Austin Aries Talks

Interview by Al Lagattolla

Credit: ChicagoWrestling.com

Austin Aries talked with Chicagowrestling.com's Al Lagattolla after the 2004 I-8 Wrestling Tournament in Willowbrook on Friday, April 23. Aries talks about the I-8 Tournament and Ring of Honor, as well as the Super 8 Tournament, at which Aries lost in the finals to Christopher Daniels.

AL: You've been coming to Chicago a lot in the last few months. How did that come about and how did this (the I-8 Tournament) come about?
ARIES: I just got contacted about these guys about the tournament. It was an opportunity to wrestle some quality athletes. The Chicago thing? I just kind of migrated. I started in Minneapolis, then went down to Milwaukee. I've been down in Chicago. It's just branching out.

AL: I know you're going to be in Ring of Honor (the next night) ... have you been there before?
ARIES: I did a do-or-die thing in March, a trial match if you will. I guess some people liked it or I wouldn't be back. I hope to be back quite often.

AL: It's been an interesting year for you. You were in the finals of the Super 8.
ARIES: Great experience again. I got hooked up through Tom Pritchard. Jim Kettner (at ECWA, which runs the Super 8) was sending some feelers out. It's probably the most prestigious tournament of the year, and it's a way to get your name out there and show what you can do. ... I worked Christopher Daniels in the finals - it was a hell of a match, and he's a hell of a wrestler.

AL: Had you faced him before?
ARIES: No. First time. It was a great challenge. He made me raise my bar.

AL: How long have you been going at it now?
ARIES: 3 1/2 years.

AL: For some reason, this seems to be an issue ... where are you living right now?
ARIES: I'm in Milwaukee. I was in Minneapolis until January. I moved to Milwaukee to be closer to my family and closer to wrestling. I'll probably be relocating in a couple of months, possibly out east.

AL: To be closer to wrestling there?
ARIES: Yeah, there's a lot of opportunity out there, and a little more money.

AL: This is a good time to be a rising star on the indy circuit. You can work at Ring of Honor. Locally, you can work at IWA. You can work at TNA. What do you see for yourself this year?
ARIES: I've got some dates booked at Ring of Honor and I'm just going to check it out there and show people what I can do. I'll try to make the most of my opportunities. I'd love to go to Japan. I'd love to go to Mexico. If WWE came calling, that's where everybody wants to be. It's just a matter of keep plugging.

AL: One of our guys talked to Gabe from Ring of Honor, and Gabe compared you to AJ Styles. Have you heard that before?
ARIES: I've heard that, but I don't know if that's a fair comparison. AJ Styles, athletically, is head and shoulders above everyone else that's working. He's the complete package. That's a great compliment, to be put in that kind of category. He's one of the top two or three indy workers - if not workers, period. There are some similarities. We're both explosive and quick. But that guy can do stuff I can only dream about. We work different styles. I think it's best to compare me to Austin Aries.

AL: I think he might be a little more high flying, where I'd describe you as more hard hitting.
ARIES: I come out and I'm smashmouth. I'm not the biggest guy, but I'm gonna throw it all at you with intent to hurt ya. That guy's vertical is unreal. He does all sorts of stuff that I can't do. We definitely do have different styles.

AL: You tried to finish a match (at the I-8) with the ...
ARIES: The 450.

AL: Do you have any special name for it?
ARIES: No, it's just a 450. In the Midwest, you throw out the 450 and the crowd loves it. Out east, guys are doing 980s and 654s. The 450 at Ring of Honor is like a splash. It's lost its luster a little bit. Mine wasn't quite a finisher tonight.

AL: You faced Shawn Daivari, and you've had to have faced him a few times.
ARIES: I've faced that guy up and down the road. He's a great talent. He's really young and he's got the drive. If he keeps following the right path, the sky's the limit.

AL: He's got the gimmick (Daivari's trademark is the Magic Carpet Ride, a splash, with a carpet, off the top rope).
ARIES: People love the carpet ride. I just love carpet.

AL: People sometimes will ask what you do well. It's more like what don't you do well. In a longer match - or in a tournament situation - it seems you can throw so many things at an opponent.
ARIES: You pick what you do well and stick with that. I'd rather use a good-looking forearm than a shitty-looking moonsault. You got to do what you do. I'd rather be a hard hitter and throw in a little flashy stuff here and there.

AL: Are you comfortable being called a rising star?
ARIES: I don't feel any different. If I start seeing it in the wallet, maybe I'll feel different. It's getting there, but I don't feel any different than I did six months ago. I'm getting to work more established wrestlers, which is helping to get me to the next step. But I don't feel like a superstar or anything like that.

AL: Does getting to the finals of the Super 8 help at all? You hear a lot of guys say it does.
ARIES: Sure. That's what it's there for. That tournament is a tool for wrestlers to showcase our talents and make connections. After that, it's up to you ... you sink or swim on your own.