.jpg) Solwold in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (1978-04-15)April 15, 1978 (age 47)[2] Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.[2] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Austin Aries Austin Starr[1] Dan Sexon[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 202 lb (92 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Milwaukee, Wisconsin[4] Savage, Minnesota[5] |
| Trained by | Eddie Sharkey[2] Terry Fox[2] |
| Debut | November 11, 2000[1] |
Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by hisring nameAustin Aries, is an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is known for his time withTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a three-timeTNA World Champion and a six-timeTNA X Division Champion, andRing of Honor (ROH) where he was the first multi-timeROH World Champion. He is also known for his time withWWE, where he competed in thecruiserweight division as well as doingcolor commentary. Between TNA and ROH, Aries has held 14 total championships and has also held numerous international and United States independent championships.
Aries began to work with ROH in 2004, joining theGeneration Next faction. He won theROH World Tag Team Championship with his teammateRoderick Strong, and atFinal Battle 2004, ROH's biggest event, defeatedSamoa Joe to win the ROH World Championship, ending the latter's 645-day reign. He would regain the title in 2009, becoming the first multi-time champion. After moving on to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Aries won the X Division Championship six times. His first reign is the longest of the title's history at 301 days and created the "Option C" clause, trading the title for a TNA World Heavyweight title opportunity atDestination X, winning the title. He also won theTNA World Tag Team Championship and theImpact Grand Championship, becoming a Grand Slam Champion in Impact Wrestling.[2] After a short hiatus from the wrestling industry from 2019 to 2021, he made appearances for theNational Wrestling Alliance from 2021-2022 and has competed on the independent wrestling circuit since.
Solwold Jr. began training underEddie Sharkey and Terry Fox in 2000 and debuted on November 11, 2000 under the ring name "Austin Aries", facing "Sheriff" Johnny Emerald.[1] He wrestled in themidwest for several years before hiseast coast wrestling career was jumpstarted after he progressed to the finals of the 2004ECWA Super 8 Tournament, where he was defeated byChristopher Daniels.[1]
From there, he joinedRing of Honor. Aries made his ROH main show debut atROH: Reborn Stage 2 on April 24, 2004. Aries was unsuccessful, however, losing afour corner survival match also involvingJimmy Rave,Rocky Romero, and the winner,Nigel McGuinness.[6] Aries was scheduled to return at the show of May 22,Generation Next, to compete in a one night series which would showcase young, upcoming ROH talent.Alex Shelley, however, hand-picked Aries, along withRoderick Strong andJack Evans, as members of a newstable (also meant to promote young, upcoming ROH talent) who, instead of earning their spots, would simply take them. The group took the nameGeneration Next as their own.[2]
Aries captured theROH World Championship atFinal Battle 2004 on December 26, 2004, by defeating the longest reigning ROH World ChampionSamoa Joe.[7][8] On June 16, 2005, Ring of Honor named Aries the new head trainer at the ROHwrestling school, replacing the former head trainer,CM Punk, who had agreed to a contract withWorld Wrestling Entertainment.[9] After a six-month string of non-stop defenses, many of which were international, Aries lost the championship to CM Punk on June 18, 2005.[7][10]
On December 17 atFinal Battle 2005, Aries teamed with Strong to defeat Sal Rinauro andTony Mamaluke for theROH World Tag Team Championship.[11][12] The two then disbanded Generation Next on June 3, 2006. In a first time ever match, Aries took onPro Wrestling Noah wrestlerKENTA on June 24, but was defeated following KENTA'sGo 2 Sleep.[13]
On September 16, he and his partner Strong lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship toThe Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero andClaudio Castagnoli).[11][14] Aries and Strong continued to team together for the rest of the year. AtBattle of the Icons on January 27, 2007, Aries and Strong teamed up with Jack Evans to defeatDavey Richards,Delirious andSHINGO.[15] This apparent Generation Next reunion was short lived when, at the following show on February 16, Strong attacked Aries after their tag team title match againstChristopher Daniels andMatt Sydal.[16] Strong then formed the "No Remorse Corps" with Davey Richards.[16]Jack Evans ran down and pulled Strong off Aries, but refused to side with either of them. The following night, Aries called out Strong twice, but was unable to get his hands on him. When Evans refused to side with him, Aries said he was going to form a new faction with members of the next generation of wrestling. With that, he formed "The Resilience" withErick Stevens andMatt Cross.
On April 27, Aries unsuccessfully challengedTakeshi Morishima for the Ring of Honor World Championship.[17] On May 4, 2007, Ring of Honor announced on their website that they had signed apay-per-view deal with G-Funk Sports and Entertainment.[18] Following the announcement, TNA pulled Aries andHomicide, both under contracts with TNA, from all Ring of Honor shows.[18]
In July 2005,Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) held anInternetpoll to select an opponent for theTNA X Division ChampionChristopher Daniels at their August 14pay-per-view,Sacrifice. Billed as an "Internet dream match", the poll offered voters the choice of Aries,Roderick Strong,Jay Lethal andMatt Sydal, none of whom were contracted to TNA or had even appeared with the company on a regular basis in the past. Aries won the poll by alandslide, and thus faced Daniels in a non-title match at Sacrifice, which he lost.[19] Following the event, it was rumored that TNA officials had been impressed by Aries and were considering offering him a contract, and these rumors were seemingly substantiated when Aries faced and defeated Roderick Strong atUnbreakable on September 11 in a "showcase match".[20]
On September 22, 2005, Aries announced on his website that he had received a contract offer from TNA, and intended to sign it. He became a regular member of the TNA roster, and formed a stable withRoderick Strong andAlex Shelley. Many fans referred to this group as the second coming ofGeneration Next, which had contained Shelley, Strong, Aries, and Jack Evans in Ring of Honor.
