Austin Aries never reached the heights fans hoped he would in WWE, which included never winning the Cruiserweight Title and now he has called out WWE for that reason.
While speaking to Got Mitch Enterprises, Austin Aries was asked why he didn’t win the cruiserweight title in WWE, and he explained that he genuinely doesn’t know. He can only speculate, noting how fickle the environment can be and how quickly opinions can shift in WWE.
Aries said no one ever gave him a reason, though some behind-the-scenes contract discussions might have been a factor.
“I mean… I don’t know. I can speculate what I think. And, you know, everything’s very fickle there. For as fast as someone like Vince likes you, the tides can shift pretty quick. And I don’t know if it was— I have no— it was never brought to me if there was a reason. Um, you know, there were some contract things that we were discussing behind the scenes that might have played into it.”
Aries added that one of the most frustrating parts of his WWE career was the lack of straightforward communication. Instead of simply pulling someone aside and being honest, there was a lot of secrecy, “secret heat,” and unnecessary kayfabe politics that he never understood.
“You know, I think one of the most frustrating things in my career is that we don’t just shoot people straight, and we don’t just level with people, and we don’t just pull them in a room, man to man, and say, ‘Hey, man, here’s what’s going on.’ You know, it’s a lot of this secret heat and kayfabe s*** which I just never understood.”
Aries also pointed out that it was obvious to him that having a babyface challenge for a title three times and lose three times in a row rarely bodes well for that wrestler’s future, unless it’s intentionally setting up a heel turn. He always felt he brought the most value as an antagonist, where he could play the heel and elevate the hero.
“But yeah, it wasn’t lost on me that as a babyface, when you have a babyface challenge for a title three times and lose three times in a row… that does not bode well for your future, you know? Unless that’s a mechanism to turn him into a bad guy — which is where I always felt I had the most value, right? My value is in being an antagonist, because I enjoy the part where I get to then give it to the hero.”
Austin Aries was ultimately released by WWE back in 2017, a move that genuinely blind sided him. Nonetheless, Aries’ comments point out the bigger problems WWE had with communication and creative direction during the 205 Live era. Whether fans agree with him or not, his point of view helps explain why the Cruiserweight division ended up feeling like a missed opportunity and it’s clear he is still frustrated over it.
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November 18, 2025 11:02 am
