7 Ups And 5 Downs From WWE Great Balls Of Fire

Downs...

5. Aries Persona Non Grata

This column hasn’t had a chance to weigh in on the sudden release of Austin Aries, but a noticeable omission Sunday night opened the door to offer a quick “down.”

At the outset of the WWE Cruiserweight Championship match, the announcers were recounting how Neville has overcome all challengers during his six-plus months as champ, including Rich Swann, TJP and Jack Gallagher. But the one name missing from the list was the man Neville defended the strap against at three consecutive PPVs: A-Double.

Aries’ departure is deeply disappointing when you consider that even if WWE felt he had no place in the cruiserweight division, he could have easily carried on in NXT or even transitioned over to the main roster – perhaps on SmackDown – to try his luck. Instead, WWE released Aries outright, an unceremonious end to A-Double’s shot with the promotion.

We haven’t heard if there are other reasons for the release, but as it looks right now, it’s just disappointing that he’s been whitewashed from the company.