Former TNA star Austin Aries appeared on Busted Open Radio on Tuesday afternoon to discuss his return to Ring of Honor. Here is an excerpt from the interview in which he talks about if he thinks the pro wrestling business has changed and what could come from it.
It’s kind of important for the fans to remember that we are kind of in uncharted territories with wrestling. They’re seeing some business models changing, some ideas and thought processes maybe changing a little bit. You know, I’ve only been out of a contract with TNA for a little over a week and we deciding not to resign there at the time wasn’t really an indictment of TNA as much as the landscape in general and just really wanting to take some time and get a lay the land so to speak because there is a lot of great things going on.
I haven’t ended my conversations with TNA and you could see me back there because they are maybe willing to bring some guys in that aren’t under exclusive deals and they’re seeing that the landscape is changing.
I think everyone just has to kind of be patient and not jump to conclusions. I always see “He’s back signing with ROH”, and so people are still back in that old thought process of if a guy is going somewhere, then he must be under lock and key… and as we saw as you alluded to with Samoa Joe showing up on NXT under, initially, a non-exclusive deal, that really changed the landscape and opened some doors that maybe hasn’t been opened before. \
I think it’s a really cool time … a really exciting time for wrestling. There is a contingency of people who have come into positions to make a difference, who are trying to do business the right way, and move the wrestling business forward … and I think we need to jump on those trains at full speed ahead because wrestling needs to be moved forward.
Like I said, I’m out here in LA, with a talent management company, dealing with lots of friends in different avenues of entertainment … and it’s funny because they look at me in awe, and my colleagues in awe, at what we are able to go out there and do on a performance level.
But then understanding the professional wrestling business end, they’re also in awe of that a little bit too because maybe we aren’t always put on the pedestal we should for what we go out there and do.
