Former TNA star Austin Aries made his return to MLW at MLW Battle Riot VII.
Aries had a short run in MLW between 2018 and 2019. He made his debut in February 2018, where he defeated ACH. After that, he didn’t appear for about a year. In May 2019, MLW aired a video announcing his return. He came back at Fury Road and beat Adam Brooks but ultimately left the company a short time later.
This past weekend, he returned to MLW for the first time since 2019 at MLW Battle Riot VII. Aries didn’t return to the ring, however, as he joined the commentary team alongside Joe Dombrowski.
Another former TNA star, Alex Hammerstone, also made his return to MLW. His TNA contract expired in March, 2025, officially marking his departure from the company. With both Aries and Hammerstone making their comeback, MLW welcomed two major names back to the promotion. Recently, Aries shared his thoughts on returning to MLW after nearly six years away.
Austin Aries opens up about his return to MLW
Austin Aries recently took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to reflect on his return to MLW as a color commentator. He shared that while he was excited and nervous to be back behind the mic after seven years, he was battling an illness leading up to the event.
Aries responded to some criticism who said he was only there for the money. He strongly denied those claims. Even though he wasn’t fully happy with his performance, he said he was thankful for the chance and excited about what’s next with MLW, including shows in Chicago and New York.
Aries mentioned that he’s looking forward to the upcoming MLW shows in Chicago and New York. The shows are scheduled to take place on May 10 in Chicago and June 26 in New York.
