Austin Aries and Leon Slater are forever linked in TNA history, at least until someone breaks their record.
Aries spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard ahead of his next appearance on MLW Fusion. Aries is the new MLW National Openweight Champion, but he’s also in the history books for having the longest TNA X Division Championship reign of all time.
Austin Aries held that record by himself for more than 12 years, but Leon Slater tied him this year. Many people in the wrestling world, including Aries himself, thought that Slater would beat the record. Slater ultimately lost the title before he could break it, but Aries sees it happening eventually, whether it’s Slater or someone else.
“I assumed it was a foregone conclusion that he would surpass the record. I didn’t really put much thought into it one way or the other,” Aries shared, noting that he only learned of the title record as Slater got closer to his mark. “I’d have loved to have been the final boss, so to speak, the guy he would have defeated the night before the record. I think that could have been something real special for the fans more than anything else. Obviously, that didn’t happen.
“But listen, this guy’s got so much ahead of him and he’s extremely talented. Records are made to be broken. At some point, somewhere along the line, somebody will break that record,” Aries added. “So now he’s also the record holder, we’re tied. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on perspective, he’s going to have to share that accolade with me and our names are going to be tied there.”
Austin Aries is focused on what he can control
The “Forbidden Door” concept is somewhat new to modern wrestling, but one crossover that has not really been approached is one between MLW and TNA. When asked if he could ever see that happening (or a match with Slater), Aries says he’s not sure how it would work.
Aries said he tries to stay out of backstage politics and behind-the-scenes moves, but feels like MLW is doing well with its own strategic partnerships, and he’s focused on what he can control.
“There is a competition. I’m not going to call it a war, but there’s definitely a competition between AEW and WWE,” Aries said. “Where MLW fits into that, I’m not exactly sure. Obviously, there’s some history between WWE and MLW. But I feel like MLW is really good at staying in its lane. If the value is there and it’s mutually beneficial, the company has shown it’s willing to work with any company as long as value is being exchanged for value.
“We’ve done stuff with CMLL, we’ve done stuff with Stardom, we’ve done stuff with New Japan. We had MJF in for a couple of appearances. So I don’t know in the bigger picture where the lines have been drawn. Could a match happen? Sure. For who, where, what platform, what company, I have no idea. Things seem to change so quickly now, with people leaving one company for another. Is there still a relationship between TNA and WWE? How does that affect AEW and CMLL, and AEW with AAA? It can get exhausting. So again, I try to focus on what I can control and block all the rest of it out.”
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