Austin Aries Discusses His Release From WWE, Future Plans

Austin Aries was recently a guest on Talk Is Jericho, where he discussed a number of topics. Among them were his match with Neville at WrestleMania 33, the recent release from WWE, future plans and more.

Below are some highlights from the interview:

On his match with Neville being on the kickoff show of WrestleMania 33:

“The first thing that hit that night for WrestleMania 33 was my music and that crowd exploded and I walked out. They didn’t explode for me. It was like, ‘after four hours in this heat, the show is starting!’ That wasn’t lost on me, Chris. But the other part of me that’s like, ‘it was because of me! It was my music! It was just like ‘Stone Cold’ when the glass shattered! Did you see them?’ But, no, man, seriously though, it was awesome. I had felt, I had been there the year before and I know how empty that arena was for those guys that went out there and busted their ass[es] at the preshow or the kickoff show. And I think Neville and myself took a sense of pride that that place was pretty full and people were sitting in their seats, ready to see our match. It was the Kickoff [Show] and that place was pretty full and they were ready to rock and roll and be entertained.”

Neville vs. Austin Aries - WWE Cruiserweight Title Match: WrestleMania 33 Kickoff

On his release from WWE:

“I was just told they have nothing for me and they’re going to let me go. And I expressed that, obviously, that was unfortunate. I wasn’t completely surprised. I felt maybe from things leading up to it that that maybe the direction we’re going to head, but, hey man, that’s a business decision and the bottom line is I think I appreciate the opportunities that I was given there. I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t ask to be released. It never crossed my mind. I never had that conversation with anybody. I was more than happy to spend the time getting healthy and figuring out what they had for me next because, literally, I was happy to do whatever. I’ll go to NXT, put me as a mouthpiece, take me out of 205 [Live]. You can do anything with me. Like, I’m open and I’m at a point in my career where I’ve won championships, I’ve done all these things, and it’s cool, and I realized that I take pride in being a utility guy. Like, could you build Austin Aries to be the world champion? Well, yeah, you could. Right, but if you asked me, ‘would you build Austin Aries to be the world champion?,’ I’d go, ‘well, there [are] probably 10 other guys I’d do first, but could you do it with me? Sure, against the right opponent, with the right story and the right build, I can handle the load. I know, like, I have the talent, but I wouldn’t be the ideal choice and that’s not lost on me. Luckily for me, I can do a lot of things and be a valuable asset that has nothing to do with winning titles or championships or any of that, so that [has] never been an issue. It was a business decision and I respect that.”

On his future plans and the money he is making on the Independent Scene:

“I’ve got nine shows lined up for the rest of the year, starting mid-November with Tommy Dreamer’s House Of Hardcore. I’ve got some stuff internationally, but, literally, in those dates, I will make as much money as any month working for WWE. And listen, that was not taking a shot or a knock at the WWE money or the job there, man. It’s phenomenal and the upside there is unlike anywhere else. But there’s also something to be said for actually having control over how much money you can make and you don’t always have that there. And the nice thing is, and this is all I was really speaking about, I was a ‘top name’ on the indies for most of my career and I know the money that wasn’t or was there for you. It didn’t matter how good your name was or how good you were in the ring, the money just wasn’t there because the fans weren’t coming out to pay it, so I know what the limits were five years ago and 10 years ago. It’s what a guy could go out and make on his own and when I look at the landscape now, man, it’s all different and that’s an awesome thing.”

[h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the translation]

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