Theory was stated by commentary to have been blessed with all of the tools an athlete can hope for, and is a true prodigy in the world of professional wrestling. This already shows the massive amounts of potential/skill Theory has.
Austin Theory made quick work of Shelton Benjamin,
who has an extensive background in amateur wrestling.
After a hard-hitting, physical match,
Theory was able to defeat Dolph Ziggler clean. Ziggler has a great amateur wrestling background. Ziggler set the record for most pins in St. Edward High School with
82 pins. When he was a wrestler at Kent State University, he at one point, held the record for most career wins in the team's history, earning
121 wins.
Along with being a great amateur wrestler,
Ziggler was neck-and-neck with John Morrison. John Morrison is knowledgeable about multiple martial arts. He stated in an interview that
he was a former amateur collegiate wrestler and gymnastic, and he's studied kung fu, boxing, capoeira, and parkour, and that he applies all of these forms of martial arts in his fighting style. He uses his parkour to pull
extremely acrobatic maneuvers, as well as to use
the environment around him to execute his moves as well. He can switch to
capoeira kicks and feint kicks to stun and throw his opponents off game. Efficient enough with amateur wrestling to the point where
he can hold his own against the likes of Dolph Ziggler in that respective discipline.
Theory was also able to hold his own against the likes of
Aleister Black, who was trained in
Pencak Silat and
Kickboxing from the
ages 9 to 15.
Theory was also able to give
AJ Styles a good run for his money. AJ Styles is the same guy who was able to beat
John Cena clean. Cena is the same guy
who looked like was about to beat Brock Lesnar before getting interrupted. Brock Lesnar was an
Amateur Wrestler, and a
Mixed Martial Artist career, which he uses, along with his Amateur Wrestling background to decimate his opponents. Lesnar had a record of
106-5 in his 4 years of college wrestling at the NCAA, as well as winning the NCAA Division I Heavyweight Championship. Lesnar also ended the
iconic 21-year Wrestlemania win streak of The Undertaker.
Theory was able to
trade blows with the likes of Drew McIntyre. McIntyre is the same guy
who had wars with the likes
of Sheamus. In fact, while participating in a grueling ‘Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook’ match, McIntyre was even capable of kicking out of
The Brogue Kick. The Brogue Kick is one of the most dangerous moves in all of Pro Wrestling. A referee
suffered chronic neck pain when hit with the move. The Brogue Kick was stated to cause
extreme nerve damage and tingling in the extremities of the victim. A move this dangerous was something that Drew McIntyre kicked out of, and Theory traded blows with McIntyre.
Theory was able to defeat Finn Balor for the United States Championship, becoming the youngest US Champion in WWE history. Finn Balor is the same person who defeated
Pete Dunne, who's fighting style revolves around brawling, stiff strikes, submission grappling, and bending of his opponents fingers (
Small Joint Manipulation), which will leave someone extremely handicapped in a fight, especially since wrestling is all about striking, grappling and holding, and you can't do that without functioning fingers. Pete Dunne was also the same guy who
was able to solo the entire Undisputed Era by himself, and the group has been regarded as one of the most dominant factions in WWE history.
The group ended up winning all of the gold in NXT at one point.
Theory was able to outwrestle the likes of Bobby Lashley. Bobby Lashley has a very good
mixed martial arts background, having a record of
15-2, defeating the likes of Joshua Franklin in 41 seconds (TKO), and Mike Cook in 24 seconds (Submission). He even defeated
James Thompson, who at that point, had over a decade of experience in mixed martial arts. Lashley defeated him in 54 seconds via TKO.
Lashley also has a extensive background in amateur wrestling starting from the seventh grade all the way into his service in the US Army.
