Austin Aries Daniel Healy " Dan " Solwold Jr . ( April 15 , 1978 ) better known by his ring name Austin Aries , is an American professional wrestler who is signed to WWE , where he works in their developmental territory NXT . Aries is better known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a six - time TNA X Division Champion , with his first reign lasting 301 days and remains the longest in the history of the championship . Aries is also a one - time TNA World Heavyweight Champion , and one - time TNA World Tag Team Champion , making him the fifth TNA Triple Crown Champion . He is also known for performing in Ring of Honor ( ROH ) , where he became the first two - time ROH World Champion . Aries is also worked for 205 Live , Raw Cruiserweight division and Main Event as a color commentator . Professional wrestling career . Solwold began training under Eddie Sharkey and Terry Fox in 2000 and debuted on November 24 , 2000 , facing " Sheriff " Johnny Emerald . He wrestled in the midwest for several years before his east coast wrestling career was jumpstarted after he progressed to the finals of the 2004 ECWA Super 8 Tournament , where he was defeated by Christopher Daniels . Ring of Honor ( 2004 – 2007 ) . From there , he joined Ring of Honor . Aries made his ROH main show debut at " ROH : Reborn Stage 2 " in Chicago Ridge , Illinois on April 24 , 2004 . Aries was unsuccessful , however , losing a four corner survival match also involving Jimmy Rave , Rocky Romero , and the winner , Nigel McGuinness . Aries was scheduled to return at the May 22 show , Generation Next , to compete in a one night series which would showcase young , upcoming ROH talent . Alex Shelley , however , hand - picked Aries , along with Roderick Strong and Jack Evans , as members of a new stable ( also meant to promote young , upcoming ROH talent ) who , instead of earning their spots , would simply take them . The group took the name Generation Next as their own . Aries captured the ROH World Championship at " Final Battle 2004 " on December 26 , 2004 , in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , by defeating the longest reigning ROH World Champion , Samoa Joe . On June 16 , 2005 , Ring of Honor named Aries the new head trainer at the ROH wrestling school , replacing the former head trainer , CM Punk , who had agreed to a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment . After a six - month string of non - stop defenses , many of which were international , Aries lost the championship to CM Punk on June 18 , 2005 . On December 17 in Edison , New Jersey at " Final Battle 2005 " , Aries teamed with Strong to defeat Sal Rinauro and Tony Mamaluke for the ROH World Tag Team Championship . The two would then disband Generation Next on June 3 , 2006 . In a first time ever match , Aries took on Pro Wrestling Noah star and former GHC Jr . Heavyweight champion KENTA in Chicago on June 24 , but was defeated following KENTA ' s " Go 2 Sleep " . On September 16 , he and his partner Strong lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to the Kings of Professional Wrestling ( Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli ) . Aries and Strong continued to team together for the rest of the year . At " Battle of the Icons " on January 27 , 2007 , Aries and Strong teamed up with Jack Evans to defeat Davey Richards , Delirious and SHINGO . This apparent Generation Next reunion was short lived when , at the following show on February 16 , Strong attacked Aries after their tag team title match against Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal . Strong then formed the " No Remorse Corps " with Davey Richards . Jack Evans ran down and pulled Strong off Aries , but refused to side with either of them . The following night , Aries called out Strong twice , but was unable to get his hands on him . When Evans refused to side with him , Aries said he was going to form a new faction with members of the next generation of wrestling . With that , he formed " The Resilience " with Erick Stevens and Matt Cross . On April 27 , Aries unsuccessfully challenged Takeshi Morishima for the ROH World Championship . On May 4 , 2007 , Ring of Honor announced on their website that they had signed a pay - per - view deal with G - Funk Sports and Entertainment . Following the announcement , TNA pulled Aries and Homicide , both under contracts with TNA , from all Ring of Honor shows . Return to TNA Wrestling . X Division Champion ( 2011 – 2012 ) . On June 13 , 2011 , at the tapings of the June 16 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries made a return to TNA , defeating Jimmy Rave and Kid Kash in a first round match of the X Division Showcase tournament for a contract with the promotion . On July 10 at Destination X 2011 , Aries defeated Jack Evans , Low Ki and Zema Ion to win the tournament and earn a contract with TNA . In his first match on " Impact Wrestling " since being officially re - signed , Aries defeated Shannon Moore in a singles match , after hitting him with a steel chain and then pinning him for the victory , thus returning to his A Double character and establishing himself as a heel . On the July 21 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries cost Alex Shelley , who had previously confronted him on his win over Shannon Moore , his shot at the X Division Championship . Two weeks later , Aries defeated Shelley in a singles match . On August 7 at Hardcore Justice , Aries and Shelley competed in a three - way match for the TNA X Division Championship , but were both unable to win the belt from the defending champion , Brian Kendrick . On the August 18 episode of " Impact Wrestling " Aries won an eight - man gauntlet match to earn another shot at the X Division Championship . On September 11 at No Surrender , Aries defeated Kendrick to win the X Division Championship for the first time . On [ [ October 16 ] ] at Bound for Glory , Aries defeated Kendrick in a rematch to retain the title . On November 13 at Turning Point Aries defeated Jesse Sorensen and Kid Kash in a three - way match to retain the X Division Championship . On December 11 at Final Resolution Aries defeated Kash in a singles match to retain the X Division Championship . On January 8 , 2012 , at Genesis , Aries successfully defended the X Division Championship in a four - way elimination match against Jesse Sorensen , Kid Kash and Zema Ion . On February 12 at Against All Odds , Aries defeated Alex Shelley with his " Last Chancery " submission hold to retain the X Division Championship . On the March 8 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries was defeated by Ion via disqualification , after Aries was