Austin Aries Announces His Rebirth With New Name And Mission Statement

September 8, 2025

Austin Aries has a new moniker and hopes to be the voice for those afraid to speak up.

Aries is set to make his in-ring return when he faces KUSHIDA at MLW Fightland on September 13. The match will mark the first time both KUSHIDA and Aries compete in MLW’s Opera Cup tournament. In addition, this will also be Aries’ first broadcast match for a major wrestling promotion since he competed for the NWA in 2022.

In anticipation of his return to the ring, Aries posted a message on Twitter/X. There, he touted himself as a statistical anomaly who expects to be misunderstood and controversial. Aries also said he’s retiring his “Greatest Man That Ever Lived” moniker and will now be known as “The King of Controversy” moving forward.

Austin Aries wants to be a voice for those afraid to speak up

“I check every box. I’m a walking statistical anomaly. I represent just 0.0008% of the world. So I expect to be misunderstood. I expect to be ridiculed. I expect to create controversy. I’m not like 99.9992% of you,” Austin Aries wrote. “5 years ago, the NPCs tried to cancel me. 5 days from now, I return — to reclaim what those who never understood me tried to take.

“I’m not coming back to make you comfortable, I’m coming back to shake it up. I’m coming back to wake you up. ? The “Greatest Man That Ever Lived” is dead. ? The King of Controversy is born,” he continued. “And for those who’ve been afraid to say what needs to be said… The KoC will be your voice. For those afraid to face the truth… You’ve got 5 days.”

? The Rebirth

47 years young

25 years in pro wrestling

14 years vegan

? Only 2% have an IQ over 135

? Only 2% are vegan worldwide

✋ Only 10% are left-handed

? Only 20% remained unjabbed

I check every box.

I’m a walking statistical anomaly.

I represent just 0.0008% of the… pic.twitter.com/MNd8SAhHYS
— Daniel Healy (@AustinAries) September 8, 2025

Austin Aries had a short run with MLW between 2018 and 2019. He debuted in February 2018, defeating ACH in a singles match. He made his second appearance more than a year later, beating Adam Brooks at MLW Fury Road in 2019. Aries had three more matches, including an MLW Middleweight Championship match against Teddy Hart in November 2019. This also served as Aries’ final in-ring appearance in MLW to date.

Aries made his on-air return to MLW at Battle Riot VII in April, where he joined the commentary team.