Austin Aries wants to go out on a high note.
Aries says he considered leaving the pro wrestling world completely in 2020. He ultimately traveled the world, living in Mexico and India, opening himself up to different cultures and experiences. Aries says that allowed him to enter a really good place in his life. Despite that, he still wasn’t sure about returning to wrestling.
Aries noted that there are a lot of things he likes about wrestling, but the politics and other toxic elements gave him pause. For a while, he was content working “obscure independents that nobody was reporting on.” He has since found a new home with Major League Wrestling after they offered him a commentary role. He saw this as a way to get reacclimated with a national brand. Now, he’s set to compete for them at Battle Riot VIII on Thursday night.
“MLW was presenting pro wrestling the way closest to the way I enjoy pro wrestling,” Aries told WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard. “I liked the energy, and the talent they had, I liked the philosophy. I liked that when I was done at the end of the night, I could leave it there, and I didn’t have to carry all the extra baggage around with me every day.
“It was also just where I was at mentally, like, ‘Is this something you want to do?’ So when I got back into it, I enjoyed it. I was like, ‘Yeah, you know what? I think I can kind of recommmit to this.’ Fast forward a few months later, and they asked if I was interested in getting back in the ring for the Opera Cup.”
Austin Aries has a new passion for pro wrestling
Aries gave himself time to get back in ring shape and trained like an athlete, and felt like he had respectable performances. Aries says the Opera Cup matches lit a fire under him. Now he’s even more motivated to write the last chapter in the story of his career.
“As an athlete, as we get closer to the end than we are to the beginning, we know that at some point, the door shuts and it can’t be reopened. Physically, for everyone, there’s going to come a point in time. So, there’s an opportunity here for me to write the last chapter of the Austin Aries novel, whatever that’s going to be. And MLW feels like a place that I want to be, that wants me, for me, that I want to be at because I like what they’re doing. I like the direction they’re moving, and I want to be able to contribute to what they’re building there.”
Aries says he had about eight weeks to prepare for his Opera Cup matches. He says he’s in even better shape going into Battle Riot because he mentally prepared to train as a full-time wrestler again. He also wants to carry that attitude through the rest of the year.
“I want 2026 to be a resurgence year for me. And it all starts on the 29th, you know, 40 men [in Battle Riot]. The first show I did commentary for last year was Battle Riot. So, I got to see it up close from behind the commentary desk. It’s wild, and it’s crazy, and there’s going to be surprises. Now this year I’m in it, so I better be ready.”
MLW is doing wrestling better than anyone around, according to Austin Aries
Austin Aries believes MLW is producing the best pro wrestling right now, and he says it without bias. MLW offers a variety of styles for every fan, and he’s happy to represent a brand that is on the rise.
“We have a great women’s division. We’ve got Lucha Libré. We’ve got ridiculousness,” Aries said. “You got a guy like Mads Krule Krügger, like over the top, right? But foundationally, what they do in between when the bell rings, there’s a lot of great pro wrestlers there that, and there’s a certain level of, again, what you said, like the call back to the nostalgia era of what I think the foundation of pro wrestling when it’s at its best.
“So I think MLW right now is doing that better than anybody. And that’s why it was a place I was interested to get back into,” Aries added. “Now I’m excited to be one of the pillars in 2026. We start announcing TV deals and touring dates and all the things that we’re doing. It’s going to be really exciting.”
MLW Battle Riot VIII takes place on Thursday, January 29, at the Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida. Fans who can’t watch the event live and in person will be able to watch the full show on a 7-day delay. MLW will stream the event for free on YouTube & beIN SPORTS on February 5.
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