Austin Aries On Why NXT Is The Right Place For Him, How The Opportunity Came About And More

Austin Aries recently made his debut with NXT and now he’s set to face Baron Corbin at NXT TakeOver: Dallas on April 1. Aries is a veteran in the business of professional wrestling, and he had quite the career before his arrival in NXT. He recently spoke to WWE.com about how he ended up with the brand, what it’s like to wrestle Daniel Bryan for 75 minutes and more. You can check out the full interview here and read some highlights below.

Why right now is the right time for Austin Aries to arrive in NXT:

“Frankly, it’s the only thing I haven’t done in my career. I’ve accomplished every goal I’ve set out to. I’ve traveled the world, I’ve competed in just about every promotion there is. The last mountain to climb was the one that resides in the WWE Universe. I’m excited to get that opportunity. The NXT brand is as hot as any brand in wrestling, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

How his deal with NXT came about:

“I became a free agent in the middle of last year. I was seeing what all my options were and had a lot of different opportunities on the table. But from the moment I became a free agent, the WWE opportunity was the one I wanted. Obviously, there were strong plays made by some other companies, but in the end, when WWE offered me an opportunity, I could not turn it down.”

Why NXT is the right place for him:

“I think it’s a mix of things. First of all, as a brand, it’s developed so much over the last couple years. It’s touring outside of Florida. It’s touring internationally. There’s a certain energy to NXT, because there’s a mixture of young guys just starting their career who are hungry. Then, you have established guys like Samoa Joe and Finn Bálor, who have walked the same paths that I’ve walked, now trying to prove themselves on the biggest stage. I’m someone who’s been very passionate about the business and love to pass on the things that I’ve learned to the guys coming up. I think I’ll have the opportunity to do that. I look at is as an opportunity for Austin Aries to grow as a performer, while helping some of the younger NXT guys grow, too.”