Austin Aries

[7.0] "Another one of these dudes like Low Ki and Teddy Hart who could've been one of the most successful and popular wrestlers of his generation if it weren't for his massive ego and shitty attitude. To be clear, Aries does have a lot of credentials to his name, but he should have so much more. He's a great in-ring talent and a phenomenal promo. He can get a decent match out of just about anyone. His initial ROH and TNA runs are pretty damn awesome. But at some point, right around when he signed with WWE, he just got too high on the smell of his own farts and it started hurting his career. His NXT run honestly felt like an afterthought, and his callup to the main roster was no better. The highest he ever got in WWE was jobbing to Cruiserweight champion Neville at a Wrestlemania pre-show. He went back to TNA and had some success until his absolutely embarrassing tantrum at BFG 2018. I honestly think that was the final nail in his coffin. Then he floated around, disappeared during Covid, floated around some more, and kind of just continually keeps pissing people off. These days he's getting yet another chance in the upper-midcard of MLW so we'll see what happens but I ain't holding my breath. It's frustrating to see such great talent spiral so badly but also it's hard to feel bad for an asshole. 7.5 rounded down."

"5/10 Austin can have a great match with almost anyone, he is enjoyable to watch in ring, i just never like him as a face, hes always much better a heel. Its just his issues with working with other people in the companies he works in. His golden days of being in ROH and TNA are behind him now, he should just be a coach or a trainer for future stars as opposed to trying to recaputre that glory."

[7.0] "Extremely talented in the ring. Aries could get a good match out of anybody he worked. He was always a better heel than a face and he was good on the mic. His career could have been much bigger was ruined due to his own self-destructive behavior which happened both behinds the scenes and in front of it with the Christi Hemme incident and his behavior after his match with Johnny Impact."

[3.0] "Aries is a good in-ring performer. Don't like him as a babyface though, as I find his 'witty' insults more suited for a heel. Always heard that he had bacsktage heats with co-workers and production/management alike due to his self-serving attitude, but I never paid much attention to backstage rumours. His post-match action against John Morrison was pure unprofessionalism though. Maybe that thing was part of his 'persona' and his attempt to keep the fans talking, but I'd rather watch many other talented wrestlers with better attitudes."

[5.0] "Inability to get along with your coworkers or fans, in an era where both (especially the former) are important can't get you higher than a 5. That said, there's a reason he's still at a 5 - his in ring talent is hard to deny. He's had matches that didn't reach their potential and later you find out he was having issues with the opponent, but he still has a catalog of matches that show just how good he is. Its a shame he didn't make it work when he got to WWE"

[7.0] "An extremely talented guy in the ring and on the mic that couldn't get out of his own way. He's CM Punk without the pipe bomb promo. He also picked fights with fans on social media which does nothing except make him look hypersensitive and not fit to be there."

[7.0] "literally a perfect wrestler if it wasnt for his bad attitude and own personal demons. its a shame he didnt stay in wwe for long but his matches in ROH are peak."

[8.0] "Austin Aries has always been one of the most underrated performers in the wrestling business. His in-ring work is exceptional, showcasing a blend of technical prowess and high-flying maneuvers that few can match. His matches in 2012 against Bully Ray, Bobby Roode, and Jeff Hardy are prime examples of his versatility and storytelling ability. Aries' feud with Bully Ray was a masterclass in David vs. Goliath storytelling, while his bouts with Roode and Hardy highlighted his ability to adapt to different wrestling styles and still deliver top-tier performances. Not to mention, his tenure in Ring of Honor (ROH) solidified his reputation as one of the best technical wrestlers, with classic matches that still hold up today. Despite his in-ring excellence, Aries has often been held back by issues behind the scenes. The infamous incident with Johnny Impact at Bound for Glory 2018 is a black mark on his career, showcasing how his attitude could sometimes overshadow his talent. Aries' no-sell of the finish and subsequent walkout left a sour taste for many fans and insiders alike. Similarly, his stint in WWE, which many hoped would elevate him to new heights, ended in disappointment. Whether it was creative differences or just bad timing, Aries never quite found his footing in WWE, which led to an unceremonious exit. However, these setbacks shouldn't overshadow the fact that Austin Aries is a solid 8 out of 10 performer. His ability to have great matches with a variety of opponents and styles is a testament to his skill. Whether it's a hard-hitting brawl or a technical showcase, Aries delivers. His heel promos, when he's focused, are some of the best in the business. He has an innate ability to draw heat and keep audiences invested in his character, which is a rare talent. In the grand scheme of wrestling, Aries may not have always gotten the recognition he deserved, but for those who followed his career closely, it's clear he was a standout performer. His contributions to ROH and TNA (now Impact Wrestling) are significant, and his matches from 2012 remain some of the best of that era. Austin Aries might be a polarizing figure, but there's no denying his talent and the impact he's had on the wrestling industry. Here's hoping that history will remember him for his incredible in-ring work and not just the controversies."

