10 Wrestlers Who DESTROYED Their Career In A Single Moment

2. Austin Aries

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WWE.com

Austin Aries was one of the best wrestlers on the planet in 2012.

His matches flowed with the craftsmanship of some of the best ever, everything he did he just nailed, and in general, he was every bit as good as he said he was - and the 'Greatest Man Who Ever Lived' schtick was no gimmick. The man's opinion of himself was higher than he was.

That's not saying much, but you get it.

Aries was also infamous for rubbing people the wrong way, and was more than happy to invade people's personal space if they made a simple error that anybody else - who didn't have shoot narcissism - would have realised was not malicious. Aries, a nasty piece of work, secured work time and time again because he was so gifted. People forget that know, because he turned into something more than a heel with his nonsense misinformation during the pandemic, but he really was fantastic. He doesn't get any work in 2023, and hasn't for years and years in fact, even though, at 45, it shouldn't be out of the question.

It is out of the question, because he no-sold Johnny Impact at Bound For Glory 2018 and simply up and left after the finish to the main event. If he and Johnny were in cahoots, he and Impact Wrestling were not. He claims it was a work, but what money did it draw - and what did it to lead to...?

That marked the last occasion on which Aries worked for a promotion of any renown because he proved himself to be an utterly self-serving liability.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!