WWE Abruptly Splits Up Popular Tag Team
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The WWE tag team of A-Town Down Under is officially over.
On the July 21st episode of Monday Night Raw, Grayson Waller announced that his partner, Austin Theory, has suffered an injury and that their team is finished, before delivering a scathing promo on social media.
This split brings an end to a partnership that has been teased with dissension for well over a year. Waller made it clear he has no sympathy for his now-former partner.
Waller's Scathing Message
Following the on-screen announcement, Grayson Waller took to social media to send a direct and insulting message to the injured Austin Theory. He claimed that he "saved" Theory's career and that their partnership was a waste of his own time.
"You should be celebrating the fact that Big G, Grayson Waller, saved Austin Theory's career," Waller began. "Remember two years ago when John Cena buried him alive on Monday Night Raw, I watch it all the time, it's one of my favorite Raw moments of all time. Imagine where he'd be without Grayson Waller."
More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation
He continued, "I just wasted two years of my career making you relevant, and now that that's done, I can finally remind everyone just who Grayson Waller is."
Appolo crews and Titus battle in the ring during the WWE show at Zenith Arena on may 09, 2017 in Lille north France. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN
Appolo crews and Titus battle in the ring during the WWE show at Zenith Arena on may 09, 2017 in Lille north France. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN
The Infamous John Cena Promo
Waller's comments refer to a now-legendary promo segment on the road to WrestleMania 39. During their verbal confrontation, John Cena brutally ran down Austin Theory, questioning his authenticity and telling him that the fans did not care about him.
Many fans and critics believe the promo was so harsh that it legitimately stalled Theory's momentum as a rising star.
Waller is now using this famous moment as the foundation for his new rivalry with Theory. He claims that by teaming with him, he gave Theory a WrestleMania moment by winning the tag team titles and made him relevant again.
A Partnership Built On Tension
The breakup of A-Town Down Under has been a long time coming. The team of two arrogant heels was formed in 2023, and while they found success, there was always underlying tension. They captured the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 40 in a chaotic six-pack ladder match.
Throughout their reign and in the months since, WWE has consistently teased a split. The two would often argue, show jealousy towards one another, and accidentally cost each other matches.
Now, with Theory on the shelf with an undisclosed injury, Waller has used the opportunity to officially end the partnership on his own brutal terms. When Theory eventually returns, a heated feud between the two former champions is inevitable.
More WWE News:
For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hulk Hogan's greatest moments in professional wrestling 'run wild on you'
Hulk Hogan's back had weakened, a failed early attempt at slamming all 525 pounds of Andre the Giant left the 'Immortal One" unsteady as the World Wrestling Federation champion once more needed to rally to beat another of wrestling's baddest bad guys. Andre wrapped his tree-trunk arms around the champ and tried to wring the final breaths out of Hogan with a bear hug so tight that more than 90,000 fans in Detroit almost witnessed the final day of Hulkamania. But, wait! This was Hulk Hogan. Wrestling's biggest star had more late comebacks than fellow 1980s sports stars John Elway or Michael Jordan combined. Hogan had some gas left in the tank, some extra bite in those 24-inch pythons, and hammered away at Andre. One right hand, then another one, and another! Wrestling fans roared as they knew the bad news that was coming for Andre. Hogan fought back — much as he did against those 1980s baddies out of the Cold War or Iran — and finally body-slammed Andre the Giant. Hogan hit the hopes and delivered his famous leg drop on Andre's chest to get the three count. Hulk Hogan won again at WrestleMania. He always won, of course. It's what the story called for and there was no reason for WWF owner and pro wrestler puppeteer Vince McMahon to ever deviate from the plan of Hulkamania running wild. Why would he? Hogan had the hulking size, the charisma and catchphrases — 'What'cha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?' — that led the industry out of gyms and regional arenas and into NFL stadiums, like that 1987 night when Hogan beat Andre at the Pontiac Silverdome in WrestleMania III. 