[8.0] "I was a huge fan of his growing up in the early 2010s, he was great in TNA and he was an exciting wrestler. Looking back, he was lacking in the IT factor."

[9.0] "This guy should be a superstar. Hes a brilliant worker, great on the mic. But it seems his ego ruined his chances of stardom. I will always be an Austin Aries fan though, even if everyone in the wrestling business hates him."

[9.0] "Oh Austin Aries, he truly could have been one of the greatest professional wrestlers to ever live. Imagine a world where Shawn Michaels never injured his spine and found Jesus. HBK kept popping pills, alienating others, and eventually burning every bridge humanly imaginable. That is where Aries is in life, but replace drugs with vegan health food and insane political beliefs. Aries was a huge fan of himself, yet the irony is he just doesn't radiate "long-term North American champion" ala Lou Thesz or Ric Flair. An argument could be made his bad attitude was due to his height of 5'9", yet Bruno Sammartino was only 5'10", so that isn't a free-pass. His in ring work is second to none, he is naturally unlikable thus he can be an amazing on-screen "bad guy." His brief period with WWE was kind of surreal, yet ultimately he didn't fit the mold and his abrasive nature would most likely send AEW into a tailspin. Aries is kind of a perfect wrestler for TNA and the company owes a lot to the belt collector. (Ignoring his personal demons and uglier past activities of course.) Like Dynamite Kid, Aries was the total package between the ropes, but he was too destructive to function and devoid of the "professionalism" that comes with pro wrestling. Flat 9.0/10 for the Bizarro World version of HBK."

[9.0] "The greatest man that ever lived. What Austin Aries lacked in a larger than life John Cena physique he more than made up for with perfection both on the microphone and in the ring, in regards to the former Austin Aries is just as terrific as both CM Punk and John Cena while being better from a wrestling ability perspective than either of them. Pound for pound Austin Aries just might have been the most well-rounded smaller wrestler since Eddie Guerrero. It is a travesty that Austin Aries simply could not get out of his way with how he has seemingly burnt bridges with every major promotion he has ever worked for."

[5.0] "Like a decade ago when was world champ in TNA i was a fan, since then he hasnt come close to that high. Doesnt help that he hasnt had any memorable matches in like a decade. The cherry on top are his qanon beliefs which fits since hes a dumb asshole."

[5.0] "Hes aight, didn't love the handful of matches I've seen of his, also know he is not the greatest dude outside the ring which is why I don't really see his ranking being as high as it is. Maybe on the indies he is insanely good but from what I've seen he ain't all that"

[0.0] "Man if I were to rate his in ring ability and some character work (IE Greatest Man That Ever Lived) he'd have a way higher rating. Unfortunately he's a sincerely terrible human who can't get booked anywhere now. Seriously this dude is truly awful and I cannot separate the things he's done from his in ring work. What a waste of in ring talent"

[7.0] "Solid worker. He's not really my cup of tea, but I see why some really like him. Douchiness aside, guy can for sure go. Wherever he goes he puts on good matches."

[9.0] "My feelings towards the person put aside, Aries is a great wrestler. More of a natural heel even though he can also play as a face. He can cut good promos and have great matches with pretty much anyone, possessing a large bag of moves that allow him to perform different roles."

[3.0] "Austin Aries gets a 10 for wrestling 0 for professionalism and 0 on social media which has personally killed any interest I have in seeing AA in a wrestling ring. So I think a 3 is a solid rating for him given that his talent is undeniable but I could never be happy watching a match of his in the year 2022"

[10.0] "Regardless of what people think of him personally, no one can deny that he is an incredible talent. He has been kind of unfairly treated in some regards in promotions that he has worked for, but nevertheless, he can work. He's got all the talent in the world."

[9.0] "Not many are as talented yet so unlikable in wrestling history. The man is so incredible in ring and is responsible for some of my favorite moments/matches in roh and tna history. As a heel or the rare moments he's a pure face the dude is one of the best of a generation. Now he's a bitter dork who won't get booked anywhere for a multitude of reasons and its a damn shame"

[9.0] "Both as a Heel and as a Face have always done quite well. A wrestler with talent, mic-skills, charisma and a wide variety of interesting movements, in TNA he was one of the icons, in WWE he did well but his period was short, just look at his fight against Neville to know that he did well in WWE despite being a short time."

