Sheamus says Austin Theory will be a man after their match.
On the May 19 episode of WWE SmackDown, Sheamus came to the ring and confronted WWE United States Champion Austin Theory. Rather than saying something, Sheamus simply dropped Theory with a Brogue Kick. He will challenge Theory for the title on the May 26 episode of SmackDown.
Speaking on WWE's The Bump, Sheamus shared his mindset about his actions and emphasized that the time for talking was over, as he wanted to make a definitive statement.
"Sometimes, there’s a lot of talking on the show, but I think the time for talking was kind of over. I just wanted to make a statement. It’s been a really roller coaster year for me so far in 2023. Everyone knows how much I wanted to get my hands on the Intercontinental Title, and I was so close again at WrestleMania. So I’ve just kind of run out of stuff to say and just wanted to make a statement. Theory will talk until the cows come home, to be honest with you, so it was just really making a point that I want what he has, and that’s the United States Championship," Sheamus said.
Sheamus continued by noting that he decided to let his talking happen in the ring. He gave Theory credit for accomplishing a lot in a short amount of time, but the veteran vowed to teach the young star a lesson when they face off.
"I just kind of decided to let my talking happen in the ring. He’s done a lot, he’s done a lot in a short amount of time. He’s the youngest-ever United States Champion. He’s very impressive in the ring, he can do a lot of stuff that I could probably never do. He’s very athletic, but he’s brash, he’s cocky. I get it. He’s come into WWE and in such a short time, he’s been breaking records and he’s been putting his name on the map. But sometimes, you run out of road. Sometimes you can drive into a brick wall, and that brick wall is me. I’m about to give him a different lesson than Edge, Rey, and John have given him. I’m going to show him why I am known as the hardest, toughest, and he’s going to see exactly what it’s like to step in the ring with [me]," he said.
Ahead of the title match, Sheamus stated that Theory has a lot of potential, but he has a long way to go. He described how the champion will have to step up to him in their match, and he expressed his belief that Theory will go from a boy to a man in the process. Sheamus then noted that it's been too long since he had a title, and he intends to end that drought when he faces Theory.
"For Theory, he’s got a lot of talent, a lot of potential, but there’s a long road ahead of him. Short-term, he’s done great, but he’s about to go from a boy to a man when he steps in there with me. I know Bobby’s been very physical on him, and we had that triple threat. But triple threats to me are different than singles matches. He’s got to basically step up to me the whole match and see what happens. There’s no better place than Friday Night SmackDown. I’ve made that place my home over the last couple years, and I haven’t had a championship around my waist since I lost that title a couple years ago at SummerSlam to Damian Priest. So I think it’s about time that I got a bit of gold back around my waist, and there’s no [more] perfect time than this Friday," Sheamus said.
Nick Khan recently stated that WWE is open to adding a third hour to SmackDown. Check out his comments here.
Click here to see what John Cena had to say about his feud with Austin Theory.
Check out the card for the May 26 episode of WWE SmackDown here. Fightful will have live coverage of the show as it airs.
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