Rey Mysterio Beats Austin Theory, Becomes New United States Champion On WWE SmackDown

By Liam O’Loughlin
Rey Mysterio embraced by the LWO WWE

Austin Theory's lengthy reign as United States Champion finally came to an end on "WWE SmackDown" in shocking fashion — but it didn't come against his scheduled opponent. Early in the night in Calgary, Theory attacked No.1 contender Santos Escobar backstage and appeared to injury the Latino World Order member. Despite being hampered by his knee, Escobar made his way out to the ring for the match, only to be blindsided by Theory once again, who again hit him in the knee. WWE doctors would ultimately refuse to allow Escobar to compete.

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Enter the legendary Rey Mysterio, who returned from a minor injury to step in for his close friend and LWO teammate in an impromptu title match with Theory. After a short sprint, Mysterio would nail the 619 and pin the champion for a three-count to gain the US title for the third time in his illustrious career. After the bout, Escobar and the rest of LWO embraced the Hall of Famer and celebrated his surprise title victory as Theory watched on from inside the ring. 

Theory held the US title for 258 days, making him the longest-reigning champion since Dean Ambrose in 2013. 

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