Austin Theory should lose the Money in the Bank briefcase

The Money in the Bank briefcase is a prop that is used to launch new stars into the WWE main event picture. At least, that was the case before recent years. Mismanagement by creative leadership {read: Vince McMahon) has lowered the overall value of the MITB. Austin Theory currently has the briefcase in his grip and fans aren’t pleased with the idea of him snaking his way into the title picture. With each passing week, it becomes clearer that either he should lose the briefcase to another individual or his cash-in moment will fail entirely.

The moment Theory won the briefcase, viewers released a collective groan of disdain. Theory was a favorite of McMahon, a fact that continued to shine through in the booking he received since being called up to the main roster full time. Unfortunately for Theory, that endorsement never reached fans who rebuffed him at every step of the way. Yes, he has solid in-ring abilities and at 25 has the makings of someone a promotion could build around for the future. But outside the ring transgressions and overall bland presentation didn’t help him in any fashion.

The MITB briefcase hasn’t helped his situation. The prop is meant to make a wrestler look stronger, like a threat to the champion, and that isn’t coming across for Theory. He was tossed aside at SummerSlam by Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, even as they fought in a violent battle in the main event. No one sees a world where Theory beats Reigns, but that case holds true for other top names like Drew McIntyre, Karrion Kross, Bobby Lashley, Gunther, or others. Theory doesn’t fit into the picture as a top wrestler in today’s WWE.

It will be interesting to see how Theory is utilized under Triple H’s leadership. The creative direction of the promotion has shifted and thematic changes are slowly coming to the forefront on television. Theory’s in-ring should mesh well, as his match against Dolph Ziggler back on August 15 showed. But will fans rally behind his character enough that it translates into a true main event push?

Johnny Gargano made his return to WWE at the latest edition of Monday Night Raw and fans were elated with the surprise. This fed into an immediate angle with Theory, where Gargano left him lying in the middle of the ring. No one sees a situation in which Gargano should lose a match or an overall angle to Theory. That would be a critical mistake that screams more McMahon than Triple H. If the angle culminates in Gargano challenging Theory to a match for the briefcase, the right decision would be for Gargano to go over and carry the MITB as a more believable threat than Theory. It would be a setback, but not a situation from which he couldn’t eventually recover.

Austin Theory’s days of carrying the Money in the Bank briefcase should be numbered. As talented as he may be, he’s not the right individual to threaten for a top title in this fashion. Having him lose it to Gargano would make sense in the storyline but push him back a bit to be rebuilt. He wasn’t the right choice when he climbed the ladder, to begin with.