Kemo
06-09-2016, 01:17 PM
Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries says he doesn’t know if he’ll appear at next year’s WrestleMania 33, but it is a goal of his. Aries spoke at-length about his career to Brian Fritz for Sporting News, and revealed that even after his in-ring days are over, he hopes to fill a behind-the-scenes role in WWE.
“I’m going to work toward it,” Aries said of possibly appearing at WrestleMania 33. “I’m going to do the best I can with everything they put in front of me. 33 is one of my favorite numbers and it’d be pretty fitting if WrestleMania 33 right here in Florida was the one that I broke through at. I still have enough left in the tank so if I don’t make it to next year’s, there’s the year after and the year after that and I don’t plan on going anywhere for a long time in the wrestling industry.”
Aries arrived in WWE about 15 years after he started his career, and the landscape of the wrestling world has changed greatly since his early days. He recalls several of his contemporaries from his training camp landing high-paying jobs with the now-defunct WCW and other companies, and says his goal was simply to have a job in the wrestling business. Aries says he was okay with the possibility of never arriving in WWE as an active wrestler because of his numerous accomplishments outside of the company, but that he always wanted to test himself on the biggest stage in wrestling.
“When I started back in 2000, there were more entities than just WWE. A lot of guys who were coming out of my camp at that time like Lenny Lane were working for WCW making very good money,” he recalled. “There were a few different places where you could go and make a living. When I started my journey, my goal at the beginning was I want to do this for my job. When people ask me what I do for a living, I want to say I’m a professional wrestler. Beyond that, I didn’t have any parameters of what I could or I couldn’t do. Everything is timing, everything is the right fit at the right time. To WWE and myself, it just never quite gelled for one reason or another but I continued to ply my trade and get to do a lot of great things at a lot of different places.
Aries says he’s very grateful for the opportunity to work for WWE now.
“I’m going to work toward it,” Aries said of possibly appearing at WrestleMania 33. “I’m going to do the best I can with everything they put in front of me. 33 is one of my favorite numbers and it’d be pretty fitting if WrestleMania 33 right here in Florida was the one that I broke through at. I still have enough left in the tank so if I don’t make it to next year’s, there’s the year after and the year after that and I don’t plan on going anywhere for a long time in the wrestling industry.”
Aries arrived in WWE about 15 years after he started his career, and the landscape of the wrestling world has changed greatly since his early days. He recalls several of his contemporaries from his training camp landing high-paying jobs with the now-defunct WCW and other companies, and says his goal was simply to have a job in the wrestling business. Aries says he was okay with the possibility of never arriving in WWE as an active wrestler because of his numerous accomplishments outside of the company, but that he always wanted to test himself on the biggest stage in wrestling.
“When I started back in 2000, there were more entities than just WWE. A lot of guys who were coming out of my camp at that time like Lenny Lane were working for WCW making very good money,” he recalled. “There were a few different places where you could go and make a living. When I started my journey, my goal at the beginning was I want to do this for my job. When people ask me what I do for a living, I want to say I’m a professional wrestler. Beyond that, I didn’t have any parameters of what I could or I couldn’t do. Everything is timing, everything is the right fit at the right time. To WWE and myself, it just never quite gelled for one reason or another but I continued to ply my trade and get to do a lot of great things at a lot of different places.
Aries says he’s very grateful for the opportunity to work for WWE now.