9 Wrestlers Who Vanished Off The Face Of The Earth

6. Austin Aries

Blitzkrieg WCW
WWE.com

Along similar lines, Austin Aries also made himself unemployable.

Aries was a phenomenal talent, one of the absolute best in the world throughout 2012 - and that was the year in which the resurgent lion of New Japan Pro Wrestling began to roar. A flawless mechanic who never lost sight of how to convey a struggle, he will likely remain underrated forevermore. A man who made every move matter is now irrelevant.

Despite making sporadic appearances on the less glamorous reaches of the U.S. indie circuit in 2022, his career is all but over - particularly since, incredibly enough, Control Your Narrative did not in fact outlast AEW.

Aries even before the pandemic wasn't getting much work. He still maintains the "no-sell" incident at Bound For Glory 2018 was more worked than the narrative suggests, but if you apply Occam's razor, and look at his Cagematch listing subsequent to that controversy, it might tell its own story. Infamous for being difficult to work with, the fact that he wasn't even entertained by AEW - who will bring in anybody, even the pizza guy - tells another story.

Spouter of completely unfounded and dangerous b*llocks and deeply unpleasant to people, sometimes on live television, the real "questions" you should be asking are along the lines of how somebody that talented is where they are now.

 
First Posted On: 
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!