When they said, “Life is not fair,” they didn’t mean it sarcastically, because the world of WWE reflects this harsh truth of life. After all, the company will only do “what’s best for business” and wouldn’t always honor every fan sentiment. This feeling was evident when Paul “Triple H” Levesque took over and had different ideas for the main roster that’d be the new attractions of the company.
While some have gone on to make a name for themselves, others have been reduced to being a mid-tier entertainment card. One such name is how Austin Theory was once a promising talent, who at one point was the US Champion and had some great matches that fans loved.
However, his recent run in the company proves how the CCO pulled the plug on his rise to success.
Triple H’s creative vision has no place for Austin Theory
Once a prodigy of WWE, now unable to escape the mid-tier card and the string of losses, Austin Theory’s falling out of favor with the higher executives is the one that has to be noticed. The star made his debut in 2020 and was molded by the then-chairman, Vince McMahon, who desired to make him the next greatest wrestler of this generation.
This belief was evident when World Wrestling Entertainment gave the greatest push a superstar has received in recent times when Vince McMahon decided to appear. However, that was not all because he had a storyline built around him that made him an MITB winner in 2022, a 2-time US Champion, and a victor over a wrestling legend like John Cena, who destroyed him during a promo face-off.
Disappointingly, the push was not in favor of the wrestling promotion brand because the audience just did not care enough. The win over the Moment Maker was his last great achievement that could have elevated him to establish himself as the face of the company. More importantly, his title reign was subpar at best, drawing criticism from Mark Henry at the Busted Open podcast. He said,
Not only is it feeling forgettable, it’s feeling like a level-down title. You don’t want people to associate that, ‘Oh, that’s the lower title.’ If it’s a title, you’re supposed to honor it, and I don’t feel like it’s being honored right now.
Since then, Theory has been on the wrong side of the stick, paired with a cowardly partner, Grayson Waller, and always on the receiving end of a beat-down.
The ‘Make Austin Great’ project failed miserably when he was booked in an erratic manner, bringing his already stalling momentum to a standstill, and has been the case ever since. Despite trying to reinvent his character and going on a heel run in hopes that the audience would feel differently towards him. To his surprise, the response from the WWE Universe remained the same.
Consequently, his failed run in recent times has started to make him wonder if he is a long-term project in the current roster. If yes, then he must stand up to Waller’s antics and finally break ties with him in an epic match that makes him a babyface and hopefully makes him a breakout star again.
Jacob Fatu’s ‘werewolf’ intensity was the missing piece in Triple H’s WWE
While Austin Theory is battling hard over his fight against anonymity in WWE, Paul Levesque placed his faith in a more veteran talent, Jacob Fatu. Even though it was expected that sooner or later, he would receive a push in the company, it was not assumed that the audience response would be so remarkably overwhelming.
The Samoan Werewolf has been clearly a standout talent in the men’s locker room, leaving a trail of bodies of those who attempted to stop him. Training under the wing of the WWE legend, Rikishi, he has enjoyed fame in various wrestling promotion brands that include the likes of MLW, NJPW, PCW, and now WWE.
Fatu made his debut in 2024 as part of The Bloodline, where he was appointed by the self-proclaimed Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa. Since then, he has been having an amazing year, where his feud with Braun Strowman made everyone believe that he was destined to have greater things in the company.
FUN FACT: Jacob Fatu wasn’t even in WWE when those Theory/Waller split teases started.
Dude showed up, teamed with Solo, won the US Title, turned on Solo… all before Theory even turned face 😭 pic.twitter.com/7vZXwyC1Nb
— EliteRockerz 𝕏 (@EliteClubS0B) June 8, 2025
Hence, within a year, he won the US title against LA Knight on night 1 of WrestleMania 41. Since then, he has been making his contribution to the company; the most recent was screaming “I hate you!” to Solo Sikoa and costing him the Money in the Bank briefcase, which became one of the many head-turners of the premium live event.
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