Austin Theory Believes Vince McMahon Was Testing Him With Selfie Stick Gimmick

Austin Theory emerged from a young aspirant to become one of the most promising talents in WWE. The blue-chip prospect is riding a wave of momentum with a huge WrestleMania 39 in sight. However, Theory’s real success began the very moment he was paired with WWE Executive Chairman, Vince McMahon. Moreover, he recently revealed how the partnership came to fruition.

Austin Theory was paired with Vince McMahon, appearing onscreen as his handpicked protege in 2021. This was seen as a massive push for him with a promising run ahead for ‘The Now.’

Under Vince McMahon’s mentorship, Austin Theory would be featured on the top of WWE television programming and storylines. He would even go on to capture the WWE United States title and the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Although, the partnership came to an end after Vince McMahon’s retirement in 2022, their time together made Austin Theory a legitimate star. Theory recently revealed how he became the Chairman’s protege during an interview with Stadium Astro.

“It all came from the conversation we had when I was doing the dark matches before I got to the main roster. I had like a 15-minute meeting with him, and it was just about, ‘who are you?’ I think he was starting to notice and hear from producers and agents and other people that were there that had been around me.”

“They had been talking highly of me and he wanted to know who this person was. Sitting in that 15 minutes, I just let him know my passion and my work ethic and who I am as a person. I think that’s what led to it. I think he wanted to test me on that because I remember the first thing I ever did on TV, he walked up to me, I was about to go out, this was when I was starting the selfie thing, he said, ‘Go out there and be confident like I know you are.’ That’s always stuck with me because I am confident and I stick with that and that’s what has always gotten me here and I can back it up. Just having that opportunity with him, it was amazing, and I’m glad that I was able to share who I am and it was enough for him to give me a chance.”

As mentioned, Austin Theory is heading into his very first major match at WrestleMania 39. The Now will defend his WWE United States title against John Cena in the opening contest of Night 1 of the Show of Shows. We will have to wait and see if emerges victorious against the 16-time World champion on the biggest stage in the industry.

Do you think Vince McMahon was right in picking Austin Theory as his protege? Did Theory make the most of it? Sound off in the comments!