In February 2006, he and Strong were both suspended for two months for arriving four hours late for the pay-per-viewAgainst All Odds. This occurred because of Aries and Strong's decision to remain inLong Island for an ROH show, despite TNA's last minute request to travel to Florida because of the potential of a snowstorm.[21]
In the build-up toBound for Glory, promos began to air advertising the debut of a new wrestler, Austin Starr, at the event with the slogan "A Starr is Born". Starr appeared for TNA on October 22 as the first entrant and became the winner of the "Kevin Nash Open InvitationalX DivisionGauntletBattle Royal" at Bound for Glory.[22] After the match, Kevin Nash presented Starr with abowling trophy and a hug.[22]
On the following episode ofImpact!, it was announced that Starr would work closely with Nash's groupPaparazzi Productions, much to the dismay of one of the group's founders, Alex Shelley. Starr replacedJohnny Devine as a member of Paparazzi Productions and participated in the Paparazzi Championship Series along with Shelley, eventually losing to Shelley in the finals atFinal Resolution 2007.[23] Starr then went on to feud withSenshi.
On April 18, 2007, Starr was suspended for ninety days.[24] On May 7 it was reported by theWrestling Observer Newsletter that the suspension stemmed from TNA asking Austin to tape promo vignettes on a day he believed to be his day off. Starr did ultimately agree to do the vignettes but TNA saw this as a bad attitude and was reason for his suspension. During the suspension, Aries requested, and was granted, his release from TNA.
One month after being granted his release from TNA, Aries made his return to Ring of Honor. AtUnited We Stand on June 22, 2007, Aries was in attendance, but as a "fan". During a match between the No Remorse Corps and The Resilience, he was verbally called out byRoderick Strong. Aries tried to climb over the guard rail, but was held back by security as he was no longer employed by the company. The following night, atDriven, Aries was again in attendance. Following asix-man tag team match between the No Remorse Corps andDelirious and The Resilience, Aries ran through the crowd and attacked the NRC. He then signed an ROH contract in the ring.
Aries' first match back came atRace to the Top Tournament: Night One, when he faced Roderick Strong, Jimmy Rave andGran Akuma in aFour Way Fray for theFIP World Heavyweight Championship.[25] The feud between The Resilience and the No Remorse Corps continued at ROH'sDeath before Dishonor V weekend. The first night, Aries teamed withErick Stevens to defeat Roderick Strong andRocky Romero.[26] However, they were not as lucky the following night, when they, along with Delirious, lost in aStreet Fight to the No Remorse Corps andMatt Sydal.[27]
AtManhattan Mayhem II, Aries defeated former Generation Next stable mates Roderick Strong andJack Evans in atriple threat match.[28] AtGlory by Honor VI: Night Two, Aries disbanded The Resilience in order to focus on regaining the ROH World Championship. AtRising Above, Aries faced current ROH championNigel McGuinness in a losing effort in an attempt to regain the ROH World Championship.[29]
Aries began to act frustrated due to losing matches and began refusing to shake hands after matches.Jimmy Jacobs displayed interest in adding Aries toThe Age of the Fall (AotF).Tammy Sytch also offered Aries her managerial services. Aries was defeated by McGuinness a second time atSupercard of Honor III in March 2008.[30] Afterwards, Aries left with Lacey, seemingly joining the AotF. Aries returned in April and revealed that Lacey had decided to leave the AotF and that he and Lacey had become a couple. This outraged Jacobs, who attacked Aries and started a feud with him. Shortly afterwards, Lacey was apparently attacked by Jacobs outside a gym.
On April 23, Aries was chosen by Jay Briscoe as his replacement for brother Mark Briscoe as to defend theROH World Tag Team Championship againstThe Age of the Fall after Mark was forced out of action due to an injury. The reasoning for this choice was Aries and theBriscoe Brothers' shared hatred for the Age of the Fall. Aries was not considered to have won the championship a second time, but rather to have been a substitute in a title defense. After their first and only title defense, the championship wasvacated.
