Austin Theory's Losing Streak Continues On WWE Raw

When Austin Theory last won a match inside a WWE ring, the 2022-23 NFL season had yet to get underway, Roger Federer had not announced his retirement, and Kevin Durant still wanted out of the Brooklyn Nets. 

Theory, whose last win took place at a WWE live event against Dolph Ziggler on August 21, continued his losing streak on the season premiere of "WWE Raw" this week, taking a loss to his former "NXT" mentor Johnny Gargano in a singles bout. Shortly after his loss, the phrase "Austin Theory booking" began trending briefly on Twitter, as fans discussed WWE's decision to keep Theory's losing streak alive.

It should be noted that Theory's ongoing 16-match losing streak includes losses at WWE live events and dark matches, a few of them coming in six-man matches also involving the teams of Alpha Academy, and The Miz & Seth Rollins. 

Although Theory's three-month losing streak coincides with Triple H taking over as WWE's Chief Content Officer, it's important to note that Mr. Money in the Bank was also on a 15-match losing streak through July and early August, which would indicate that plans for Theory's losing streak were in place in the pre-Triple H era. The previous losing streak began immediately after Theory won the Money in the Bank Match on July 2, and ended only with Theory's win over Ziggler on the August 15 "Raw" episode.

Furthermore, WWE has previously booked Money in the Bank holders in a similar fashion, with Seth Rollins going on two lengthy losing streaks after he captured the briefcase in 2014. As such, Theory's losing streak could be a prelude to the budding Superstar shocking the world by capturing the Unidpsuted WWE Universal Title when fans least expect it.