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Austin Aries has clarified that he does not have any issues with former WWE Superstar John Morrison in real life.
Aries lost the IMPACT World Championship to Morrison, known as Johnny Impact in IMPACT/TNA, at Bound for Glory 2018. Seconds after the match, the former world champion immediately walked to the backstage area while flipping off fans.
The 44-year-old has not appeared in IMPACT since the controversial moment occurred, leading many to believe that he went off-script. However, on the “Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast,” Aries disclosed the truth about the finish to the match:
“You have to work the fans a little differently than we did in the 80s or the 70s, right? Because they are smart, but you can use what they think they know against them just as easily, so that was the whole premise of that. We had people really believing there was legitimate heat and we weren’t working together and all these things.” [36:53-37:12]
Aries had already attracted attention before the match when he called John Morrison’s wife Taya Valkyrie “husky.” He also confirmed in the interview that the derogatory remark about Valkyrie was planned in advance.
Why did Austin Aries and John Morrison try to trick fans?
Bound for Glory has been IMPACT/TNA’s biggest annual event since it debuted in 2005. As two of the company’s top stars, Austin Aries and John Morrison were determined to get the wrestling world talking.
Aries added that nobody would have spoken about the match again if they agreed to end the show with a regular finish:
“Let’s be honest, if I would have laid there for two or three more seconds or if I would have winced in pain just a little bit more, no controversy. No one talks about it. You have to step on the line or just a little bit over it or people don’t even acknowledge it.” [37:16-37:32]
A three-time IMPACT/TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Aries is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the company’s history. The former WWE Superstar has appeared in several promotions in 2022, including Control Your Narrative (CYN) and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Where would you like Austin Aries to wrestle next? Let us know in the comments section.
Please credit the “Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast” and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use quotes from this article.
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