On June 6 Aries teamed withBryan Danielson in Ring of Honor's one night tournament to crown new World Tag Team Champions. They defeated Roderick Strong and Davey Richards in the first round before being eliminated in the second by eventual winners Jimmy Jacobs andTyler Black.[31] On June 7 Aries and Danielson received a title shot against Jacobs and Black but were defeated when Black pinned Danielson with a Phoenix Splash.[32]
On June 27, Aries was defeated byNecro Butcher in a "Relaxed Rules" match following a chair shot to the head.[33] Aries had unsuccessfully attempted to get Butcher to leave the Age of The Fall and when Necro refused, he ceased fighting back against him. On June 28, Aries pinned ROH World Tag Team Champion Jimmy Jacobs in a "Relaxed Rules" match following a450° splash despite interference from Necro Butcher, Tyler Black, Allison Wonderland, andMsChif.[34] On July 25, Aries and Jay Briscoe teamed to defeat ROH World Tag Team Champions The Age of The Fall (Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black) in a No DQ Match when Briscoe pinned Black.[35] On July 26, in Detroit, Aries spent much of the show brawling with Jimmy Jacobs culminating in both men brawling at the top of a 20-foot ladder. Jacobs' partner in the Age of The Fall, Necro Butcher, eventually tipped the ladder over sending them both crashing through a table below.[36]
Aries continued his feud with Jimmy Jacobs throughout the fall. In the second Steel Cage Warfare Match atGlory by Honor VII, Aries' team (Aries, Briscoe Brothers) defeated Jacobs' team (Jacobs, Black, Delirious) and Necro's team (himself only).[37] The two had a best of three series to somewhat put an end to the feud. The first match took place atRing of Homicide 2, where Jacobs (with help from Delirious andBrodie Lee) defeated Aries in a Falls Count Anywhere Match.[38] The second match took place atBound By Hate, and Aries defeated the bloody Jacobs in a Dog Collar Match.[39] The deciding match was atRising Above 2009 in an "I Quit" Match. Lacey returned to ROH in Aries' corner, and Aries won the match. Aries continued his feud with the Age of the Fall this time against the heavily cheered Tyler Black. AtFinal Battle 2008, Black was defeated by Aries in a Number One Contender's Match.[40] After the match Jacobs attacked Black, and Aries ran in to make the save.[40] Instead, however, Aries teamed up with Jacobs to attack Black.[40] Aries later explained that the reason that he attacked Black was because the fans turned on him.
In addition to his work in ROH, Aries was announced as a member of Team Epic War forChikara'sKing of Trios 2009 tournament. On the first night, Aries, along withRyan Drago andTony Kozina, lost to the F1rst Family (Arik Cannon, Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz) in the first round. On the second night, Aries lost toPlayer Dos in theRey de Voladores opening four corners match. On the final night, Aries lost toEddie Kingston in a singles match.
In early 2009, Aries also underwent a complete character transformation, cutting his long hair, donning new pink and black trunks, and coming to the ring in a bright pink fur jacket. He dropped his darker persona and adapted to a new ladies man gimmick, often referring to himself as "A Double" and "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived", the latter after asong byWeezer, which also became his new entrance theme.[41][42]
On June 13, 2009, atManhattan Mayhem III, Aries won a three-way elimination match against the ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn and Tyler Black, to become the first person to have held the ROH World Championship on more than one occasion.[7] On December 19, 2009, atFinal Battle 2009, ROH's first live pay-per-view, he defended the title by wrestling Tyler Black to a 60-minute time limit draw.[43] On February 13, 2010, at the main event of ROH's 8th Anniversary Show, Aries lost the ROH World Championship to Tyler Black.[7][44] During the following months he feuded with Delirious and Jerry Lynn, while also becoming the manager ofRhett Titus andKenny King, the tag team known collectively as theAll Night Express, dubbing himself the "Greatest Manager That Ever Lived".[45] In October 2010 Aries' profile was removed from ROH's official website, after reports had surfaced that the promotion was going to be cutting down the size of their roster.[46] On October 6, 2010, competing promotionEvolve announced that Aries would make his debut for the promotion on November 20.[47]
On October 12, 2010,Dragon Gate USA announced that Aries had signed a contract with the promotion.[48] Aries made his debut for the promotion on October 29 at the Bushido: Code of the Warrior pay-per-view, where he was defeated byOpen the Dream Gate ChampionMasato Yoshino in a non–title match. After the match,Rich Swann, whom Aries had offered to adopt as his protégé, turned his offer down.[49] On January 28, 2011, atUnited: NYC, Aries defeated Swann in a singles match.[50] The following month Aries started a storyline, where he claimed to have lost the motivation to continue his professional wrestling career, after failing to make the cast ofWWE Tough Enough, before offering to put his Dragon Gate USA career on the line in order to get one last shot atYamato and theOpen the Freedom Gate Championship.[51][52] On April 2 atMercury Rising 2011, Aries was unsuccessful in his challenge, thus seemingly bringing his Dragon Gate USA career to an end.[52] The following day atOpen the Ultimate Gate, Aries was defeated by Jimmy Jacobs in what was billed as his Dragon Gate USA farewell match. However, after the match Aries feigned passing the torch toChuck Taylor,Johnny Gargano and Rich Swann, the trio known collectively as Ronin, before turning on them and joining the promotion's topheel group, Blood Warriors, claiming to have found his purpose under the leadership ofCIMA.[53] Blood Warriors and Ronin faced each other in a six-man elimination tag team match on June 5 atEnter The Dragon 2011, which Ronin won after Johnny Gargano managed to submit the Gargano Escape on both CIMA and Aries.[54]
On June 9, 2011, it was reported that Aries had left both Dragon Gate USA and Evolve to reportedly pursue a career outside of professional wrestling.[55] Aries later revealed that he considered retiring from professional wrestling because he "didn't want to beRandy the Ram in 10, 20 years." However, he decided to continue wrestling after receiving an offer from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, to be a part of the X-Division Showcase.[56]
