Austin Theory On His Wrestling Inspirations: John Cena Was ‘A Huge Factor’ In My Childhood
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Austin Theory sat down with Mike Johnson of PWInsider before his headline match with Tomasso Ciampa on this week’s edition of NXT TV. As you might expect from a young upstart with tons of potential, Theory seems anything but nervous for his showdown with one of NXT’s toughest competitors.
I think I was in the right place at the right time. The reason being is because Tommaso Ciampa is not just any ordinary guy. He’s at the top of NXT and why not go out of my way and start something with him. Even though a lot of people say like, “Oh, what a beating that was.” I mean, look where it’s led me to this Wednesday, going one on one with Tommaso Ciampa.
When asked how he’s going to make the most of his opportunity to tell a story, Austin says that he’s looking at his encounter as more than just a match. “I feel like I do like to show off and show off my athleticism and stuff like that, but my mindset going into this is I just want to show a different side of me. I’m not looking at this is just a match. I’m looking at it as a fight. Tommaso Ciampa, he wanted to make an example of me and you don’t make an example of the future like that. So he’s going to get an Austin Theory that nobody has ever seen and especially the NXT Universe hasn’t seen.”
Austin also talked about his in-ring inspirations. Since he’s only 22 years of age, he grew up in a much different era than many of the men and women he’ll face on his path through WWE. He calls John Cena a particular inspiration, saying the WWE superstar helped him with self-confidence. “John Cena was just a huge factor on my attitude and the way I am.” He also admitted that Jeff Hardy inspired him to go into gymnastics.
The full interview goes more into detail about his growing reputation in WWE and what his plans are for WrestleMania weekend.
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