Booker T Notes The One Thing Theory Is Missing That John Cena Had Access To
During the latest Hall Of Fame podcast, Booker T discussed the report that Vince McMahon sees Theory as the next John Cena. He admitted that is not a surprise to hear. For Booker, the United States Champion checks every box to reach the next level as a wrestler.
"I am not surprised at all, I can see the layout of the land as far as which guys are going to be moving up. Which guys are going to be used to move certain guys up. Theory, there again, he's young, he's got a look about himself," Booker said. "He goes in the ring and his performances are on point. He checks off every box, for me, as far as a guy that, I think, perhaps could get to the next level."
While Booker T thinks that Theory has been on point so far, he does stress that it's all down to him. The Hall Of Famer believes that no matter what Vince McMahon does, it's going to be up to Theory to step up.
"Theory is a guy that has been on point as far as knowing what this business is at this stage of the game. He's a young guy," Booker stated. "I said, 'he smiles when he wins, he smiles when he loses, and he smiles when he wants to do the best Stunner.' Everything this kid is doing right now is setting him up to be a major player over the next 10-15 years in the business.
"Those guys come through every now and then and you've got to know how to spot them. They can be here today and gone tomorrow. Take this into consideration: Vince McMahon can do all the right things as far as putting them in the right places to be that next guy, but it's going to be up to Austin Theory to step up to the plate."
John Cena took to social media to claim that Theory is better than he was at that point in his own career. Booker T believes that those comments should provide motivation to the younger wrestler.
"That right there, it's almost like that stamp of approval right there coming from John, for Theory. I'm sure that gave him just that little bit of motivation," he said. "You never know if you can be that guy, but when the guy who was that guy tells you that you could be, it might motivate you a little different. So, I am sure he's looking at this thing totally different now. My hope for Theory is just to keep everything in perspective and don't change a thing."
One area Booker T believes Theory is at a disadvantage in is the lack of veterans around him. He thinks that is something John Cena tapped into, and nowadays, that isn't around.
"We wanted to rally behind John Cena. John Cena was the guy who, there again, was a little bit different than most. He knew where to get the knowledge from. He knew the only way he could get to the next level was to go through certain channels. John Cena checked all of those channels and watched them all, from myself to JBL, all the way down the line. This kid sat under the learning tree to become a good performer.
"Not the best wrestler in the locker room because he was just not the best athlete in the locker room. But he became an awesome performer just because of the knowledge that he got throughout. That's the one place I think Theory is at a disadvantage. Theory doesn't have a lot of guys like myself and a lot of veterans that were around pushing for John to get to the top."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Hall Of Fame podcast with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.