'There he is,' announcer Gorilla Monsoon said, as Hogan played to the crowd, 'the greatest professional athlete in the world today.' Whether you break out an eye roll or crank up Hogan's ' Real American ' anthem to that statement depends, of course, on one's ability to suspend disbelief. There is no denying, though, just how real Hogan's impact was on professional wrestling and pop culture in the 1980s. He stood toe-to-toe with Rocky Balboa. He fought side-by-side with Mr. T. He hosted 'Saturday Night Live' and flexed on the cover of Sports Illustrated. 'He did what he set out to do,' WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter said Friday by phone. 'He became the most recognized, not only professional wrestler and sports entertainer in the world, he's probably top-five of anybody you'd recognize when you saw him.' WWE has long claimed the paid attendance of WrestleMania III was 93,173, a number some historians claim is as artificially inflated as the chemically-enhanced biceps of that era. What can't be disputed, when the two had their match in 1988, live on national television, more than 33 million fans tuned in to NBC, still far and away the record for largest viewing audience in American televised wrestling. Making money and moving merch. That was the real power of Hulkamania. Hogan, who died Thursday in Florida at age 71, left behind more than three decades of memorable matches that captured the spirit of those little Hulkamaniacs to the ones that loved to hate him in the 1990s as 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan in the New World Order. Here are some of his best moments. He beat the Sheik Hogan wasn't some upstart when he returned to the WWF (now WWE) in late 1983. He tested the waters of Hulkamania in the old American Wrestling Association and made his famous appearance as Thunderlips in 'Rocky III,' when was beckoned back to WWE and became an instant contender to face the champion, the hated Iron Sheik. Hogan broke out of the dreaded camel clutch and pinned the Sheik to become the new champion on Jan. 23, 1984, at Madison Square Garden — the building paid tribute to Hogan on Thursday night — and set the course for Hulkamania. He was champion for 1,474 days before losing to Andre in 1988. Slamming Andre Back before the internet spilled behind-the-scenes secrets, and there was easy access to watch wrestling around the globe, WWE created its own version of wrestling history. If the company said Andre the Giant had never been slammed, and had never been pinned over a 15-year undefeated streak, then it was believed to be true (neither were, of course). Yet, the faux hype set the stage for the match that changed wrestling forever. 'Andre the Giant was a momentum-shifting moment where he passed his torch,' Hogan said in a 2009 interview with the AP. 'He was like the icing on the cake. Once he blessed me, it was up to me to mold that business and carry it through.' You can call this the New World Order of wrestling, brother By 1996, Hogan's good-guy, beats-the-odds character had grown stale as he made the shift from WWE to Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling. Hogan even started to get booed as wrestling fans clamored for a new direction, a new star on top. They got one. 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan. For weeks, two former WWE stars had 'invaded' WCW and claimed they were taking over the company. That led to a six-man tag-team match where the two outsiders, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, promised a third man to help with their cause. No one showed to help the two until the end, when Hogan walked out in his red-and-yellow attire, and stunned the crowd when he put the leg drop on Randy Savage. Hogan was third man. He ditched his traditional colors for black-and-white, sunglasses, dark facial hair and embraced the 'Hollywood' heel persona. Much as he did a decade earlier, Hogan led WCW to new heights and the company would defeat WWE in the TV ratings for 83 straight weeks in what would be known as the 'Monday Night Wars.' Hogan lost as much as he won without his Hulkamania powers. He still moved the needle where it mattered most and made WCW must-see TV every Monday night. It's icon vs. icon against The Rock With WCW out of business and bought by McMahon, Hogan kept a low profile until he made a comeback with WWE in 2002. He returned with Hall and Nash as the NWO but at this point, WWE fans wanted their old Hulkster back. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was WWE's baby-faced crowd favorite when he met the villainous Hogan at WrestleMania in an 'Icon vs. Icon' match in WrestleMania in 2002. One problem, the Toronto crowd decided to back Hogan. 'When we hit the ring, 70,000 loyal people didn't want to hate Hulk Hogan,' Hogan said in 2009. 'Everybody kind of started to panic and I just said, 'Brother, stick with me and I'll get you through this.'' After the match, the cheers for Hogan called for a last-second change of plans, with his former NWO allies running down to attack him. The Rock helped Hogan fight off the NWO and the two men posed together to riotous cheers. 'As I raised his hand and said he's the greatest wrestler in the world, they had to turn me back red and yellow immediately,' Hogan said. 'It's kind of interesting, that was going to be the nail in my coffin. It turned out to be the fountain of youth for me.' ___ The story story has been corrected to show it's American Wrestling Association, not Alliance. ___ AP sports:
