On the 3/2/2016 edition of NXT, a major superstar was revealed as the newest NXT acquisition, which turned out to be none other than Austin Aries. The debut of Aries was a interesting one to say the least as he didn't compete in a match nor did he even get the chance to speak. Rather NXT superstar Baron Corbin ruined the big reveal getting revenge on William Regal.
Corbin took out 'the greatest man that ever lived' before he even stepped foot into the ring, shouting "an eye for an eye" at Regal before proceeding to throw Aries' t-shirt at him. This will likely be one of the last feuds for Corbin before making the step up to the main roster which begs the question, how long will Aries need before he also transitions into the main roster?
Does Aries need a lengthy spell in NXT?
A question that often creeps up whenever any well known wrestler jumps to NXT is "how long will that superstar need in the development territory?" It could be argued that wrestlers like Aries, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn etc... shouldn't even be on NXT as it is seen as a developmental system that teaches less experienced wrestlers the ropes and prepares them for what it is like to be apart of the wrestling business. Not for wrestlers like Aries who have competed all over the world and are well adapted to the American style of wrestling.
Despite this, WWE are clearly going to keep sending the majority of new signings through NXT, so that they can adapt easier to the style of wrestling the WWE expects. The only exception to this is AJ Styles who was put straight onto the main roster of RAW.
The answer to the question is absolutely not. Austin Aries will thrive in front of WWE's crowds, he has all the assets to become a major star in the company and with his athletic and wrestling ability there is no reason to why Aries will not eventually hold gold in the WWE. The only concern over Aries is his age, which is why it is a bad idea to keep him down in NXT for too long.
Aries is 37 and with the way WWE's injuries are going it could be hard for Aries to keep fit in such a injury prone environment. The longer Aries is down at NXT the more time the WWE are wasting as they certainly have a potential major star on their hands. This author believes the quicker the better in terms of how long it takes before Aries arrives on the main roster.
Will he make it in the WWE?
With the right attitude and backing from the board, he most definitely will. His microphone skills are impeccable and his in ring work is just as good if not better. He thrives at being a heel and a face but what he's perfect at is playing a tweener. His days in TNA highlights this, where he was arguably the only thing in the company that was watchable for a long time.
With the talent pool in WWE the way it is, he will not have any problems with people to feud with and possibly even team with. WWE seem to be bringing in many, many different types of wrestlers from all around the world and it also seems that they are doing this so they can bank on the big money dream matches like Chris Jericho vs AJ Styles.
When/If Austin Aries debuts onto the main roster many people will be giving their opinions on who he should feud with. Names like Jericho, Seth Rollins etc. will come up and hopefully the WWE will listen to these opinions and make these matches happen as it is certainly something everyone will want to see
It'll be a long time before any of these questions are answered, Aries has only just debuted and with wrestlers like Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin and Samoa Joe ahead of him in line, it seems like it's going to be quite a while before we see him on the main roster. Regardless of this WWE fans are treated with the fact he will be on NXT and we will now get to see' the greatest man that ever lived' on WWE television week in week out. Bravo WWE, Bravo
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