It has been a rollercoaster ride for A-Town Down Under since their Wrestlemania triumph last year. Capturing the Smackdown Tag Team Championships in a six-pack challenge that featured Judgment Day, The New Day, DIY, Awesome Truth, and New Catch Republic suggested a strong finish to 2024 and substantial promise for 2025.
While Austin Theory and Grayson Waller haven’t suffered a severe dip in fortune since Wrestlemania, their tale as a tag team hasn’t quite gone to plan.
A-Town Down Under managed one defense of their tag titles before they were defeated by DIY. The reign was a respectable one, lasting 90 days. Since then, Theory and Waller have been fed to the likes of Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, as well as being fodder for the push of the Motor City Machine Guns.
Were A-Town Down Under destined to fail?
This consistent run of losses, beginning with the loss of their tag titles last July, has emphasized a strange crack in their dynamic. A-Town Down Under always seems to be on the edge of implosion and has often been the architect of their downfall in recent months.
The lion’s share of these mistakes have been Waller’s, leading to nasty bumps for Theory and losses for their team.
Johnny Gargano articulated this particularly well in the run-up to their tag team championship match. Gargano attempted to appeal to Theory, citing their long history.
“I’ve known you for a very long time, and we go way, way back. And I’ve always believed in Austin Theory. And I’m proud of what you’ve done on your own. That’s why it kills me to see you like this. To see you now. ‘Cause, man, someone’s gotta tell you he’s [Waller] using you.”
Raw Transfer: A fresh start or delaying an inevitable breakup?
2025, however, brought with it the hope of a new beginning. A-Town Down Under transferred to Raw, where the tag team division is far less crowded compared to Smackdown. However, since then, Austin Theory and Grayson Waller have become embroiled in a feud on NXT.
Ignited by a flurry of fists on a special edition of The Grayson Waller Effect at the end of January, Theory and Waller are now set to challenge Oba Femi for the NXT Championship in a triple threat match at Vengeance Day this weekend.
It is a feud that has been largely in A-Town Down Under’s favor. Firstly, they laid down the gauntlet by defeating Femi and Trick Williams in a tag team match on NXT on February 4th. Yet it was the following episode that really threw the NXT Universe a curveball.
The internal cracks that had so often threatened to erupt into violence served as the basis for something far more effective.
Can A-Town Down Under survive NXT Vengeance Day?
Waller and Theory began to trade tirades over the microphone, much to the delight of Oba Femi. Like everyone else, he was expecting the tensions to finally boil over.
Waller threw the first punch, initiating another episode of self-destruction. Only this time, Theory ducked. Femi took the hit, and then another, before being pressed up against the ropes.
Theory pulled his tag team partner back – but only momentarily. Suddenly, it turned into a double beatdown, the spat merely a veil for their true intentions. It was the first time that A-Town Down Under’s past grievances had been put to good use.
More than anything, it showed how dangerous Theory and Waller can be when they utilize their chemistry. It signifies a real threat to Oba Femi’s championship reign, but at the same time, fans will be very aware of the conflict of egos that has limited A-Town Down Under’s success in the past.
Should Theory or Waller win the title at Vengeance Day or cost one another the opportunity to win, it will surely have serious ramifications for their working relationship. Worryingly for A-Town Down Under, there are very few scenarios that do not threaten the last shreds of harmony their tag team has left.
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