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hulk Hogan's wife says her 'heart is in pieces' after WWE star's death
Hulk Hogan's wife Sky Daily Hogan is opening up one day after his death. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer and world champion, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea, died Thursday, according to Clearwater, Florida, police and WWE. He was 71. The news of Hogan's death sent shockwaves across Hollywood and the wrestling world. Hulk Hogan, WWE Hall of Famer and legendary champion, dies at 71 Daily Hogan took to Instagram on Friday and wrote, "I wasn't ready for this… and my heart is in pieces." She continued, "He had been dealing with some health issues, but I truly believed we would overcome them. I had so much faith in his strength. I thought we still had more time." "This loss is sudden and impossible to process," she continued. "To the world, he was a legend… but to me, he was my Terry. The man I loved. My partner. My heart." The couple married in September 2023. At the time, Hogan shared a video from their nuptials on Instagram, captioning it, "My new life starts now!" In a separate post at the time, Daily Hogan wrote, "Our new life starts now!" Hogan's marriage to Daily Hogan was his third. He was previously married to Linda Hogan from 1983 to 2009. During their marriage, they had two children: Brooke Hogan and Nick Hogan. The family was featured in the VH1 reality series "Hogan Knows Best." In December 2010, Hogan married Jennifer McDaniel. They were married for 11 years before Hogan filed for divorce in 2021. Hulk Hogan dies at 71: Wrestling stars, celebrities and more react In her post on Friday, Daily Hogan shared how much her late husband "loved his fans so much." "And despite his growing physical discomfort, he did everything he could to show up, sign autographs, take photos, and connect with the people who supported him through it all. You meant everything to him," she added. She ended her message by saying that her husband was "a believer in Christ, and I take comfort knowing his soul is at peace and he's been welcomed home." "Please keep his family and all of us who loved him in your prayers as we try to navigate this new reality," she wrote.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
WWE SmackDown results, highlights (July 25): WWE pays tribute to Hulk Hogan
"SmackDown" touched down in Cleveland with SummerSlam on the horizon. Unfortunately, it's been a rough past 48 hours for the wrestling world after the loss of the iconic Hulk Hogan. Appropriately, WWE acknowledged the legend right from the start. 💪 Tribute of the Night "SmackDown" celebrated the indescribable impact of Hulk Hogan with a tribute to Terry Bollea's life and legacy. It continued throughout the night, and interestingly enough, had comments about his legacy being "complex" mentioned by commentary and even Cody Rhodes. What more can be said that hasn't already been said? I haven't commented on the matter publicly, but to add my two cents, watching that excellent tribute video really made it feel bizarre to think that Hogan is gone. He truly is a figure worthy of that "Immortal" label. Reflecting on my earliest memories of Hogan is challenging. He had finished his final stint as a full-time wrestler with WWE by the time my fandom fully initiated around 2003. Honestly, I probably knew him more from "Hogan Knows Best," as I gradually learned more and more. Then there was the famous 2005 programs with Shawn Michaels. By then, it felt special to see him in action, despite the controversy surrounding how it ended. Ultimately, Hogan is unequivocally the biggest megastar pro wrestling has and will ever produce. 🗑️ Contrast of the Night There literally wasn't any better way to show the incredible change of times, going from the Hogan tribute to the Logan Paul and Jelly Roll program. I'm not going to spend much time on this whatsoever because it was as cringeworthy as you'd imagine, and nothing more than the pure business move it is. You can argue that this will enhance Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre as team members, but come on. We know that it won't in the long run. And it's not even like either needs a boost. McIntyre, specifically, just needs something to do, and here we are. It's bad and dumb, man. I suppose you could also argue that it's a callback to the old days of Hogan's prime and the early WrestleMania era, but we've evolved, and this is all for non-wrestling fans. 👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑 I won't lie to you guys, it's been difficult