Austin Aries released by WWE, details behind why he was released, what’s next

WWE announced on Twitter that Austin Aries has been released. A link to an article on WWE.com stated: “WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstar Austin Aries. WWE wishes Aries the best in all of his future endeavors.”

Fightful.com first reported that Aries asked for his release, which has been confirmed by multiple PWTorch sources. Furthermore, according to sources, the reason Aries asked for his release was because he wasn’t happy being pigeonholed as a cruiserweight and saw a lot more for himself than being a 205 Live wrestler.

Aries had been out of in-ring action since WWE Extreme Rules when he lost to Neville in a title match for the Cruiserweight Championship. Aries appeared on Busted Open on Sirius XM later that week and said he it was time for him to take a break, but he hinted that it would be short a short break at the time. He last appeared on 205 Live on June 20 in a non-wrestling role with Jack Gallagher. The previous week, Aries had announced on TV that he wasn’t cleared to wrestle due to leg and neck injuries.

According to one trusted PWTorch source, Aries had an reputation backstage for having a bad attitude, which could have made it an easier decision to grant him his release. Another source noted that Aries had been working through a back injury before asking for his release.

According to sources, it’s likely Aries will hit the indie scene in the near future. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him appear in most of the high profile indies, although it seems unlikely ROH would be a landing spot for him unless some fences were mended.

After his release was announced by WWE, Aries tweeted, “It’s a beautiful day.”