# Austin Theory

Austin Tyler White (born August 2, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Austin Theory, and is in a tag team with Grayson Waller as A-Town Down Under. He is a former one-time WWE Tag Team Champion, a former two-time WWE United States Champion, and the winner of the 2022 Money in the Bank ladder match.
Prior to joining WWE, White competed on the independent circuit, including several promotions under the World Wrestling Network umbrella, such as Full Impact Pro (FIP) and Evolve – along the way winning the WWN Championship FIP World Heavyweight Championship and the Evolve Championship.

## Early life

Austin Tyler White was born on August 2, 1997, in the Atlanta suburb of McDonough, Georgia. His parents were divorced prior to his birth. White has been a fan of professional wrestling since childhood, citing John Cena as a huge influence and having dreams of joining WWE since he was eight years old. In 2015, he placed first in the NPC Georgia Bodybuilding Championship, Teen Men category when he was 17.

## Professional wrestling career
### Independent circuit (2016–2019)

He made his professional wrestling debut on May 5, 2016, under the ring name Austin Theory, defeating A. R. Fox to win the WWA4 Heavyweight Championship. Theory made his Progress Wrestling debut on April 1, 2017, at a Progress and Evolve joint show, losing to Keith Lee in a four way match involving Jason Kincaid and Blaster McMassive. On August 12, 2016, Theory made his World Wrestling Network debut at Full Impact Pro (FIP)'s Heatstroke. He made his Evolve debut at Evolve 78 on February 24, 2017, defeating Darby Allin. In July, Theory acquired Priscilla Kelly as a valet. On December 18, at Evolve 97, he defeated Fred Yehi to win the FIP World Heavyweight Championship. On February 17, at Evolve 100, Theory failed to win the Evolve Championship from Zack Sabre Jr.. At Evolve 103 on April 6, Theory defeated Keith Lee to win the WWN Championship. On June 23, at Evolve 106, Theory lost the WWN Championship to Joey Janela, but retained the FIP World Heavyweight Championship against Janela and DJ Z in a triple threat match the next day. On September 30, he lost the FIP World Heavyweight Championship to Anthony Henry.
At Evolve 117 on December 15, Theory defeated Fabian Aichner and Roderick Strong in a triple threat match to win the Evolve Championship. Over the next few months, Theory successfully defended the title against the likes of Henry, Kyle O'Reilly, Raul Mendoza, and Leon Ruff. Following a backstage confrontation between Theory and JD Drake, a Winner Takes All match for both the Evolve Championship and WWN Championship was set for Evolve 131 on July 13, which was won by Theory. On August 25, at Evolve 134, he retained the Evolve Championship against Drake and Josh Briggs in a triple threat match. Theory lost the title to Briggs at Evolve 139 on November 9.
On June 16, 2018, Theory made his debut for Mexican promotion The Crash Lucha Libre, where he was defeated by Rey Horus. On March 2, 2019, Theory defeated Willie Mack, Bárbaro Cavernario and Sansón to win The Crash Heavyweight Championship. On June 14, Theory made his Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre debut representing The Crash, teaming with Carístico and Volador Jr. to defeat Rush and La Peste Negra (Bárbaro Cavernario and Negro Casas).

### WWE
#### NXT (2019–2021)

Prior to his signing with the company, he participated in a WWE tryout in February 2018. On April 8, during day 4 of WrestleMania Axxess, Theory retained his WWN Championship against Marcel Barthel.
On August 10, 2019, Theory was shown on-screen in the crowd at NXT TakeOver: Toronto. Five days later, it was announced that he signed a contract with WWE and would report to the WWE Performance Center. On the December 25 episode of NXT, Theory made his in-ring debut, accepting Roderick Strong's NXT North American Championship open challenge in a losing effort. On the January 8, 2020 episode of NXT, he achieved his first victory by defeating Joaquin Wilde, while subsequently establishing himself as a heel.
On the March 30 episode of Raw, Theory made his main roster debut as an associate of Zelina Vega. He teamed with Angel Garza and Seth Rollins in a losing effort to Kevin Owens and Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford). Theory and Garza faced The Street Profits for the Raw Tag Team Championship at Night 2 of WrestleMania 36 on April 5 and the following night on Raw, but lost both matches. After defeating Akira Tozawa on the April 13 episode of Raw, Vega's other associates, Garza and Andrade joined him in beating down Tozawa as all three posed together, confirming their status as a faction. On the May 18 episode of Raw, Theory was attacked by Andrade and Garza after accidentally costing them a tag team match against Apollo Crews and Kevin Owens, kicking him out of the faction. Later that night, he assisted Rollins and Murphy in attacking Black, formally joining Rollins' group as a disciple. Following the June 22 episode of Raw, he stopped appearing with Rollins and Murphy.
On August 26, Theory returned to NXT, interrupting Bronson Reed, whom he lost to at NXT: Super Tuesday II on September 8. At NXT TakeOver: WarGames on December 6, Theory helped Johnny Gargano win his third NXT North American Championship. He then appeared on the December 9 episode of NXT to reveal he was part of a villainous faction called The Way with Gargano, Gargano's real life wife Candice LeRae, and Indi Hartwell. In January 2021, Theory and Gargano lost to Kushida and Leon Ruff in the first round of the 2021 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Following a loss to Kyle O'Reilly on the July 20 episode of NXT, Theory took an absence from NXT television, until he returned on September 14 during the premiere of NXT 2.0, attending the wedding of Hartwell and Dexter Lumis in his final NXT appearance.