to hand out the Uncrowned Gem award in recent weeks, and not because there have been too many good happenings to choose from. Even on this "SmackDown," Roxanne Perez's victory over Alexa Bliss, achieved by a roll-up and holding the ropes, was far from perfect. So, let me just say that it was an incredibly stupid in-character move by Bliss to save Charlotte Flair from Raquel Rodriguez on the outside, as it cost her. She had Perez lined up for Twisted Bliss, and it took about three years for Bliss and Rodriguez to formulate that rough spot. Bliss also busted open her nose from it, falling straight into Rodriguez's knees. The blood added to the whole moment though, and most importantly here, story-wise, this was incredibly good to see Bliss and Flair care more and more about each other — to the point that it costs them matches. They're both so wildly likeable together, and I can't reiterate enough how much this has salvaged Flair's goodwill she lost with the audience. It will all culminate at SummerSlam when they become champions. Despite the awful women's tag team "division" and its lack of care, that title tilt is one I'm most excited for at the two-night event. 🥴 Senslessness of the Night Jade Cargill essentially squashed Chelsea Green in a somewhat impromptu match after a backstage comedy spot. I'm over The Secret Hervice, and this is a weird booking choice after what happened on "Raw" with the ruining of the Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky rematch. It's as if they're the fallback jobber squad whenever WWE doesn't know what to do on a weekly show. It's not so much a Green problem because she's great. It just feels like she could be utilized more effectively while the TV time gets spread throughout the roster. It also makes zero sense for Tiffany Stratton even to consider helping her seemingly invisible title challenger. This was all around awful. 🤢 Regurgitation of the Night Abolish the Women's U.S. title. This is embarrassing. How? How can Triple H completely disregard so many female wrestlers? Especially after Evolution. On next week's "SmackDown," Zelina Vega gets a rematch against the champion who beat her, Giulia, without having won since, and just because, I guess. This also came with Kiana James randomly becoming Giulia's manager. Here's a crazy idea. Totally and utterly insane stuff, right? Book James — a fresh face — to seek the title instead of one of the same four people who have circled this title since it was introduced. There's nothing to care about with this rematch, and Giulia, of all people, deserves better. She's suffering from that Iyo Sky World Champion predicament of just not getting booked after winning the title, and when she does, it's lame. Admittedly, this is made so, so, so, so, so much worse when you look over at what's been going on with the Women's Intercontinental title. 🤬 DQ of the Night I don't even want to talk about this boiling garbage. The number of times I repeated "Oh my God" from annoyance when Nikki Cross got The Wyatt Sicks DQ'd in their title defense against Andrade and Rey Fenix is uncountable. It's legitimately impressive how WWE has managed to waste such degrees of this jam-packed, talented tag team division. The only good thing about this is that now SummerSlam gets a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the titles between all the teams. Yes. That means The Wyatt Sicks vs. The Street Profits vs. Fraxiom vs. DIY vs. Andrade and Fenix vs. Motor City Machine Guns. As fun as that overbooked chaos could be, it might actually be too much, and delaying it with these stupid bookings in the interim was so unnecessary. Just do the thing, man. You want to keep The Wyatts protected? This is a smart way to do it, but it simultaneously displays the whole problem with them to begin with. 👍 FRIDAY NIGHT FIRE 👍 1. The aforementioned Rhodes cut an excellent promo on John Cena before their SummerSlam "street fight" rematch. It's somewhat of clockwork at this point, as he asked for the "real" Cena to show up. So, all we can await is the potential double turn, or at the very least, Cena's turn back to a face. 2. Jacob Fatu beat The Miz with a pop-up Samoan drop before a Solo Sikoa and MFT beatdown. The match and aftermath were whatever, but what was great about this was seeing the fired-up Miz return in his hometown. A confident Miz is always great on the mic and more interesting to watch, thanks to his usual cowardice. 👎 DOWN & OUT 👎 There was an overly dramatic promo video for Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black on next week's "SmackDown." Listen, the match should be pretty good, but this couldn't feel more forced. Black playing a "debt collector" role is cool, but there is no debt here. He started the feud — because Priest talked to him. 👑 WWE's hot is hot, and the cold is icy. There hasn't been much consistency lately, except for some wildly annoying decisions. I give this show a Crown score of: 2.5/10. 👑
