From the Impact Wrestling Rumor Mill: Was Austin Aries Rey Mysterio's replacement after talks fell through?

Did Aries step in after Mysterio talks fell through?
Did Aries step in after Mysterio talks fell through?

What's the story?

At the most recent set of Impact Wrestling tapings (full spoilers can be found here), Austin Aries recently returned to Impact Wrestling and wasted no time in securing the Impact World Title and the Impact Grand Championship. But Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has suggested that maybe this main event spot was meant for Rey Mysterio.

In case you didn't know...

Rey Mysterio has been heavily linked to Impact Wrestling for a while now. Recently the Wrestling Observer Radio suggested that negotiations between the former WWE World Champion and Impact Wrestling were underway to try and get Mysterio signed in time for the recent set of tapings which took place in mid-January.

The heart of the matter

Evidently, the deal between Mysterio and Impact was not worked out in time for the tapings is why Rey Mysterio did not turn up during the six-days filming in Canada. However, one surprise return did happen with Austin Aries re-debuting and quickly becoming the show's champion.

This is a spot that Dave Meltzer has suggested may have been initially planned for Mysterio as he speculates on the most recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Aries may have been in the spot at one point designed for Rey Mysterio Jr., since, as noted, there was smoke to that fire, but Mysterio Jr. was not at any of the tapings. It’s still possible Mysterio could come in but since all the TV has been taped through 4/19, it would have to be at or after the PPV

What's next?

As Meltzer says above, there's still a chance that Mysterio could turn up on Impact, but it won't be until after April 19th as that's till when the current tapings last.

Author's take

Rey Mysterio would certainly be a great addition to the Impact roster. I had the pleasure of seeing him throw down with Alberto El Patron at an indy event in the UK last year and the thought of the two facing off again on Impact is an exciting one.


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