On June 13, 2011, at the tapings of the June 16 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries made a return to TNA, defeating Jimmy Rave andKid Kash in a first round match of theX Division Showcase tournament for a contract with the promotion.[57][58] On July 10 atDestination X, Aries defeated Jack Evans,Low Ki andZema Ion to win the tournament and earn a contract with TNA.[59] In his first match onImpact since being officially re-signed, Aries defeatedShannon Moore in a singles match, after hitting him with a steel chain and then pinning him for the victory, thus returning to his A Double character and establishing himself as a heel.[60] On the July 21 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries cost Alex Shelley, who had previously confronted him on his win over Shannon Moore, his shot at the TNA X Division Championship.[61] Two weeks later, Aries defeated Shelley in a singles match.[62] On August 7 atHardcore Justice, Aries and Shelley competed in a three-way match for the TNA X Division Championship, but were both unable to win the belt from the defending champion,Brian Kendrick.[63]
On the August 18 episode ofImpact Wrestling Aries won an eight-man gauntlet match to earn another shot at the X Division Championship.[64] On September 11 atNo Surrender, Aries defeated Kendrick to win the X Division Championship for the first time.[65] On October 16 atBound for Glory, Aries defeated Kendrick in a rematch to retain the title.[66] On November 13 atTurning Point, Aries defeatedJesse Sorensen and Kid Kash in a three-way match to retain the X Division Championship.[67] On December 11 atFinal Resolution, Aries defeated Kash in a singles match to retain the X Division Championship.[68] On January 8, 2012, atGenesis, Aries successfully defended the X Division Championship in a four-way elimination match against Jesse Sorensen, Kid Kash and Zema Ion.[69] On February 12 atAgainst All Odds, Aries defeated Alex Shelley with hisLast Chancery submission hold to retain the X Division Championship.[70] On the March 8 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries was defeated by Ion via disqualification, after Aries was caught using Ion's hair spray on him; as a result, Aries retained his title.[71] On March 12, Aries became the longest reigning TNA X Division Champion in history by breaking the previous record of 182 days, set by Christopher Daniels in 2005.[72] On March 18 atVictory Road, Aries successfully defended the title against Zema Ion.[73] On the following episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries again retained the title after he wrestled Ion, Kid Kash and Anthony Neese to a no contest, following interference fromBully Ray.[74] Aries turnedface the following week, when he teamed withJames Storm to defeat Ray andBobby Roode in the main event.[75] The rivalry between Aries and Ray continued on April 15 atLockdown, where the two were on opposing teams in the annualLethal Lockdown match. Aries' team, led byGarett Bischoff, ended up defeating Ray's team, led byEric Bischoff.[76] Aries continued his record-breaking title reign on the May 10 episode ofImpact by successfully defending the X Division Championship against Zema Ion.[77] Three days later atSacrifice, Aries defeated Bully Ray in a singles match, submitting him with theLast Chancery.[78] On May 19, Aries announced that he had signed a contract extension with TNA.[79] On the live May 31 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries successfully defended the X Division Championship againstChris Sabin.[80] Earlier in the episode, Aries had a run-in withSamoa Joe, which led to Joe costing Aries his match withCrimson the following week.[80][81] On June 10 atSlammiversary, Aries defeated Joe to retain the X Division Championship.[82] On the following episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries competed in his firstUltimate X match, where he successfully defended the X Division Championship against Chris Sabin and Zema Ion.[83]
Following his win, Aries announced that he was not satisfied with being just the X Division Champion, which led to General ManagerHulk Hogan promising him a shot at theTNA World Heavyweight Championship, but only if he first vacated the X Division Championship.[83] The following week, Aries agreed to Hogan's terms with the caveat that every year before the annualDestination X pay-per-view, future X Division Champions be given the same opportunity.[84] Aries relinquished the X Division Championship two weeks later, ending his record-breaking reign at 301 days.[85] On July 8 at Destination X, Aries defeated Bobby Roode in the main event to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.[86] On July 17, TNA presidentDixie Carter announced that Aries had signed a new long-term deal with the promotion.[87] Aries and Roode had a non-title rematch on the July 19 episode ofImpact Wrestling, which ended in a no contest, when both competitors were attacked by a group of masked assailants, known only as the "Aces & Eights".[88] On August 12 atHardcore Justice, Aries successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Roode,[89] with a pre-match stipulation preventing Roode from getting another rematch for the title as long as Aries was champion.[90] During the following weeks, Aries moved from Roode to defending TNA against the Aces & Eights.[91][92] On the September 20 episode ofImpact Wrestling, afterJeff Hardy had won the2012 Bound for Glory Series to become Aries' next challenger for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Aries began working as atweener, claiming that he could match anything Hardy had ever done in his career.[93] On October 11, during the final episode ofImpact Wrestling beforeBound for Glory, Aries claimed that he worked best when people were against him, before crotching Hardy on the ring ropes and dropping him with abrainbuster, turning heel once again.[94] Three days later in the main event of Bound for Glory, TNA's largest annual event, Aries lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Hardy, ending his reign at 98 days.[95]
