Vince McMahon Changed Dangerous Brock Lesnar Spot at WWE Elimination Chamber 2022

Austin Theory continues to be a standout on WWE programming, especially due to the daring risks he’s taken to make matches memorable. One of the most memorable moments came a couple of years ago, when he took an insane spot with Brock Lesnar at the Elimination Chamber. In fact, it appears that Vince McMahon was the one who made the call for Theory to be in that spot.

In 2022, Vince McMahon gave Austin Theory a significant push on WWE’s main roster, leading to high-profile matches against some of the biggest names in the promotion. One of the standout moments came at the 2022 WWE Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event, where Theory competed for the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match. He was the last competitor to be eliminated, after Brock Lesnar delivered an F5 on Theory from the top of a pod, securing the win and the WWE Championship for himself.

While speaking during an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Austin Theory talked about what happened during the 2022 Elimination Chamber, when he took an F5 from Brock Lesnar off the top of one of the pods. He started by recalling the rehearsal the night before the event.

In the rehearsal, AJ Styles was the first to take the F5 from Brock Lesnar. But when AJ landed on the crash pad, he didn’t like it. Theory said Vince McMahon then told him that he would be the next to take the move. After seeing AJ get tossed, Theory explained how AJ, who doesn’t usually swear, was very upset and said he wasn’t going to do it.

Then Vince McMahon told Brock to go back up because Theory would take the bump instead. Theory said he was nervous but climbed the cage. As he got to the top, he realized there wouldn’t be a crash pad like there was for AJ, which made him more anxious.

“Alright, this is a story. So I remember the night before, we’re at rehearsals and everybody’s there, AJ Styles is on Brock Lesnar’s shoulders and there’s a crash pad down on the floor. Vince steps up behind me and he goes ‘I want you to take that.’ I was just looking and as soon as he says it Brock throws AJ to the pad. AJ lands on his side. Anybody who knows AJ, he doesn’t cuss. If you catch him cussing, even on TV, that man is angry. But he goes, ‘What the frick? That’s stupid I’m not taking that!’

Then Brock comes climbing down, and Vince goes, ‘Brock, go back up, Theory is gonna take it.’ I was like, oh man. I’m just walking through the motions. I’m climbing up the cage. I’m just going up, and I’m just panicking. Brock picks me up. I’m just like, now my whole world has gone from here to sideways, and now I’m all the way up on this pod. I’m just like, I don’t know, because that pad is not going to be there. But I was like, here we go.

Then Brock’s like, you ready? And I’m like, yep. And he tosses me. And the way I was tossed, I landed on my feet on the pad. So in my mind, I’m just like, Okay, well if somehow he throws me like this again and I can land on my feet, I’ll be fine.”

As for Brock Lesnar, he has not been seen since the 2023 SummerSlam Premium Live Event due to his alleged involvement in Vince McMahon’s trafficking lawsuit. Nonetheless, Austin Theory will always be glad he took the spot with Lesnar safely and that’s all that matters to him.

Do you believe Brock Lesnar’s spot at Elimination Chamber shouldn’t have ever taken place? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!