Austin Aries Reveals He Almost Retired in 2011

TNA Impact Wrestling star Austin Aries recently revealed in an interview with V2 Journal that he thought about retiring from professional wrestling back in 2011:

"I had made the decision (to retire). It was just one of those situations where I didn't feel that I was getting back what I was putting in. I didn't want to be a prisoner to the world of wrestling; I didn't want to be a guy who was trying to hustle every weekend and do a convention. I didn't want to be Randy The Ram in 10, 20 years. I felt at that point of my life I was ok with transitioning into something else, and I'd stopped taking bookings and had nothing on my schedule, and before that really sunk in I got a call from TNA offering me the opportunity to come down there for an X Division qualifying match. and I figured, well why not take one more pay day, that certainly can't hurt!"

He also addressed his previous run in TNA when he was known as Austin Starr:

"Everybody likes to speculate that me and Austin Starr are somehow related. I always say that that guy never had a tattoo. I've watched all of his footage, the guy's mildly entertaining, never really had a whole lot to sink his teeth into, but i certainly enjoyed him in the Kevin Nash Invitational Battle Royale, I'll tell you that much."