On the October 25 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries attacked Hardy, after he had successfully defended his title againstKurt Angle, stealing one of his two title belts and announcing that a rematch between the two would take place atTurning Point.[96] On November 11 at Turning Point, Aries failed to regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Hardy in a ladder match.[97] On the November 22 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries moved from Hardy to becoming a disruption around the Impact Zone by revealing a secret relationship between Bully Ray and General Manager Hulk Hogan's daughterBrooke.[98] The following week, Aries was chosen by Hogan as the number one contender toRob Van Dam's X Division Championship. Aries defeated Van Dam in the main event via disqualification, following interference from Bully Ray, but as the title does not change hands on a disqualification, Van Dam retained.[99] On December 9 atFinal Resolution, Aries defeated Ray in a singles match, following a distraction from both Brooke and Hulk Hogan and a low blow from Aries.[100] On the December 13 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries was revealed as the man who paid the Aces & Eights to prevent Bobby Roode, who originally paid the group to help him win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, from winning at the pay-per-view, which led Jeff Hardy to issue him a title challenge.[101] On the December 20 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries was unsuccessful in his challenge for Hardy's TNA World Heavyweight Championship, following interference from Bobby Roode.[102] Aries and Roode faced off in a number one contenders match on the December 27 episode ofImpact Wrestling. The match ended in a no contest after the two attacked refereeEarl Hebner and then were, in turn attacked by Hardy.[103] The rivalry culminated in a three-way elimination match on January 13, 2013, atGenesis, where Aries failed again to regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Hardy.[104]
On January 25, at the tapings of the February 7 episode ofImpact inManchester,England, Roode and Aries defeatedChavo Guerrero Jr. andHernandez to win theTNA World Tag Team Championship, thus giving Aries the TNATriple Crown.[105] Roode and Aries made their first successful title defense on March 10 atLockdown, defeatingBad Influence (Christopher Daniels andKazarian) and Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez in a three-way match.[106] On the March 21 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries and Roode defeated Guerrero and Hernandez to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship, following interference from Daniels and Kazarian. Afterwards, the champions were attacked by Daniels and Kazarian.[107] On the April 11 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Roode and Aries lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship back to Guerrero and Hernandez in a Two-out-of-Three Falls match, ending their reign at 76 days.[108] Aries and Roode received their rematch on the April 25 episode ofImpact Wrestling, but were again defeated by Guerrero and Hernandez after an inadvertent interference from Christopher Daniels and Kazarian.[109] Aries and Roode faced Daniels and Kazarian in number one contenders match on the May 9 episode ofImpact Wrestling, however, the match ended in a no contest afterspecial guest referee James Storm superkicked Aries and Daniels and walked out on the match.[110] Aries and Roode received another shot at Guerrero and Hernandez's titles on June 2 atSlammiversary XI, in a fatal four-way elimination match, which was won byGunner and James Storm.[111]
On the June 13 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries defeatedEric Young to qualify for the2013 Bound for Glory Series.[112] The following week, Aries defeatedJay Bradley in his first BFG series match via pinfall to earn seven points in the tournament.[113] On the June 27 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries disguised himself asSuicide and defeated Chris Sabin and Kenny King to win his second X Division Championship. Aries unmasked himself at the end of the show, after Hulk Hogan discovered the real Suicide and demanded the fake Suicide to unmask, and announced that he intended to trade in the X Division Championship for a World Heavyweight Championship match atDestination X.[114] The following week, however, Aries lost the X Division Championship back to Sabin in a three-way match, which also included the real Suicide, now known as Manik.[115] On the August 1 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries turned face once again after praising AJ Styles, before being interrupted by his former tag team partner Bobby Rhode. Aries also competed in theBound for Glory Series before being eliminated by Styles on September 12 at theImpact Wrestling: No Surrender event.
On October 20 at theBound for Glory pay-per-view, Aries competed in anUltimate X match for the X Division Championship but the match was won by Chris Sabin. On the December 12 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries defeated Sabin to win the X-Division Championship for a third time.[116] On the January 2, 2014, episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries lost the X Division Championship back to Sabin.[117] Three weeks later, on the January 23 special episode ofImpact Wrestling:Genesis, Aries once again defeated Sabin to win the TNA X Division Championship for the fourth time.[118] On the February 6 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries successfully defended his X Division Championship againstZema Ion, who cashed in his Feast or Fired briefcase.[119]
Three weeks later, on the February 27 episode ofImpact Wrestling, served as thespecial guest referee in a match betweenBobby Roode andMVP. Aries attacked MVP, allowing Roode to win the match, turning heel once again.[120] On March 2, Aries lost the X Division Championship toSeiya Sanada atWrestle-1'sKaisen: Outbreak event inTokyo, Japan.[121] On the May 22 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Aries helped Eric Young against MVP,Lashley, and Kenny King but was attacked by the trio, turning face once again. On June 15, 2014, atSlammiversary, Aries defeatedKenny King in a match to determine which one would face TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eric Young in a title match. Later that night, Aries lost to Young.
