Few WWE Superstars can say they shared the ring with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at WrestleMania, but Theory is on that list.
The reigning WWE United States Champion is only 24 years old, but he competed in a high-profile match at “The Showcase of the Immortals” this year when he faced Pat McAfee. Theory is Mr. McMahon’s protégé, and the WWE Chairman got into the ring and challenged the former NFL star to an impromptu bout. After “The Boss” won (thanks to a pre-match attack by Theory), the duo’s celebration was interrupted by McMahon’s legendary rival, “Stone Cold.” Austin then dropped the boss and Theory with Stunners before he gave one to McAfee, too.
During an appearance on WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves, Theory reflected on this remarkable experience and recalled how he found out about Austin’s involvement with the segment from “The Texas Rattlesnake” himself.
“For me, that day, there was so much going on, and I think the thing that set it off for me was meeting ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, meeting him in the back,” said Theory. ‘And he was going to get in a golf cart and they were riding him around, and before he got on, I was like, ‘Hey I just wanna introduce myself, I’m Austin.’ And he went to shake my hand and he was like, ‘Oh very nice to meet you. I’ll be seeing you later tonight.’
“And I was like wait what? So as soon as I hear that, I just walk away and I’m like, you know, in this big arena, and I’m walking down this hallway by myself and I’m like holy s—. I don’t even know what that means, you know? And later, we end up in gorilla and find out everything that’s happening. And I’m just like, well I have this Stunner sell that I’ve been holding in a long time and I can’t wait. And I’m not gonna tell anybody. So went out there, did that, and that was crazy.”
It’s easy to imagine how a young star could get overwhelmed in the moment when they’re a few feet away from “Stone Cold” in the ring. But Theory made it clear that he still had a blast. He admitted that he was speechless because it was such an amazing highlight that he couldn’t have imagined when he was starting out as a wrestler.
“Oh absolutely,” said Theory. “And I remember him telling me too, when I was standing in the corner and he was arguing with Mr. McMahon, they were arguing with each other, and he was like, ‘I’ll give you this look. When I give you this look, start throwing. Come at me, start throwing some punches.’ And I was like, man. And I remember standing in there and I could just feel my heart like ready to go. Because I just knew what was about to happen. And as soon as he looked at me, I was like, ‘Oh hell yeah.’ It was so fun.
“It’s so cool man because like I said, just enjoying those moments and it’s so cool like you’re standing there and you’re in the ring with Mr. McMahon, you’re in the ring with Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania, and I literally know the next thing that’s gonna happen. I’m just like wow, I’m just speechless sometimes. Like I don’t even have words for that because you start wrestling training and you find a school and whether you grew up watching it or not, for me it was my passion. And just going from that and doing all these little shows before you get signed to WWE and it’s crazy to know like this is where you could end up. This is where I ended up and it’s just wild.”
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