Well before making his debut, former WWE Money in the Bank winner Austin Theory was featured in the first Tom Holland-led Spider-Man movie, Homecoming, for Marvel.
Theory revealed his blink-or-you'll-miss-it cameo in Homecoming on X, formerly Twitter. He responded to a post from MCU Film News that stated Marvel was casting inmates for the upcoming Spider-Man: Brave New World movie.
He posted an image of his appearance, which came at the very end when Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) encounters Mac Gargan (Michael Mando) in prison in the mid-credits scene. Theory plays one of the inmates who walks past them. “I did my time already!” Theory captioned the photo.
I did my time already! https://t.co/ZkhjSYOL2G pic.twitter.com/ylBQ9vQeeJ
— Austin Theory (@_Theory1) April 26, 2025
Spider-Man: Homecoming came out in 2017, so Austin Theory was nearly a decade younger than the WWE star is now. He was probably around 19 or 20 years old when filming the scene, as evident in his young look.
It would be something to see Theory return in Brand New Day as another inmate. According to the former United States Champion, Theory was also an extra in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and Fist Fight.
Since joining WWE in 2019, Theory has become one of their top young stars. He wrestled on the independent circuit for years before signing with WWE, and he made his main roster debut in March 2020.
He was sent back to NXT in August 2020, feuding with Bronson Reed. After assisting Johnny Gargano in winning the NXT North American Championship, they created a stable called the Way. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell were also part of the group.
The Way was disbanded nearly a year later, in December 2021. Theory made his final NXT appearance in September 2021, attending the wedding of Hartwell and Dexter Lumis.
In 2021, Theory was drafted to Monday Night RAW as part of the WWE Draft. He began an on-screen apprenticeship with Vince McMahon, leading to him winning the Money in the Bank contract in 2022.
Within his first year on the main roster, Theory competed in Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber matches. Theory also had a singles match at WrestleMania 38 against Pat McAfee. He got to get in the ring with legends like Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins as well during this stretch.
He also won the United States Championship early in his main roster career. Theory won it a second time in a match against Rollins and Bobby Lashley. This reign lasted longer than his first, going 258 days before he lost to Rey Mysterio.
During his second reign, he beat John Cena at WrestleMania 39 to retain the United States Championship. Currently, he is in a tag team with Grayson Waller — another young upstart — called A-Town Down Under.
They won the WWE Tag Team Championship once, holding it for 90 days before dropping them to #DIY (Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa).