WWE's Austin Theory vs. AEW's Daniel Garcia: Which Young Star Will Have Best Career?

The WWE and All Elite Wrestling rosters boast plenty of promising prospects under the age of 30 who are surely being groomed for positions of prominence in their respective companies.

However, few have higher ceilings for success than WWE's Austin Theory and AEW's Daniel Garcia.

Both blue-chippers are well on their way to superstardom based on how they've been booked thus far and have the skill sets to back it up.

Theory currently carries the men's Money in the Bank briefcase, guaranteeing him a shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at any time and place of his choosing.

Meanwhile, Garcia is fresh off a ROH Pure Championship win in the main event of Dynamite on September 7.

Either of them holding world title gold within the next few years would not be far-fetched, but who will go down as having the superior career? Let's look at each up-and-comer's strengths and weaknesses and how they will fare in the future.

It was just over three years ago that Theory was signed to a WWE developmental deal at the age of 22 following a successful stint in Evolve and other independent promotions.

He wasn't in NXT long before making his debut on the main roster during the Performance Center era in March 2020 and then challenged for the Raw Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 36.

The WWE Universe was never properly introduced to Theory and thus his Raw run was short-lived. Returning to NXT was the best thing that could have happened to him, as his time spent with The Way (led by Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae) gave him a chance to establish his identity and develop a personality as a character.

Since returning to Raw in October 2021, he's racked up several high-profile wins over the likes of Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Dolph Ziggler and Finn Bálor, whom he beat for the United States Championship in April. He also became the youngest Mr. Money in the Bank winner of all time in July.

Although Garcia just won the ROH Pure Championship in his hometown of Buffalo, New York on his 24th birthday, he hasn't had nearly as decorated of a run in AEW yet.

That said, he's captured titles across the indies, including PWG's annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament and the PWG World Championship. He also competed in multiple main event matches early on in his AEW stint and has been featured prominently as a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society.

Ironically, despite Garcia's current gimmick as a member of Jericho Appreciation Society, Theory is the ultimate sports-entertainer in the best way possible.

As noted, Theory was far from main roster-ready when he was originally called up in 2020, but his year-long stint with The Way helped him tremendously. Although he was portrayed as an airhead more often than not and couldn't be taken seriously, he excelled as a character and was given countless opportunities to shine.

His evolution into a serious singles competitor on Raw has also been well done thus far. Understandably, he has been labeled as generic by some, but his charisma and ability to generate a reaction will be what makes him the top talent WWE is looking for.

This is an area Garcia is still lacking in compared to Theory, but he has made great strides in the last few months, largely thanks to his association with Chris Jericho.

2point0 did most of Garcia's talking for him upon his arrival in AEW, but his promos as part of his program with Jericho and Bryan Danielson have been great.

On the surface, nothing about Garcia stands out as super-special, but inside the ring is where he truly shines.

It was already evident during his hot streak on the independent scene in the years preceding his AEW debut, but an argument can be made for Garcia being among the best technical wrestlers in the world today.

Look no further than his recent 2-out-of-3 Falls match with Bryan Danielson on Dynamite, which was absolutely stellar. Time and again, he's proved he can hang with the best and adapt to any style.

His original encounter with Wheeler Yuta for the ROH Pure Championship at Death Before Dishonor in July was also excellent. Other critically acclaimed matches of his came against the likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley and Sammy Guevara.

All of those outings came within a one-year time period. Theory has been signed to WWE for three years and hasn't had anywhere near the number of memorable matches on either Raw or NXT.

That isn't to say he isn't a proficient wrestler, but he isn't quite on Garcia's level yet in that regard. He recently had a terrific bout with Kevin Owens on Raw, but otherwise fans are still waiting from that one breakout performance from Theory inside the squared circle.

Winning the men's WWE Money in the Bank contract typically (but not always) suggests the company has plans to push that person toward the main event scene. It also comes with the curse of constantly losing ahead of the eventual cash-in.

The mindset is that the briefcase holder is bulletproof because they will soon be holding world title gold. However, it only serves to hurt their momentum and damages their credibility in the process.

Theory has, unfortunately, fallen victim to that as of late. Aside from his clean win over Dolph Ziggler in the main event of Raw last month, he has suffered setbacks at the hands of AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre and others recently.

Garcia hasn't gone undefeated in AEW by any means and has endured his fair share of losses as of late, but his booking has been much more calculated to ultimately get him over with the audience.

His win over Bryan Danielson in July was huge for him, and he's always made to look strong in defeat. He may not have a guaranteed title shot in tow like Theory, but he's been elevated over the summer to a point now where he's believable in an upper-midcard role, if not higher.

Truth be told, you can't go wrong with either individual. Both have tremendous upsides that WWE and AEW would be foolish to not capitalize on as they get older, better and more experienced.

Speaking of their respective companies, Theory and Garcia are perfect right where they are at the moment, and jumping ship to the opposing promotion any time soon could severely hurt their trajectory.

It's almost too close to call given how many similarities they share, but Theory just edges Garcia as having the brighter future on the whole.

Despite his subpar booking, the WWE star is virtually guaranteed to win a world title soon. He fits the mold of what it wants of its top talent, and while Garcia checks many of the boxes himself, there's too much star power left over in AEW that the chances of him being a mainstay in the main event scene any time in the near future would be unlikely.

Garcia's rookie year with AEW has undoubtedly been impressive, but at the rate he's progressing, Theory can be a viable headliner within the year. In the long term, he's bound to be a bigger star, if only because WWE will provide him with the platform and push to ensure it happens.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.