SouthernWorldwide.com – Pro wrestling star Austin Aries is setting his sights on championship gold once again.
Aries is scheduled to face Blue Panther for the Major League Wrestling (MLW) National Openweight Championship on “MLW Fusion” this Saturday night. This match marks one of his most significant bouts since his return to the wrestling ring.
He expressed his ambition, stating, “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 continued, “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.”
He acknowledged the nature of the business, saying, “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’ve got a target on your back, everybody wants what you have.”
Aries plans to elevate the championship’s prestige. “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.”
He believes winning this title will solidify his position within MLW. “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’ve gotta keep booking me.”
Aries made his return to the ring last year against Paul London at Slaughterhouse. More recently, he faced Trevor Lee to kick off the new season of “MLW Fusion.”
He described his initial return to wrestling as a test of his physical capabilities. “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.”
This experience served as a crucial physical assessment. “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.”
This led to his current full-time wrestling role. “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.”
Despite a career marked by injuries and a nearly three-year hiatus from the ring, Aries felt confident about his physical condition.
He emphasized his competitive drive as a motivator for his return. “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.”
Aries feels fortunate about his current health after 26 years in the sport. “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.”
He acknowledged past injuries but highlighted his ability to maintain relative health. “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.”
Once he confirmed his body’s responsiveness and ability to perform at a high level, he committed fully. “And so, when the opportunity presented itself and, hey, let’s 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.”
Major League Wrestling is positioned as a significant player in the professional wrestling landscape, attracting fans seeking unique content.
Aries highlighted the accessibility of MLW as a key factor in its appeal. “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.”
He also pointed to MLW’s diverse roster, featuring talent from Mexico and Japan, as a draw. The roster includes notable names like Killer Kross, Matt Riddle, and Paul Walter Hauser, contributing to the promotion’s ability to maintain fan engagement.
“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’ve got relationships with CMLL, with the Luchadores, with Stardom and a lot of the Japanese talent. We’ve got a great tag division. We’ve got some familiar faces that you’ll remember from WWE or other companies.”
He elaborated on the variety of talent and styles available. “We’ve 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.”
“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’ve got guys like Hammerstone. We’ve got MMA-mixed guys with Matt Riddle. We’ve got a guy like Killer Kross right now who is 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.”
