Austin Theory has been the WWE United States Champion since all the way back on November 26th, 2022, when he secured the win and his second tenure with the title at Survivor Series in a triple threat match with Bobby Lashley and then-champion Seth Rollins.

Since that fateful day around Turkey Day, Theory has defended his title on 10 occasions, took the belt from RAW to SmackDown as part of the WWE Draft, and has formed an unlikely union with the boys of Pretty Deadly, Elton Prince and Kit Wilson.

But why? Why has Theory, a performer who seemingly only wants to be friends with men in their 70s, decided to shag up with a couple of British grapplers with serious NXT pedigree? And why did Pretty Deadly, a duo who aren't the biggest fans of America or unfashionable men, looking to work as The Usos for the United States Champion's “Tribal Chief?” Well, after securing the win over Sheamus on SmackDown in a match that featured plenty of help from the “Killer Queens” in the lead-up to the finish, Kayla Braxton caught up with “A-Town's finest” to ask him just that on the SmackDown LowDown, and the answer was, shall we say, interesting.

“You know, I’ve gotta say, Kayla, you’re pretty nosy, but I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Theory said. “Those two guys are handsome guys, they’re young, just like me, they’re strong, just like me, and I get it, they want some advice from the greatest United States Champion of all time. And speaking of the greatest United States Champion of all time, Austin Theory, see I, uh, I went out there once against and beat Sheamus like I said I would do. Rey Mysterio? Beat him. The ‘Rated-R Superstar’ Edge? Beat him. Mr. ‘You can’t see me’ John Cena? Guess what? Beat him too, but everybody seems to just talk, and all I do is win.  Why? Because I do this all day, every single day I wake up, this is on my mind, this championship. I can’t be touched, and guess what? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, SmackDown is now A-Town Down; get used to it.”

What is WWE doing with Austin Theory at the moment? Yes, he's the United States Champion, but he's rarely been given the promo time since jumping to SmackDown and almost exclusively wins matches now via an assist from Pretty Deadly. Is WWE inching towards a change on SmackDown‘s mid-card title, maybe with LA Knight or even Edge getting the rub? Or is Creative simply waiting to unleash Theory in the right angle now that he's finished up his storyline with the Brawling Brutes? Fans will have to keep tuning in to find out.

Pretty Deadly explain why they've decided to work with Austin Theory.

Speaking of the unholy union – no, not that Unholy Union – between Austin Theory and Pretty Deadly, Steve Fall for WrestlingNewsCo actually caught up with Elton Prince and Kit Wilson to see why they've decided to throw their hat in with the United States Champion as a trio, especially since WWE doesn't have a Trios Championship like AEW, NJPW, or Ring of Honor. For Pretty Deadly, the decision is pretty simple, Theory seems like a pretty good person, and it's “always good to associate with good people.”

“It’s good to associate yourself with good people,” Elton Prince said via Fightful. “He’s a champion, he’s been doing great. So naturally, we’re just trying to make some friends. We don’t like too many people. It’s a niche group. We have a small, very tight-knit group. Theory is one of them that we’ll welcome in.”

“He’s just a good guy,” Kit Wilson added. “In WWE, sometimes, people like to shove it down your throats, Kirk, ‘Oh yeah, we’re friends. We gotta be on TV every single week.’ We don’t need to associate ourselves in front of the camera. Behind the scenes, we’re close. He’s a champion. We’re gonna be champions. Sometimes you’ll see us, sometimes you won’t, but it’s a good thing. We’ve got a good thing going.”

Do Pretty Deadly and Theory actually associate with each other when the cameras stop rolling? Do the trio hang out, grab pints at the local pub, or meal-prep chicken and rice bowls for maximum gains at the gym, or is this all for show, with PD opting for high-class activities whereas Theory opts for more egalitarian ventures, being that he is a man of the people? For the sake of keeping Kayfabe alive, let's hope it's the former.