Professional wrestling is a strange beast, especially when your real-life boss simultaneously plays a character on television...that is your boss too. This is the special role Vince McMahon has played over the years, a weird mix of playing the Chairman on WWE television while overseeing the creative of WWE for its main shows since their inception. This has created what some might call a conflict of interest; mixing professional and personal relationships interchangeably. The recent allegations against Vince McMahon only further highlight how influential one's relationship with the boss can affect their position on television. Naturally, over the years, WWE has pitched wrestlers as hand-picked athletes by Mr. McMahon on television to be the next big thing. In today's landscape, Theory is the current wrestler that has been deemed "the chosen one" by Vince McMahon, but it's worth analyzing it further to determine how much of the Theory/McMahon relationship is scripted or real.

Vince McMahon Sees Theory As The Next John Cena

WWE has been looking for the next John Cena to take over as the face of WWE for years now. While Roman Reigns has finally reached the level of super stardom after years of booking him at the top of the card, the reality is that Roman Reigns' reduced wrestling schedule is a sign that he is following the route Cena and The Rock did at the end of their careers as they slowly switch towards Hollywood. This means that WWE must once again identify the next candidate to take the role as the face of the company for the next decade or so, and apparently Mr. McMahon has viewed Austin Theory as the closest thing WWE has to a John Cena, and rightfully so. Theory has performed exceptionally well in the segments he is involved with, has used his selfie camera gimmick to perfection, has excelled in the ring, and carries that "it" factor with his looks. To top it off, at just 24 years old, Theory is young and will be in WWE for years to come.

Theory Uses His Relationship With Vince McMahon To His Advantage

While it has become evident that behind the scenes Mr. McMahon views Theory as the complete package and a future main eventer for WWE, fans focus more on their television relationship, and strong it appears to be. At first, their relationship appeared to be a classic case of old mentor and young, inexperienced rookie, but it has slowly evolved into The Chairman and his handpicked favorite. As a heel, Theory uses his relationship with the boss to his advantage at every chance he can, from unfair matchups to title opportunities. Theory went as far as booking himself into the Money in the Bank match after losing his United States Championship, and went on to win the briefcase despite not qualifying for the MITB match in the first place like everyone else had to do. Simply put, Theory can do whatever he wants on Raw, and if anyone questions it, then he can just name-drop Mr. McMahon and whoever is challenging him will immediately go silent out of fear of getting on the back side of their boss.

Related: Is Austin Theory Vince McMahon's Next "Chosen One"? Is That A Good Thing?

With Vince McMahon's Backing, Theory Is Ready To Go Far In WWE

At the end of the day, WWE is a business, and they are in the business of making money. While Vince McMahon most certainly has his favorites and develops personal relationships with some of his employees, he is always looking at the bottom line; finding the next superstar to promote in his company. His decision to have Theory work alongside him on television is a sign that he thinks Theory has the potential to a big star in his company. Theory has been asked about his own experience working alongside Vince McMahon, and he gave a candid response. Theory was interviewed on After The Bell with Corey Graves and talked about working on screen with Vince McMahon on Monday Night RAW. He noted, "It’s like when you think wrestling, and you think wrestling god, it’s Vince McMahon." He added, "I think when I’m sitting there and I’m talking with him, it doesn’t get bigger than this, and already." Just like former wrestlers who worked alongside McMahon like Stone Cold, The Rock, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Drew McIntrye, Theory has been a given a special opportunity and is simply doing what any person would, knocking it out of the park every week in hopes of reaching the same level of success as other wrestlers who got the chance to work alongside Vince McMahon.