After having his United States Championship “stolen” from him by Rey Mysterio on SmackDown, Austin Theory was afforded a chance to make things right at Payback, where he could secure the win and retrieve what he felt should still be his, becoming a three-time US Champ in the process.

On paper, Mysterio should have had the advantage, right? As he's the champion, he has the momentum, and he's already pinned Theory once before, but as John Cena pointed out in his conversation with Cathy Kelley, the 26-year-old former champion has a way about him, and that allowed him to secure a win at WrestleMania 39 against “The Face That Runs the Place.”

Using his size as a clear advantage in the match, Theory tossed Mysterio around with ease, but as the match progressed, the soon-to-be 49-year-old picked up on his foe's tricks and started to work his typical style of in-ring mastery, hitting Hurricanranas, Moonsaults, and even attempting a few 619s, even if the former champion at least had that one scouted and countered one into an A-Town Down attempt. Fortunately, Mysterio is very smart, and he used Theory's might against him, using his body weight to drop the duo to the ground and securing the pin with a roll-up for the 1-2-3 as the LWO – or should I say PWO – cheered on.

Was the match pretty? Yes. Did it have a definitive ending? Yes as well. But will Theory continue to complain about the outcome, saying he was cheated, the ref count was fast, or some other excuse? You bet; Theory is a heel, and when a heel isn't winning, there's always someone else to blame, even at Payback.