Former WWE star might retire his character after 20+ years
Past and present WWE stars often go through several character transformations throughout their careers. In a recent interview, Austin Aries explained why he is considering changing his wrestling name.
Aries, real name Daniel Healy, has worked for several high-profile companies over the last two decades, including Ring of Honor, TNA/IMPACT, and WWE. Although he has also performed as a babyface, the 45-year-old is best known for portraying a bad guy.
In an interview on Developmentally Speaking, Aries said he does not connect with his wrestling persona in the same way he used to:
"It's funny, I've actually thought about retiring the Austin Aries character because I don't identify with that character much anymore. I think for a lot of it I've channeled the negative that I saw in the world, I maybe channeled the negative that was within myself, and I amplified that to be the best bad guy I could be." [From 32:46 – 33:14]
Aries is a five-time world champion. The experienced wrestler won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship three times and the Ring of Honor World Championship twice.
Austin Aries' wrestling career after WWE and TNA
The Greatest Man That Ever Lived appeared in MLW and the NWA after leaving TNA/IMPACT in 2018. He now wrestles for various promotions on the independent scene.
Austin Aries also plans to help the next generation of up-and-coming talents by starting a wrestling agency:
"I'm looking at creating an agency that will help guide younger wrestlers. There's no management in wrestling. If you look at pro sports, there's agents, there's managers, in entertainment and sports, to help guide people to where they're trying to go, and that's something I think is missing in pro wrestling." [From 29:12 – 29:32]
Aries previously spoke about WWE's surprising decision to release him from his contract in 2017.
Do you have any favorite Austin Aries memories? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Developmentally Speaking and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.