[3.0] "I wish I never chose this name when I did. I'm surprised I never edited this rating sooner TBH. I still think he's a great worker, but sadly, the guy's a major league arrogant dumbass who recently showed his true colors. The guy's an alt-right whackjob conspiracy nut. He's also a vegan, which is weird since most vegans also tend to lean either left or more toward the center. But this guy has been tarnished and will forever be so. It's a shame since he's an incredible talent. But his rating has dropped because of his attitude. What a shame."

[6.0] "Grade A asshole who was also an incredible talent. What a complete waste. I wish him nothing but the worst."

[10.0] "Overall rediculous in ring talent and mic work. Short, but dude looks like an athelete, not some pudgy indy shlub. His ROH run was phenominal, from gen next to the first two-time roh champ, which back then was a pretty big deal. He has a mile long catalong of clessic matches against all the top indy guys. Pick any top guy today and Aries has a absolute banger with them in like 2008 infront of 300 people. Followed that with an acclaimed TNA run where he briefly carried a company with an already stacked roater. Destinatin X 2012, you know that was so good. "Moved their needle" the best he could for TNA standards. Followed that with consistantly good work in the WWE where he was just a little fish in a giant pond. But the work was always top quality. Sometimes I really wish his real life personality didnt hold him back so much. Just a few years ago he was on top of the world, collecting every belt in sight. Now nothing after that cringy czw promo and weird covid conspiracies. No matter how good the work is the general fan base does not want to be a fan of Austin Aries. Hes just not a likeable guy and his peers seem to agree. Working with him sounds like a nightmare. After 20 long years of grinding this guy could finally have that break in AEW, with the freedom and respect he always wanted. But im sure he would have found a way to ruin that too. I miss Austin Aries sometimes, that mans an early 2000s GOAT. I wish he was just a chill dude, but hes his own biggest glass ceiling."

[4.0] "I never understood the buzz around Austin Aries. He was ok at the mic and he was pretty ordinary at in-ring levels. Also, his level of professionalist and passion that we saw after his match against Morrison is quite low."

[5.0] "In terms of talent, Aries is extraordinary. Definitely an A+ talent who proved on countless occasions how he's one of the best in the world. However, his attitude ruined him. Knowing that you're good at what you're doing is one thing, but spitting in the face of the promotion that made you big (and yes, I'm talking about IMPACT Wrestling here) is despicable and unacceptable. Also, his release from the WWE was also caused by his loose cannon of a temperament. No big promotion, or a promotion that actually respects itself, would sign this guy unless they somehow manage to shrink his humongous ego, which is unlikely in my opinion."

[0.0] "His arrogance was his demise, a once widely regarded wrestler, doomed by his own ego and lack of sense that he isn't the very best. In some cases having an ego works, but when you forego and spit on the business, that everyone around you has so much passion for, to forego your creed, is a despicable action, people spend their entire lives breaking their necks for this and your pissed cause of a pansy loss. It completely ruins everything his career was built up to be by that point, he ended it with the nosell."

[7.0] "Gifted in terms of technical work and was a solid talent in his prime but Jesus Christ this guy has probably one of the worst attitude problems probably ever in the wrestling business. I would probably compare him to Mascaras but at least he knew good business, was a actual big draw, and promoters wanted him back even with his consistent need to never lose, etc. With Aries, every company that has had him has booted him out swiftly, and I can't blame them from what I've heard. Aries in ring was extremely solid, making a relatively basic moveset by indie work for miles (a fact even Daniel Bryan acknowledged in his own words) with great heel character work to boot, and his time in ROH as well as his indie stints were very exciting in terms of how he could work with many different opponents but still get good to great match quality out of them. Outside of the ring is where Aries falls apart: his promos are fine but not spectacular and he has a real lack of charisma in terms of being a real main event, more fitting a workrate mid card guy than anything else. Usually I wouldn't go over stuff that isn't in the ring but Aries's attitude has burnt almost all bridges he's made contact with, to the point where he's basically been forced to go from Wrestlemania to MLW: don't think I need to explain how far of a drop that is. It's a shame, because Aries could have been a great fixture that any major company would be running to grab, but now none of them want anything to do with him, and I can't blame them."

[9.0] "Austin Aries was once a very good wrestler, perhaps even one of the best, and his recent race at IMPACT was very good, and helped the company a lot, even though it ended badly. Aries can also suck, and that has cost him a lot of opportunities in his career, but that doesn't change the fact that he once was very good."

[4.0] "In my opinion, one of the most overrated wrestlers ever. The man can engage in a good match, but his selling sucks. This, combined with his inflated ego and hotheaded attitude with fans earn him a 4 from me."

[7.0] "Especially during his time in ROH and TNA he proved to be one of the best wrestlers in the world. He excels in the ring and at least some years ago his character work was fun to watch. But the first priority as a wrestler should be to sell the wrestling. Austin Aries was and is too focused on his own success. Until his attitude in the business doesn't change he can forget to be the greatest wrestler of all-time."