#### Mr. Money in the Bank (2021–2022)

As part of the 2021 Draft, Theory was drafted to the Raw brand. On the October 4 episode of Raw, Theory returned to the brand by attacking Jeff Hardy and defeated him on the next two episodes of Raw. After Rey Mysterio was injured by Bobby Lashley on the November 15 episode of Raw, he was removed from Team Raw for Survivor Series and replaced by Theory. At the event on November 21, Theory eliminated Sheamus before he was eliminated by Hardy, but his team won the match against Team SmackDown. On the following episode of Raw, it was revealed that Theory took Cleopatra's Egg from Mr. McMahon, leading to McMahon to reward Theory a WWE Championship match against Big E in the main event for "showing intestinal fortitude", which he lost.
Theory would be given career advice by McMahon over the following weeks, serving as his protégé. At the Royal Rumble on January 29, 2022, Theory entered his first Royal Rumble match at #3, lasting 22 minutes before he was eliminated by AJ Styles. Two days later on Raw, Theory defeated Kevin Owens to qualify for an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship at the namesake event on February 19, but was the last man pinned by Brock Lesnar after being hit with an F-5 from the top of one of the pods down to the floor. On the February 28 episode of Raw, Theory bribed McMahon into having himself accompany him to his interview with Pat McAfee to no avail. Theory confronted McAfee on the March 4 episode of SmackDown, announcing he would be McAfee's opponent at WrestleMania 38. At Night 2 of WrestleMania on April 3, Theory lost to McAfee, but helped McMahon defeat McAfee in the subsequent fight that ensued, until Stone Cold Steve Austin came out and hit Theory, McMahon, and McAfee with Stone Cold Stunners.
The following night on Raw, Theory and The Usos defeated RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) and United States Champion Finn Bálor after Theory pinned Bálor, earning the chance to challenge for Bálor's title. In a backstage segment the following week, Theory announced he and Mr. McMahon decided that the name Austin did not suit him anymore, dropping the first name and going by Theory. On the April 18 episode of Raw, Theory defeated Bálor to win the United States Championship for the first time in his career, becoming the second youngest champion in the title's history and the youngest champion under the WWE banner. On the May 9 episode of Raw, Theory lost in his first title defense against Cody Rhodes by disqualification after interference from Seth "Freakin" Rollins, but as championships cannot change hands by disqualification, he retained the title. He then began a feud with Mustafa Ali, whom he successfully defended the title against on the May 30 episode of Raw and at Hell in a Cell on June 5.
At Money in the Bank on July 2, Theory lost the United States Championship to Bobby Lashley, ending his reign at 75 days. Later that night, he was added to and won the Men's Money in the Bank ladder match, making him the youngest superstar to win the Money in the Bank contract in WWE history, as well as being the first Money in the Bank winner to lose a title and win the contract on the same night. At SummerSlam on July 30, Theory failed to regain the United States Championship from Lashley. Later that night, he attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract during the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Last Man Standing match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, but was hit with an F-5 by Lesnar before he could officially cash in. In August, his name was reverted to Austin Theory. At Clash at the Castle on September 3, he again attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract during the main event, only to be knocked out by Tyson Fury before he could officially do so. On the November 7 episode of Raw, Theory cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Rollins for the United States Championship, but was unsuccessful, partially due to interference from Lashley.

#### United States Champion (2022–2023)

On November 26, at Survivor Series WarGames, Theory defeated Rollins and Lashley in a triple threat match to win his second United States Championship. He retained the title against Rollins and Lashley on the January 2 and 23 (in a No Disqualification match) episodes of Raw, respectively. At the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2023, Theory entered at #25, but was eliminated by eventual winner Cody Rhodes. At Elimination Chamber on February 18, Theory successfully defended the title against Bronson Reed, Damian Priest, Johnny Gargano, Montez Ford, and Rollins in an Elimination Chamber match, marking the first time the title was contested inside the namesake structure. On the following episode of Raw, he retained the title against Edge in an open challenge after interference from Finn Bálor. On the March 6 episode of Raw, Theory challenged the returning John Cena to a match for the title at WrestleMania 39, which Cena accepted. At Night 1 of WrestleMania on April 1, Theory defeated Cena to retain the title. At Backlash on May 6, Theory successfully defended the title against Bronson Reed and Lashley in a triple threat match.
As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, Theory was drafted to the SmackDown brand. On the May 12 episode of SmackDown, he lost to Lashley and Sheamus in a triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship tournament. Over the following months, Theory successfully defended the United States Championship against Sheamus and Jey Uso. On the August 11 episode of SmackDown, Theory was scheduled to defend the title against Santos Escobar, who was rendered unable to compete after Theory attacked him backstage. Theory was subsequently defeated by Escobar's Latino World Order stablemate Rey Mysterio in an impromptu title match, ending his second reign at 258 days. The following week, he defeated LA Knight to become the #1 contender to the United States Championship, but failed to regain the title from Mysterio on September 2 at Payback.

