Austin Theory defeated Seth Rollins, Johnny Gargano, Bronson Reed, Damian Priest and Montez Ford in an Elimination Chamber match at the same-titled pay-per-view on Saturday to retain the United States Championship.

Theory was aided by a late appearance by Logan Paul, though, which allowed him to hang on for victory.

As Ford was helped from the structure following his elimination, the social media star sneaked in to stun The Visionary, and the titleholder took full advantage to seal the win.

Theory became a two-time U.S. champion at Survivor Series WarGames in November when he beat Rollins and Bobby Lashley in a Triple Threat, and he retained the title by the skin of his teeth against the same opponents in singles matches in the subsequent weeks.

The 25-year-old was often the beneficiary of interference, including Brock Lesnar returning to target Lashley, which created some questions regarding whether he truly deserved to be the U.S. champion.

Theory got the opportunity to prove himself at Elimination Chamber on Saturday, when he was tasked with defending the title against five of the top Superstars Raw has to offer.

A series of qualifying matches were held leading up to the event, meaning each participant earned their way into the contest.

In order to qualify, Rollins beat Chad Gable, Gargano beat Baron Corbin, Reed beat Dolph Ziggler, Priest beat Angelo Dawkins, and Ford beat Elias.

Since Triple H took over as WWE head of creative in July, he has clearly placed emphasis on adding prestige to the midcard titles, and contesting the United States Championship in a Chamber match was further proof of that.

The Elimination Chamber is typically reserved for world title matches and shots at belts at WrestleMania, but Saturday was a rare occasion when one of the other championships got to be in the spotlight.

It is clear that Theory is viewed as a potential top star in WWE by the top decision-makers in the company, and he got the chance to prove why in Montreal.

By beating five worthy challengers inside the Elimination Chamber, he has a ton of momentum on his side entering what should be a huge match for him at WrestleMania 39.

However, the interference by Paul is unlikely to be forgotten by Rollins ahead of The Show of Shows.

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