By all accounts, Austin Aries is not the easiest guy to work with, and has picked up a reputation for being difficult in pretty much every promotion he's wrestled for. This is something Aries has never been unwilling to address in interviews, and while speaking with VOC Nation’s In The Room podcast, the former Impact Wrestling Champion touched on being released from WWE back in 2017.
A-Double has always claimed that he's not 100% sure what ultimately led to his firing, but based on these quotes, it's probably not too big a stretch to assume he simply rubbed a few too many people up the wrong way!
“I’m sure I can be a pain in the ass because I have my own opinions. Those aren’t always welcome in a high pressure situation where they’re just trying to dump out content. I’ve used the analogy: When you’re hired there they want you to be a line cook. I’m a gourmet chef. When I’m trying to add some of my own ideas on how the recipe can be improved, they say that they’re McDonald’s – we sell a billion hamburgers.”
At the time, reports indicated that Aries was pushing hard to win the Cruiserweight Championship from Neville and wanted a higher spot on the card after returning from injury and a stint on commentary. Maybe he pushed a little too hard.
Aries is currently a free agent, but there are rumors that he may wind up signing with All Elite Wrestling.