WWE Superstar Austin Theory Talks Facing John Cena at WrestleMania 39 (Exclusive)
WrestleMania 39 is right around the corner, and fans will be able to watch all the action on Peacock. The card for the two-night event is starting to come together, and one of the more interesting matches is Austin Theory facing John Cena for the United States Championship. PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to Theory who seems confident he will defeat one of the more decorated Superstars in WWE history.
"I'm sure John Cena felt really good when he found out he was going to take on an icon like Austin Theory. I'm sure he was pumped," Theory exclusively told PopCulture. "He was motivated. The story here is, at 8 years old, the first thing I ever seen when it came to WWE was John Cena. Definitely an inspiration. Definitely a motivation. As the years have carried on, with me chasing that dream to get to the WWE and finally getting there, a lot of people have said that I am the next John Cena."
Theory has accomplished a lot in WWE at 25 years old. He won the men's Money in the Bank match last year and won the United States Championship twice. Theory understands why he's being compared to Cena, but he's trying to produce his own legacy.
"I don't want to be compared to this John Cena," Theory explained. "And at WrestleMania, that's what I have to prove. I have to prove that I'm my own person, that I can hold this, that I can walk onto Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania and show the world that I'm inevitable. That this is meant to happen. And that I'm the guy that's going to take this United States Championship to the top."
Cena, who competes in WWE on a part-time basis, is known for winning the WWE Championship 13 times and the World Heavyweight Championship three times. But the 45-year-old has a chance to make history if he beats Theory at WrestleMania. Cena has won the United States title five times and if he wins it for a sixth time, he would be the all-time leader as he would surpass Lex Luger Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, Wahoo McDaniel and Bret Hart.
That's why Theory realizes beating Cena on WWE's biggest stage will be huge for his career. "I think we all know what John Cena means to the WWE and also to the world," Theory said. "He's an anomaly. He's somebody that there's no one like him. And me beating him, I think it gives me that recognition that I've been looking for. I won an elimination chamber, didn't hear much. I beat a guy that I grew up watching rival with John Cena, and that's Edge. Nobody said much about that. WrestleMania 39, the biggest show of all shows in the WWE, in sports entertainment, right there in SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, and I got John Cena. And me beating him there, the whole world will know. The whole world will stand still after that referee counts three. And they're going to know that I am the forever, the forever champ, and I'm taking over."
WrestleMania 39 takes place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 1-2.