Austin Theory’s long reign as United States Champion has finally come to an end, at the hands of none other than the legendary luchador, Rey Mysterio. The Master of 619 has finally won his first championship in two years.
On SmackDown this week, Santos Escobar was supposed to compete against Austin Theory for the United States Championship. However, he was attacked by Theory backstage and was injured as a result of the ambush.
Despite his injury, Escobar made his way to the ring for the match, only to get attacked by Theory again. This time, WWE officials refused to allow the Latino World Order member to compete. This caused Rey Mysterio to step in and face Austin Theory for the title.
Rey Mysterio beats Austin Theory
Mysterio was previously defeated by Santos Escobar in a match to determine Theory’s next challenger. This week, Rey got a second chance at the strap after Escobar got injured due to a backstage attack.
After a short sprint, Mysterio landed a 619 and pinned Austin Theory clean to dethrone him and win the United States Championship. He was later joined by the LWO members, who celebrated the Hall of Famer’s first title win in two years. It was a bittersweet moment for Santos Escobar, who ended up weeping and hugging Rey, celebrating his win.
WHAT A MOMENT đź‘Źđź‘Źđź‘Ź@reymysterio brings championship gold to the #LWO!#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/Wh2b4s3WmU
— WWE (@WWE) August 12, 2023
Austin Theory held the United States Championship for 250+ days, which makes him the longest-reigning champion since Dean Ambrose back in 2013. Some might argue that it was time for Theory to drop the title after holding on to it for such a long time. But why did WWE give Rey Mysterio the championship?
One of the most possible reasons could be to cause a rift in the LWO. Since this opportunity should have technically been Escobar’s, Rey’s title win could cause some amount of jealousy in him, which could lead to a rivalry. Also, Mysterio’s current contract expires next month. So this could also be a way to keep him with the company.
Triple H hails WWE HOFer Rey Mysterio
After defeating Austin Theory for the United States Championship on SmackDown this week, “The Game” Triple H took to social media to congratulate The Master of 619 on his win. Mysterio ended Theory’s long reign of 259 days and became the new United States Champion.
An all-time great who proves it every time he steps in the ring.
Congratulations to the incomparable WWE Hall of Famer @reymysterio. #USTitle #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/7FBwrMWbYy
— Triple H (@TripleH) August 12, 2023
After the match, Triple H took a picture with the Hall of Famer backstage and uploaded it to Twitter, congratulating the legendary Luchador on his win with the caption, “An all-time great who proves it every time he steps in the ring. Congratulations to the incomparable WWE Hall of Famer @reymysterio. #USTitle #SmackDown”
Do you think Rey will renew his contract? Tell us what you think below!