At the June 20Impact Wrestling taping, Aries won back the X Division Championship from Sanada for his fifth reign.[122] A mere five days after regaining the championship, Aries chose to invoke "Option C" to vacate the championship for a title shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Destination X on June 26, where he lost to the champion Lashley. Then, Aries entered in a short feud againstJames Storm and his new apprentice The Great Sanada, when Aries was defeated by him on the August 27 episode ofImpact Wrestling. Aries suffered a loss once again against the duo in a tag-team match, teaming withTajiri on the September 10 episode ofImpact Wrestling. Three weeks later, Aries challenged Samoa Joe for his TNA X Division Championship, but was ultimately defeated. On January 7, 2015, Aries defeated Low Ki to regain the X Division Championship for the sixth time.[123] Low Ki recaptured the title during the January 16Impact episode after interference fromThe Beat Down Clan.
During the January 23Impact Wrestling episode, Aries won the annualFeast or Fired, affording him an opportunity at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.[124] Throughout February and March, Aries continued to feud withthe Beat Down Clan with Low Ki stealing Aries' briefcase after a match with Samoa Joe, with Aries eventually taking it back. AtLockdown, Aries took part in the annual Lethal Lockdown match with Team Kurt Angle, defeating The Beat Down Clan. Aries also reformed theDirty Heels withBobby Roode, with the two challengingThe Wolves to a best of 5 series for the Tag Team Titles. The Wolves won the first two matches and Aries and Roode won the third. AtDestination X, Aries cashed in his Feast or Fired briefcase for an opportunity at theTNA World Heavyweight Championship onKurt Angle, however Angle retained the championship. After defeating the Wolves in the fourth match of the series, which was aFull Metal Mayhem match, Aries defeatedDavey Richards atSlammiversary XIII to have the option to choose the stipulation for the final match in the series. Aries and Roode chose anIron Man tag team match, which they ultimately lost on theBell to Bell special edition ofImpact. On the August 5 episode ofImpact Wrestling (taped before his release), Aries asked for a title shot, General ManagerBully Ray scheduled Aries againstRockstar Spud after Aries turned heel and ripped on Spud and the whole X Division. After Aries lost the match, he was forced to leave TNA.[125] Afterwards, Aries's heel turn was short lived after Aries showed respect to Rockstar Spud by handing Spud his bow tie and raised his hand, turning Aries face in the process. On June 28, 2015, Aries left TNA as his contract with the company expired.
During a select number of episodes ofImpact Wrestling in October and November (taped in July), Aries was put into theTNA World Title Series for the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship, scoring 4 points in the tournament, but he finished in third for his block, thus failing to advance through the qualifying round of 16.
On July 6, 2015, Ring of Honor announced the return of Aries.[126] Aries was then announced as the replacement for Roderick Strong in the Vegas Wild Card six-man tag match on July 17 alongsideMoose and ROH World and Television ChampionJay Lethal againstJay Briscoe,Dalton Castle andKyle O'Reilly.
On March 9, 2018, Aries returned to Ring of Honor (ROH) for the third time atROH's 16th Anniversary pay-per-view, where he originally challengedKenny King to a match for King'sROH World Television Championship at a later date, the only ROH singles title Aries has yet to win. On May 13 on theROH/NJPW War of the Worlds Tour, Aries challengedSilas Young, who won the World Television Championship atSupercard of Honor XII, for the title in a match that Young won by disqualification when King hit him with the title. After the match, Aries attacked Todd Sinclar and King, turning heel.
On January 22, 2016, WWE announced that Aries would be joining theirNXT brand.[127] On the March 2 episode ofNXT, he made his debut as aface. He was introduced by general managerWilliam Regal before being attacked byBaron Corbin.[128][129][130] A match was booked between the two atNXT TakeOver: Dallas on April 1, where Aries defeated Corbin.[131] On the May 18 episode ofNXT, Aries teamed withShinsuke Nakamura to defeat the team ofBlake and Murphy.[132] On the May 25 episode ofNXT, Aries declared his intention to become the next NXT Champion, which prompted a response from Nakamura. Regal scheduled a match between the two atNXT TakeOver: The End on June 8,[133] which Nakamura won.[134] On the June 22 episode ofNXT, Aries came out to seemingly thankNo Way José for reminding him that wrestling was about having fun, only to attack him after an impromptu dance party, turningheel in the process.[135] Aries defeated No Way José by submission atNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II.[136] Aries andRoderick Strong entered the secondDusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. They defeatedTucker KnightandOtis Dozovic in the first round,[137] and were scheduled to faceTM-61 in the second. However, Aries withdrew from the tournament due to injury. Strong facedShane Thorne in a singles match instead, but was defeated.[138]
On October 27, Aries suffered a large orbital socket injury during a live event inFresno,California, during a match against Nakamura and was expected to be injured until early 2017.[139] It was revealed in November 2016 that permanent titanium plates were inserted to repair the injury.[140]
