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‘Can give you six different answers: Former WWE superstar talks about his exit from the company
The situation with the novel coronavirus led to more number of superstars being given their pink slips than the previous years.
It is widely known that WWE trims its roster after the WrestleMania period and this year was no different. The situation with the novel coronavirus led to more number of superstars being given their pink slips than the previous years. It has been reported that more than 20 superstars have been let go by the WWE in the past 2 months. One of the superstars who was widely loved by the WWE universe but still was released by the company in 2017 was Austin Aries.
Austin was involved in a storyline with Neville for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship and it culminated in a match at WrestleMania 33. Aries lost the match and also came in second in their ensuing matches. Recently Aries appeared VOC Nation’s “In the Room” podcast where he discussed his exit from the professional wrestling giants.
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“I can give you six different answers depending on what talking point I want to use, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t my decision there,” Aries said (H/T wrestlinginc.com).
“It was nothing that I asked for, and it was nothing that I was given a heads up that was coming.
“That question is probably better to ask Vince or to the people that were in charge. I’ll be honest, I came in as a short, old white dude. I’m 5’8, 5’9 in my boots. I was 38 years old. I came in basically on secret, double probation that’s what I was told.”
“I came in being told that, not that I wasn’t welcome, but that I had to be on my ‘best behaviour.’ Despite all of that and them really not having a plan for me, I get my eye hole broken and I offer to do commentary and I spin that into the main roster run into a WrestleMania match. I did all of that in 18 months. I don’t know what else I was supposed to do or what people were expecting.
“I don’t think walking in there I felt like this was going to be a fit for the next 10 years of my career. I think we both went in there with some reservations, and I think we both proved each other right as far as what they thought of me and what I thought of the system. Ultimately it was their decision to move on and I can only go by what I’m told.”
Aries also commented on his reported fallout with the writers.
“I’m sure I can be a pain in the ass because I have my own opinions,” Aries said. “Those aren’t always welcome in a high pressure situation where they’re just trying to dump out content. I’ve used the analogy, when you’re hired there, they want you to be a line cook. I’m a gourmet chef. When I’m trying to add some of my own ideas on how the recipe can be improved, they say that they’re McDonald’s. We sell a billion.”
Now both Aries and Neville are not working for the WWE anymore. Neville left WWE in 2018 following a rift and he is known as PAC now.
