Teddy Long Says Austin Theory Should Beat John Cena At WWE WrestleMania 39

Austin Theory appears to be the future of WWE, at least in the eyes of several WWE Hall of Famers and former champions who have spoken out about the 25-year-old in recent months. This week, 2017 inductee Teddy Long praised the current WWE United State Champion's promising potential, and said he should get the win over John Cena at WrestleMania 39 in order to continue his skyrocketing trajectory. Talking to Sportskeeda's "WrestleBinge," Long said that a victory over the 16-time world champion on WWE's biggest stage could provide an enormous "boost" to Theory's already rising career.

"That's the way it should go," Long said. "He should beat Cena. Cena's going to leave and go back to Hollywood. Theory's going to be ready on the roster, so I think it's a good move for Theory. That's going to f***ing boost him and help him out." Cena returned to "WWE Raw" last week and was immediately confronted by Theory, who challenged the purveyor of hustle, loyalty, and respect to a one-on-one title match at the show of shows.

While it's been said Cena looks to use his return to WWE to help push younger talent, the wrestler-turned-actor got a bit harsh with Theory on "Raw" by paralleling the young star's career with his own rocky early years, and giving Theory some tough advice on what he needs to do to elevate his standing. He also gave Theory a stern warning: "If you and I have a match at WrestleMania and I win, you lose everything," Cena said, setting the table for what could be a monumental moment for Theory's career, should he come out on top.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "WrestleBinge" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.