Aries Comments On TNA Rumors, WWE’s Global Cruiserweight, NXT

NXT performer Austin Aries recently appeared as a guest on Chicagoland Sports Radio’s “Fightclub Chicago” to promote upcoming NXT live events.
During the interview, Aries spoke about the upcoming WWE Global Cruiserweight Series tournament. Aries noted that he doesn’t believe he will be part of the tournament. According to Aries, that particular showcase should be reserved for newer talents.

“As far as I know, I will not be a part of that. I think that they’re using this tournament as an opportunity to kind of introduce maybe some more unknown talents to fans. I think the thought might be with where I’m at in my career that, not that I wouldn’t love to be a part of it, it is probably with the mindset behind it is that there are probably a lot of other guys that would benefit from that exposure. I think the idea is that whether it’s guys from within the system that maybe, again, haven’t been showcased or some guys that are from outside the system that have a chance to make an impression. These are all guys that I should be looking at because they are guys I could be in the ring with down the road.”

When asked who his dream opponent would be, Aries mentioned the likes of Eddie Guerrero and Vince McMahon before admitting that it is too difficult to choose one dream opponent. He did, however, make it clear that he wished he could have been managed by the legendary Bobby Heenan.

No matter who the dream match is because there [are] probably 100 of them on the list, I want Bobby Heenan as my manager. As long as I can get Bobby Heenan in my corner, then I’m a happy man because, to me, Bobby Heenan is one of the most underrated performers of all time. He’s in my top five of all time performers because I don’t think people realize just how good he was.”

Finally, Aries addressed the rumors surrounding TNA this week. Aries pointed out that he is too far removed from the company to speak on the subject with any knowledge, but did point to the ownership of the company likely being the source of the issues.

It always goes back to the ownership group. At the end of the day, you can change coaches and managers and players, but if there’s something intrinsic, something wrong, then you have to look at what the common denominator is, and, usually, you’ve got to look at the ownership because everything runs from there. All I can say is I hope they continue to remain a viable company where guys and girls can make a living and make money. The [professional] wrestling industry needs healthy, successful products and the more the better because that’s just more opportunities and jobs for the men and women who enjoy [doing] professional wrestling for a living.”