#### A-Town Down Under (2023–present)

Later that month, after a segment with Pat McAfee and The Rock, Theory began working with Grayson Waller as a tag team, known as A-Town Down Under. On the October 13 episode of SmackDown, Theory and Waller challenged Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship in a losing effort. On the January 12, 2024 episode of SmackDown, Theory faced NXT's Carmelo Hayes, but their match ended in a shoot no-contest after both of them landed on their heads from the top rope. WWE later announced that they only suffered face contusions and Theory proceeded to defeat Hayes in their rematch on the January 26 episode of SmackDown. The next night, at the Royal Rumble, Theory helped Logan Paul retain the United States Championship against Kevin Owens after handing him brass knuckles. He then entered the Royal Rumble match at #13, but was eliminated by eventual winner Cody Rhodes.
On February 24, at Elimination Chamber: Perth, Theory co-hosted The Grayson Waller Effect with Waller featuring Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. After imitating The Rock, Cody and Seth attacked Theory while Waller did not get involved, teasing the dissolution of A-Town Down Under. Nevertheless, Theory and Waller won a tag team tournament to qualify for the six-pack ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania XL. At Night 1 of WrestleMania on April 6, Waller retrieved the SmackDown Tag Team Championship for A-Town Down Under to become the new champions. On the April 19 episode of SmackDown, the SmackDown Tag Team Championship was renamed as the WWE Tag Team Championship and the team was presented with new title belts by WWE's chief content officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, and the general manager of SmackDown Nick Aldis. On the May 3 episode of SmackDown, they defeated The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) in their first title defense. Later that month, they began a feud with #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa), culminating in a title match on the July 5 episode of SmackDown, where Theory and Waller lost the titles to #DIY, ending their reign at 90 days. They failed to regain the titles on the following episode of SmackDown, ending their feud.
Theory and Waller returned to NXT in September, challenging Nathan Frazer and Axiom for the NXT Tag Team Championship, but lost their title match on the October 8 episode of NXT. On January 24, 2025 episode of SmackDown, it was announced by SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis that A-Town Down Under would be moving to the Raw brand as part of the transfer window. On the January 28 episode of NXT, A-Town Down Under hosted a special edition of The Grayson Waller Effect with the new NXT Champion Oba Femi as guest to see if Femi was "worth the hype." Femi then offered to defend the NXT Championship in a triple threat match against A-Town Down Under at NXT Vengeance Day on February 15, where Femi retained the title after Waller costed Theory the win.

## Other media
### Movies

White appeared as an extra in the 2014 comedy film Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and the 2017 Marvel Studios film Spider-Man: Homecoming.

### Video games

As Austin Theory, White made his Video game debut on WWE 2K22. He is also featured on WWE 2K23, WWE 2K24, and WWE 2K25.

## Personal life

White adheres to a straight edge lifestyle, in part due to his father's alcoholism.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Bodybuilding

* National Physique Committee
** NPC Georgia Teen, Men's bodybuilding championship winner (1 time)

### Professional wrestling

* The Crash Lucha Libre
** The Crash Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* ESPN
** Ranked No. 3 of the 30 best Pro Wrestlers Under 30 in 2023
* Evolve
** Evolve Championship (1 time)
* Full Impact Pro
** FIP World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* Fire Star Pro Wrestling
** FSPW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
* Mucha Lucha Atlanta
** MLA Global Championship (1 time)
* Peachstate Wrestling Alliance
** PWA Heritage Championship (1 time)
* Pro Wrestling Illustrated
** Ranked No. 45 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2023
* World Wrestling Network
** WWN Championship (2 times)
* WWA4
** WWA4 Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* WWE
** WWE United States Championship (2 times)
** WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Grayson Waller
** Men's Money in the Bank (2022)
** WrestleMania XL Six-Pack Ladder Match SmackDown Qualifier Tournament (2024) – with Grayson Waller
** NXT Year-End Award (1 time)
*** Future Star of NXT (2020)
* National Championship Wrestling
** NCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* Xtreme Wrestling Alliance
** XWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)