On December 18 atRoadblock: End of the Line, Aries made hisWWE pay-per-view debut alongsideMichael Cole andCorey Graves. He called thetriple threat match betweenRich Swann,T. J. Perkins andThe Brian Kendrick.[141] The following night onRaw, Aries provided commentary during the cruiserweight match.[142] Aries also provided commentary alongside Graves andMauro Ranallo on205 Live, as well asMain Event.[143][144]
On the March 6, 2017, episode ofRaw, during an in-ring interview withWWE Cruiserweight ChampionNeville, Aries turned face by attacking Neville after being verbally insulted by the champion.[145] On March 7, he made his205 Live in-ring debut, defeatingTony Nese.[146] On March 13, Aries defeatedAriya Daivari on hisRaw in-ring debut.[147] On the March 14 episode of205 Live, Aries defeatedT. J. Perkins,Akira Tozawa,The Brian Kendrick andTony Nese in an elimination match to become the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship atWrestleMania 33, last eliminating Kendrick to win.[148] However, Aries lost to Neville during the pre-show in the opening match.[149] On the April 4 episode of205 Live, Aries defeated Perkins,Jack Gallagher andMustafa Ali in a fatal four-way match to earn a rematch against Neville atPayback,[150] which he won by disqualification.[151] Aries again failed to win the Cruiserweight Championship after he was defeated by Neville atExtreme Rules in a submission match.[152]
On July 7, 2017, Aries was released from his WWE contract. Initial reports stated that Aries was frustrated with his role in the company and asked to be let out of his contract, butDave Meltzer stated that Aries apparently did not ask for his release and was said to be incredibly unpopular with WWE's writing staff and others backstage.[153][154] In a 2019 interview, Aries confirmed that he did not ask for his release and was let go from his contract as the WWE writing staff "didn't have anything" for him.[155]
In early 2018, Aries made his official return to TNA, now known as Impact Wrestling, calling himself the "Belt Collector", displaying all of the championships he was holding in various other promotions. He then defeatedEli Drake to win theImpact World Championship.[156] Aries also won theImpact Grand Championship, defeatingMatt Sydal, a few days later in a Winner Take All match, which at that point made him an Impact WrestlingGrand Slam winner, a double champion within Impact Wrestling, and at one point being asextuple champion overall with six titles between five companies based in three different continents (North America,Europe, andAustralia).[157][158][159] After feuding with Eli Drake and Matt Sydal, Austin Aries began a feud withAlberto El Patron for the Impact World Championship. Set to fight for the World Title at Impact's newest event,Redemption, Alberto El Patron was released from his contract by Impact Wrestling after no showing an event at Wrestlecon.[160] The main event of Redemption was now a triple threat match, pitting Austin Aries against Lucha Underground'sFénix andPentagón Jr.[161] Pentagón Jr. walked out as the new Impact World Champion.[162]
On the May 31Under Pressure themed Impact, which was taped on April 24, Aries turned heel for the first time since 2016 when he used a low blow to defeat Pentagon Jr. to win the Impact World Title for a third time.[163] Aries subsequently formally unified the Grand and World championships at a press conference on June 4, 2018.[164] AtSlammiversary XVI, Aries successfully retained his title againstMoose.[165] Aries's next championship defense came on Impact's August 9 edition, defeatingEddie Edwards with the help ofKiller Kross,[166] whom the champion would announce as his "insurance policy" the following week.[167] The heel duo were joined by Moose after the latter betrayed Edwards during a tag team match on the August 30 airing of Impact.[168]
Aries' next title defense would come againstJohnny Impact, atBound for Glory on October 14.[169] As the PPV moved closer, the feud started to blur the lines between awork (something scripted) andshoot (something real), beginning with the two wrestlers trading insults onTwitter that they appeared to take personally, with Aries later deleting many of his tweets.[170] Specifically, Johnny Impact mocked Aries' short stature and the champion responded by making fun of the weight of Johnny Impact's wife,Taya Valkyrie. Both wrestlers alleged in the media that they authentically took issue with the comments.[171]TMZ Live alsopushed the angle "like [it] was a shoot".[172] The two wrestlers got in a brawl the night before Bound for Glory duringAbyss'sImpact Hall of Fame induction.[173]
Aries would drop the title to Johnny Impact the following night, but Aries seeminglyno-sold the finish, as he got up quickly after getting pinned, yelled at commentator/executiveDon Callis and left the ring whileflipping off the crowd, Johnny Impact, and Callis.[174] Kross and Moose, who were both at ringside during the match, and Johnny Impact all looked to be confused with Aries' actions, and the new champion also appeared to mouth "are you kidding me?".[175] Reports later attributed Aries getting up so fast following the finish of the match to a concussion Aries suffered during the match.[176] Impact Wrestling producerPetey Williams stated that Bound For Glory was the last date on Aries contract.[177] Aries was present at the first day of television tapings forImpact on October 8, but was "sent home" and scripts had to be rewritten for the show.[176]Dave Meltzer later reported that both Johnny Impact and Aries started an online feud without management's permission.[178]