[5.0] "He is one of the most overrated wrestling superstar in this century. I don't get it why people think he is good. He broke many time kaybefabe (or whatever it spell) . He is probably not a good person in real life"

[9.0] "Extremely solid in the ring & achieved so much due to his skill when he had his size working against him. I think so many Aries matches are engrossing to see. When people talk about TNA's successful days, they love to bring up AJ, Daniels, & Joe; but Aries should really be in that conversation as well. His ego has hurt him over the years, but looking at it from a fan's point-of-view, I'm not holding that against him with my assessment & my overall enjoyment of his work."

[8.0] "Austin Aries , well , he is good and talented guy but at this times i think he isn't like his old times for any reason. He is a high lvl wrestler and i think he must be careful in his choices."

[7.0] "As a worker, Austin Aries is really good, and he can sometimes be great. As a person, however, Aries is a pure scumbag."

[8.0] "Austin Aries is an exceptionally talented wrestler but yeah he just isn't on that elite level that most of his peer are at. The guy is a complete performer no doubt about that but he just doesn't excel at anything. Great wrestler, great talker, charismatic but he just isn't amazing at anything."

[0.0] "I get the feeling that he thinks he is the best ever and the fact that he is obviously not close to that makes him come off as a geek. His run with NXT was bad and almost no one has a bad run in NXT unless he is bad. His TNA persona annoyed the shit out of me. Not to mention that he was with Zelina Vega but screwed it up and that on its own is enough for me to give him a 0. He also got fired from WWE and tried to make it look like he actually walked out. His promos are super cringe and fake and finally he bores me to death inside the ring."

[9.0] "Austin Aries' work speaks for itself. However, partly due to lack of size and mostly due to his attitude, Aries hasn't and will probably not reach the level of stardom a person of his ability deserves."

[5.0] "I personally don't care for Aries, his WWE run was a bust but his work in the indies in the mid 00s was actually quite good. As of now I haven't really seen anything that's blown me away. The match with Moose was good though."

[9.0] "Don't ask me what's missing as honestly I couldn't tell you. He can wrestler almost any style, he can talk and he's highly charismatic but something is missing and that is stopping him from getting a perfect 10 from me."

[9.0] "Whether he's doing it behind a microphone or inside the squared circle, I absolutely LOVE watching this guy perform. So unique, so talented, so intense. He just flat out executes. Feel like he's one of the rare types that could truly be given ANY role and would find a way to make it work."

[9.0] "I enjoy Aries immensely, and hope he gets chance to work with some of the really big names in WWE, as well as his excellent matches he's currently having with the cruiserweights."

[8.0] "Once he comes to the main roster, he will be able to shine more so than he has in NXT. Overshadowed by Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura, Aries hasn't done too much for me yet. I loved his work in ROH and TNA, and once that spark hits him he'll be unstoppable for sure."

[9.0] "I almost forgot how good Austin Aries is, but then his match vs. Shinsuke Nakamura happened, and I was reminded how great he truly is. That proved that every time he gets an opportunity, he'll make the best out of it. He rules."

[10.0] "Awesome to watch in the ring, great match skills and a great career. He has been a champion everywhere he has been and I look forward to see what he will do in NXT in the future."

[10.0] "Arrogant and interesting as a heel, still interesting and a good wrestler. As the face is not boring and sweet, it has a very high ring skill and is a great charismatic speaker."

[9.0] "Aries is a great wrestler and performer. In my opinion, if he upgraded his mic skills he'd be one of the best in the world today."

[8.0] "Fair? I do not see anything in Austin, for what it can be called the best. Ring-a skill good, but impressive one-two passes. Work on the microphone is quite good, yes. And there is a certain charisma (! ), but only with proper gimmick. A good wrestler, but to call it the best under any circumstances will not. Rating on the website do not think deserved. Perhaps in the WWE he will reveal his qualities, but it is so put."

[8.0] "A-double, Austin Aries is just amazing. Everything he does is near perfection. They guy can do everything. Finally coming into the WWE, he will supply quite a few dream matches (Cesaro, Orton, etc. ) I expect big things from him coming into NXT."

[10.0] "Did not know much about him before his arrival to NXT. Despite his debut was not as promising as one would expect, the fact is I have become an Aries' fan after his match with Nakamura. I used to be an unconditional fan of the King of Strong Style, but at NXT: Takeover The End, I got mad at Aries losing the match. And that was because he did so, so good. Man, he can wrestle. Watching more about him only confirms it to me. His promos are over-the-top too, he is maybe one of the best, if not the best of NXT at it right now. Hopefully he will become NXT and WWE champion one day, he truly deserves to be at the top. Ten out of ten for the greatest of all time!"