’s run with the United States Championship since WrestleMania has been far from memorable. He hasn’t had a premium live event title match since Backlash, and his reign could be cut short with a title match against Santos Escobar on SmackDown. Let’s see if fortunes change for him in the short term.