After his release from the WWE and his 90-day non-compete clause expired, Aries made a surprise return toImpact Pro Wrestling providing commentary during their event and promoting his book on November 4, 2017. Then on November 18, Aries returned toHouse of Hardcore 35 where he was promoting his book and calling himself The Truth. On December 2, House of Hardcore 36: Blizzard Brawl Homecoming, Aries defeatedJoey Mercury in his House Of Hardcore in ring return. On April 13, 2018, Aries wrestled on a card for theSeattle based independent promotionDEFY Wrestling, and won that company's championship.[159] On August 17, 2018, Aries appeared onHouse of Glory's "High Intensity 7" show and successfully defended the Impact World Championship in an open challenge against Ken Broadway.[179]
In August 2018 Aries appeared onRing Warriors television tapings forWGN America. It was reported that he signed on to wrestle for Ring Warriors and be involved behind the scenes in a creative aspect. Their television program debuted on September 15, 2018.[180] He went on to wrestle on five episodes of their first season. The first two appearances he successfully defended the Impact World Heavyweight Championship on the program.[181] Aries first match of 2019 occurred atWarrior Wrestling 3, where Aries lost a street fight toEddie Edwards.[182] On March 15, 2019, Aries returned to Warrior Wrestling at Warrior Wrestling 4 to face Eddie Edwards in a rematch.[183] Following that match ending in a disqualification, a steel cage match was booked for Warrior Wrestling 5 between the two competitors.[184]
Aries debuted atWorld Series Wrestling (WSW) Australia's tour in 2017. Aries wrestled against Ricochet and Brian Cage for the WSW championship at Adelaide's show, however he fell short on capturing the title. He won the title at Sydney's show where he defeated Ricochet after an interference from Brian Cage. On December 4, 2017, Aries appeared on a show for the UK-based Defiant Wrestling promotion. The following day, Aries defeatedMarty Scurll to win the Defiant Championship.[185] Months later, at No Regrets 2018, Aries lost the title toRampage, in his final match for Defiant. On December 17, 2017, Austin Aries defeatedMark Haskins atIPW:UK The Big Bang: Undisputed to win the IPW:UK World Championship.[186] In June 2018 Aries returned to WSW for another tour. On the June 24 show, Aries defeated Johnny Impact to win their WSW Heavyweight Championship.[187] He then returned to WSW in November 2018, where he lost the WSW Heavyweight Championship toRobbie Eagles on November 26.[187] In March 2019, he completed another tour with WSW, wrestling Abyss in aMonster's Ball match and unsuccessfully challenging Robbie Eagles for the WSW Heavyweight Championship.[188]
On February 8, 2018, Aries debuted forMajor League Wrestling (MLW) at their Road to the World Championship event, after being backstage at their two previous events.[189] At the show he defeatedA. C. H., taking a microphone after the bout announcing his intention of becoming theMLW World Middleweight Champion.[190] The match would later be aired as the opening match of MLW's debut episode ofMLW Fusion onBeIN Sports.[191] However, he would not again appear for the promotion in over a year. On the May 11, 2019, episode of MLW Fusion, a vignette aired announcing that Aries had signed to MLW and he would be returning soon.[192] He debuted atMLW Fury Road, defeatingAdam Brooks.[193]
On November 19, 2021, theNational Wrestling Alliance announced that Austin Aries would be competing in a match againstRhett Titus in a tournament for theNWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship at the NWA's next pay-per-viewNWA Hard Times 2 on December 4, 2021. Austin would beat Titus at Hard Times 2 to progress to the semi-finals of the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament. On the January 29, 2022, episode ofNWA USA, it was announced that Austin would faceLuke Hawx in the semi-final. Austin would beat Hawx on the February 5, 2022, episode of NWA USA to progress to the final of the tournament, which would take place at the National Wrestling Alliance eventCrockett Cup on March 20, 2022.
In February 2022, it was announced Aries was joining the new Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion created byEC3 andAdam Scherr.[194]
Aries made his return toMajor League Wrestling (MLW) as a commentator atBattle Riot VII
Prior to working for WWE, Aries provided the voice for the main character Jacob Cass in the Road to WrestleMania mode of theWWE '12 video game.[195] Aries later appeared as himself only onWWE 2K17 as a downloadable character as part of the "Future Stars" pack.[196]
Solwold Jr. has been avegan since 2011 and has appeared inPETA videos encouraging the lifestyle.[197][198][199] From 2012 to 2018, he was in a relationship with fellow professional wrestlerThea Trinidad (best known under the ring names "Rosita" and "Zelina Vega").[200] Growing up, Solwold Jr. playedfootball andbaseball. He is a supporter of theGreen Bay Packers,Milwaukee Brewers, andMilwaukee Bucks.[197] He has the Chinese character Ram (羊) tattooed on his upper left arm to signify the Chinese translation forAries, his zodiac sign, and the latter part of his ring name. As of early 2018, Solwold Jr. was residing inOrlando, Florida.[189]
On March 31, 2021, Solwold Jr. temporarily deactivated his Twitter account after receiving backlash for his views criticizing theCOVID-19 vaccine.[201]
In June 2020, Solwold Jr. was accused of sexual misconduct by several women as part of theSpeaking Out movement.[202]
Apparently Aries is playing a C.M. Punk tweener role before Bound for Glory.
On the Austin Aries thing, as noted last week, his contract has expired but the company is very high on him.... The twitter stuff was actually Aries and John Morrison trying to work their own angle and making it personal with Aries calling Taya husky. Management wasn't happy with that because they don't want people working angles they aren't appraised of, because it could contradict where they are going.
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