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5 Takeaways from Austin Theory's Failed MITB Cash-In on WWE Raw

Last night on WWE Raw, Austin Theory became the youngest-ever Money in the Bank loser after failing to cash-in against Seth Rollins for the United States Championship. Theory decided to cash in on Rollins after Lashley attacked both Rollins while Rollins was trying to issue an open challenge for the title and his potential opponent, Mustafa Ali, leading many to view Theory's failed cash-in as an epic burial. Why would he cash-in on a mid-card title when he could simply answer the challenge without using his briefcase? Why would he lose to an already beat-up Seth Rollins? Did Triple H forget he's not an active wrestler anymore and he's supposed to push talent rather than bury them? But all may not be lost for Theory, and we'll tell you why with a listicle because that's just the kind of website Bleeding Cool is these days.

Austin Theory Was a Complete Idiot to Cash In on Seth Rollins

Theory's decision to cash in on Rollins was, in kayfabe, a boneheaded decision any way you look at it. First of all, the Money in the Bank briefcase grants the winner a free shot at any title at any time. It therefore makes sense to use it on the most prestigious title at the most opportune time to maximize the return. Yes, in reality, Austin Theory had little chance of dethroning Roman Reigns, but a character with his ego wouldn't believe that. Making things worse, Rollins was willing to grant title matches in an open challenge, making it completely pointless to use the briefcase at all, unless Thoery believes he can't even beat a midcard champion clean. Theory had another eight months to cash in the title, so, backstage booking plans aside, there was no reason to use it here that makes sense in storyline.

Burying Austin Theory Could Be Revenge for Vince McMahon's Burial of NXT

Austin Theory was Vince McMahon's last big project before all of his past sins caught up with him and he was forced to retire, relinquishing control of WWE to Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. But prior to that, McMahon had pulled an epic, Game of Thrones level betrayal on his own son-in-law when, following years of embarrassing pretty much every NXT call-up with terrible booking, Vince took over NXT while Triple H was recovering from a heart attack and rebranded it in his own image, seemingly punishment for Triple H losing the Wednesday Night Wars to NXT. But Triple H has a long memory and a penchant for revenge. Maybe Theory's burial was revenge for what his father-in-law did to his beloved Black and Gold brand.

Theory's Failed Cash-In May Be The First Major Blunder of Triple H's Tenure as Head of Creative

Since taking over WWE following two decades of Vince McMahon's mental decline, Triple H has experienced an unprecedented level of goodwill from the WWE fanbase, grateful for any rescue from the torture of the previous years. By bringing back fan-favorite underdogs from the NXT era, like Johnny Gargano, Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, and others, Haitch gained even more favor with the fans. But there have been signs Triple H has been letting his ego get in the way of his success. Retrieving Karrion Kross from his personal hell of the Control Your Narrative promotion may have felt like vindication, but Kross is one wrestler who actually deserved the S&M gladiator gimmick Vince McMahon gave him when he was called up. Trying to make Karrion Kross happen on the main roster is the sort of thing classic Vince would spitefully do after the fans refused to go along with one of his badly-executed pushes, and was the first sign that, while obviously an improvement, the apple doesn't necessary fall that far from the tree-in-law.

But Maybe This is the Start of a Long-Term Story for Austin Theory

All of that said, Theory himself was also an NXT guy before he became Vince McMahon's personal project. Maybe Triple H isn't punishing Theory, but washing the Vince stink off him before building him back up. After losing everything, Theory could embark on a quest to redeem himself by winning a title the right way. There's still plenty of time in his career to recover from this, and if Theory is champion in the next two years, it will be little more than a footnote on his Wikipedia page. Triple H may have made a few questionable decisions since taking over — the aforementioned return of Karrion Kross, and the return of Braun Strowman come to mind — but he's also vastly improved WWE since taking over. It's not time to give up on Haitch yet, and he's earned at least a little bit of benefit of the doubt. At least enough to see what happens next.

Besides, Theory Could Always Get the Briefcase Back Anyway

While not a smart move on Theory's part in kayfabe, much of the damage to his character could be easily undone next week. All Theory has to do is get his briefcase back. It wouldn't be unprecedented, as The Miz was able to get his briefcase back in the past after a failed cash-in due to a technicality. Theory could argue that Lashley interfered in the match, or that it shouldn't count because it was an open challenge. This wouldn't make complete sense, but it wouldn't be any harder to believe than the idea he'd cash in the briefcase the way he did in the first place.

Then again, maybe it's best that the briefcase is gone for the time being. Eight months without the possibility of a cash-in may take away the possibility of a cheap pop following championship matches, but in return, we get the stability of booking without an arguably overused plot device needing to be shoehorned into the title picture. It's no guarantee, but it's entirely possible that Theory's loss ends up being good in the long run for Theory, the WWE title scene (including the US Championship, the top belt on Raw), and the Money in the Bank concept itself. Jeeze! When have we ever been so positive about WWE? We're absolutely disgusted with ourselves.

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