No more bananas at the announcer’s table and Last Chancery in the ring, as WWE announced today in one of its classic statements that Austin Aries has been officially released.
If Aries was currently taking some time off to deal with neck and knee injuries, and also promoting a book on his vegan lifestyle, the news broke as a real surprise as Aries was scheduled to face Neville yesterday night at Madison Square Garden, New York, WWE live event (he was replaced by Cedric Alexander).
But it seems like it was something Aries wanted and requested, as his tweets let think.
https://twitter.com/AustinAries/status/883440263217242112
https://twitter.com/AustinAries/status/883451623456067585
After a 12-year career in TNA, Dragon Gate USA and ROH, Aries signed with TNA on January 2016. He was introduced in a NXT episode on March 2016, but was attacked by Baron Corbin. Aries earned his first match against Corbin at NXT TakeOver Dallas on April 1. He quickly declared his intention to become the next NXT Champion but was unsuccessful at in his match against Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: The End on June, 8.
After turning heel and defeating No Way José at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II on August 20, Aries teamed up with Roderick Strong for the second edition of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic but was unable to continue due to an eye injury he sustained during a live event match against Nakamura in October 2016. Aries revealed he now had permanent titanium plates to repair the large orbital socket break he was suffering from.
Aries came back in December 2016 as a color commentator for the Cruiserweight division matches on RAW, Main Event show, on PPV. But also of 205 Live, the show dedicated to the Cruiserweigths. On March 2017, Aries attacked WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville while interviewing him, letting know he was ready to come back to the ring.
He tried 3 times to defeat Neville for the title, at Wrestlemania 33, Payback and Extreme Rules in a submission match, always unsuccessfully. He announced quickly after Extreme Rules that he was taking some time off to deal with injuries: “I got a couple things going on and obviously at this point it might be a good time to take a little break (…) to try and get my mind and my body right and then come back and figure out what’s gonna be next.”
The direction he was expecting his career was going to take is now clearly going to be far away from WWE, while his partner in life Thea Trinidad recently signed with the company. But, even at 39, because of his in-ring and mic skills and his long-time knowledge of the wrestling business, his comeback in a major wrestling company for sure is not going to take a very long time.