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Pro wrestling star Austin Aries is looking for gold.
Aries will go up against Blue Panther for the Major League Wrestling (MLW) National Openweight Championship on “MLW Fusion” on Saturday night in one of his biggest matches since he returned to the ring.
He told Fox News Digital in a recent interview he planned to leave the ring with the title around his waist and that he had respect for Blue Panther for being able to compete for so long.
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Austin Aries walks to the ring in Major League Wrestling. (MLW)
“I mean that’s the plan. I mean, listen, talk about longevity right? I’m 48 years old and I’m like I’m doing pretty good. I’m still in there competing at a high level and then you see Blue Panther. And he’s like (65), and he’s diving out of the ring,” Aries said. “The amount of respect I have for him – not just what he’s meant for Lucha Libre over the course of his career but just as a man to watch another man at (65) years old still take the risks, still compete because he loves it.
“So, it’s gonna be a little bittersweet to have to take the old man out back and take his championship from him. But that’s the nature of the game, right? When you’re the champ, you got a target on your back, everybody wants what you have. And for me, to win the openweight championship and I’m not gonna call it the national openweight championship. I’m gonna start referring to it as the world openweight championship because I’m world class and I want to take this championship around the world once I defeat Blue Panther. For me, it just solidifies me as one of the pillars of MLW and as long as I have a championship title around my waist, they gotta keep booking me.”
Aries returned to the ring against Paul London at Slaughterhouse last year and was recently in the ring against Trevor Lee to start the new season of “MLW Fusion.”
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Major League Wrestling’s Austin Aries gathers himself in the ring. (MLW)
He said getting back in the ring initially was a test to see if his body could hold up.
“It’s been great. Stepped in there to be a color commentator and kinda got the itch a little bit,” he recalled. “They asked me if I was interested in doing the Opera Cup last year. And so, yeah, stepped in to do the Opera Cup and there was some real top talent – guys like Kushida and Paul London and Místico.
“It was a real test for me to see where I was at physically at this stage of my career. I felt good. I felt like I had plenty left in the tank. I can still perform at the high level I expect from myself. So I have been able to parlay that into the last year and I’m back as a full-time wrestler with MLW and it’s been a lot of fun.”
Aries has been banged up in his career and being out of the ring for nearly three years may show signs of ring rust or open up the opportunity for a greater injury.
But Aries said he competitive mindset was one of the reasons why he wanted to try again.
“I’m a competitor. I’m an athlete. And we all have that realization after that we all have a day where that window shuts and it can’t be re-opened,” he said. “So, I’m very blessed even 26 years in. I don’t have any real nagging injuries. I’ve been really lucky in that way. I certainly have my share of injuries over the years but I’ve remained relatively healthy considering the certain style that I wrestle and you don’t take for granted that you’re always going to be able to do this and so when the opportunity presented itself and, hey, let first see if my body responds and can I still perform at a high level.
“And once I knew those things were capable of being accomplished, I figured let’s go full steam, let’s go 100%. I say as long as I’m enjoying it and as long as someone is willing to pay me, let’s keep doing it.”
Austin Aries enters a Major League Wrestling ring. (MLW)
Why fans should watch MLW
Major League Wrestling is one of many promotions vying for pro wrestling fans’ attention. With top athletes and interesting matches, MLW has been able to capture an audience looking for something they may not be getting from top companies.
Aries said MLW being free for viewers is a huge factor.
“I think the cool thing about MLW is the accessibility,” he told Fox News Digital. “We now have a few different platforms you can watch it and it’s free. Nowadays, it’s hard to get good, free content. More and more, it’s kinda pay to play so to speak. You can go to the MLW YouTube channel to watch Saturday night, 6:05 ET, a new episode of ‘Fusion.’ We’re on the streaming service Veeps. We’re also still on beIN Sports and now we just announced that we’re on New Japan World.
“And then, the live events. Fifteen-dollar tickets to get started. It’s getting more and more expensive to go to live events in any type of entertainment. So, it’s really important to us that our product is accessible for your average family of four.”
Aries also pointed to a star-studded roster that includes wrestlers from Mexico and Japan and the MLW roster that includes Killer Kross, Matt Riddle, Paul Walter Hauser and others as well as the ability to keep fans interested.
“What I think MLW is doing really good right now is really, A, presenting pro wrestling in a way that, for me, I can appreciate the art of pro wrestling but it’s also just a good mix. We got relationships with CMLL with the Luchadores, with Stardom and a lot of the Japanese talent. We got a great tag division. We got some familiar faces that you’ll remember from WWE or other companies,” he said. “We got a lot of new up and coming guys who are trying to make a name for themselves. We have legends like Blue Panther. We have crossover with guys like Paul Walter Hauser. So, we have a little something for everybody.
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“If you want your great professional wrestling match bell to bell, that’s what Austin Aries does. If you want big, meat-slapping guys, you got guys like Hammerstone. We got MMA-mixed guys with Matt Riddle. We got a guy like Killer Kross right now who’s the world champion. We really have something for everybody and I’d like to think we don’t insult the intelligence of the viewer. We try to keep the suspension of disbelief that I think makes pro wrestling great.”