Austin Theory Was ‘Always Under NXT Contract’ During His First WWE Main Roster Run

Austin Theory is currently on the rise. He’s received a lot of high praise from critics and other WWE superstars, such as Bobby Lashley. As Theory consolidates his position on the main roster, he feels like this is his first experience on WWE Raw. It might have something to do with how his first run really went.

Theory initially got his RAW debut on March 30, 2020. Right at the brink of the COVID-pandemic, when the company started adapting to the pandemic and held shows without any audience, Theory got his debut. He had an alliance with Zelina Vega and Angel Garza, and by May he made his way into the discipleship of Seth Rollins.

Theory spoke with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, and revealed how new his second run felt. He said that he was a replacement for someone while being under NXT contract all the time. It wasn’t a permanent deal, and the management kept it very clear to him.

Basically, I never felt like I was brought up. I was still always under NXT contract. Somebody had got injured at the time and they were looking for somebody to fill in for a tag team. I love in Orlando, I was right there. Started doing some things, did some stuff with Seth Rollins and then it was one of those things where it was like, ‘This isn’t really going to stay a thing, so we’re trying to figure out how to do everything,’ and then it was like, ‘Theory’s still with NXT.”

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Austin Theory became a mainstay in the main roster after getting drafted on WWE Raw in 2021. He also holds space as Vince McMahon’s protege, as he stole his precious golden egg at the Survivor Series.

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