caught using Ion ' s hair spray on him ; as a result , Aries retained his title . On March 12 , Aries became the longest reigning X Division Champion in history by breaking the previous record of 182 days , set by Christopher Daniels in 2005 . On March 18 at Victory Road , Aries successfully defended the title against Zema Ion . On the following episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries again retained the title after he wrestled Ion , Kid Kash and Anthony Neese to a no contest , following interference from Bully Ray Aries finalized his face turn the following week , when he teamed with James Storm to defeat Ray and Bobby Roode in the main event . The rivalry between Aries and Ray continued on April 15 at Lockdown , where the two were on opposing teams in the annual Lethal Lockdown match . Aries ' team , led by Garett Bischoff , ended up defeating Ray ' s team , led by Eric Bischoff . Aries continued his record - breaking title reign on the May 10 episode of " Impact Wrestling " by successfully defending the X Division Championship against Zema Ion . Three days later at Sacrifice , Aries defeated Bully Ray in a singles match , submitting him with the " Last Chancery " . On May 19 , Aries announced that he had signed a contract extension with TNA . On the live May 31 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries successfully defended the X Division Championship against Chris Sabin . Earlier in the episode , Aries had a run - in with Samoa Joe , which led to Joe costing Aries his match with Crimson the following week . On June 10 at Slammiversary , Aries defeated Joe to retain the X Division Championship . On the following episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries competed in his first Ultimate X match , where he successfully defended the X Division Championship against Chris Sabin and Zema Ion . TNA World Heavyweight Championship ( 2011 - 2012 ) . Following his win , Aries announced that he was not satisfied with being just the X Division Champion , which led to General Manager Hulk Hogan promising him a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , but only if he first vacated the X Division Championship . The following week , Aries agreed to Hogan ' s terms with the caveat that every year before the annual Destination X pay - per - view , future X Division Champions be given the same opportunity . Aries relinquished the X Division Championship two weeks later , ending his record - breaking reign at 298 days . On July 8 , Aries defeated Bobby Roode in the main event of Destination X to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion . On July 17 , TNA president Dixie Carter announced that Aries had signed a new long - term deal with the promotion . Aries and Roode had a non - title rematch on the July 19 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , which ended in a no contest , when both competitors were attacked by a group of masked assailants , known only as the " Aces & Eights " . On August 12 at Hardcore Justice , Aries successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Roode , with a pre - match stipulation preventing Roode from getting another rematch for the title as long as Aries was champion . During the following weeks , Aries moved from Roode to defending TNA against the Aces & Eights . On the September 20 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , after Jeff Hardy had won the 2012 Bound for Glory Series to become Aries ' next challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship , Aries began working as a tweener , claiming that he could match anything Hardy had ever done in his career . On October 11 , during the final episode of " Impact Wrestling " before Bound for Glory , Aries continued his turn into a villainous character , claiming that he worked best when people were against him , before crotching Hardy on the ring ropes and dropping him with a brainbuster . Three days later in the main event of Bound for Glory , TNA ' s largest annual event , Aries lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Hardy , ending his reign at 98 days . On the October 25 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries attacked Hardy , after he had successfully defended his title against Kurt Angle , stealing one of his two title belts and announcing that a rematch between the two would take place at Turning Point . On November 11 at the pay - per - view , Aries failed to regain the World Heavyweight Championship from Hardy in a ladder match . On the November 22 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries moved from Hardy to becoming a disruption around the Impact Zone by revealing a secret relationship between Bully Ray and General Manager Hulk Hogan ' s daughter Brooke . The following week , Aries was chosen by Hogan as the number one contender to Rob Van Dam ' s X Division Championship . Aries defeated Van Dam in the main event via disqualification , following interference from Bully Ray , but as the title does not change hands on a disqualification , Van Dam retained . On December 9 at Final Resolution , Aries defeated Ray in a singles match , following a distraction from both Brooke and Hulk Hogan and a low blow from Aries . On the December 13 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries was revealed as the man who paid the Aces & Eights to prevent Bobby Roode , who originally paid the group to help him win the World Heavyweight Championship , from winning at the pay - per - view , which led Jeff Hardy to issue him a title challenge . On the December 20 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries was unsuccessful in his challenge for Hardy ' s World Heavyweight Championship , following interference from Bobby Roode . Aries and Roode faced off in a number one contenders match on the December 27 episode of " Impact Wrestling " . The match ended in a no contest after the two attacked referee Earl Hebner and then were , in turn attacked by Hardy . The rivalry culminated in a three - way elimination match on January 13 , 2013 , at Genesis where Aries failed again to regain the World Heavyweight Championship from Hardy . Championship reigns ( 2013 - 2015 ) . On January 25 , at the tapings of the February 7 episode of " Impact Wrestling " in Manchester , England , Aries and Roode defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr . and Hernandez to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship , thus giving Aries the TNA Triple Crown . Aries and Roode made their first successful title defense on March 10 at Lockdown , defeating Bad Influence ( Christopher Daniels and Kazarian ) and Chavo Guerrero , Jr . and Hernandez in a three - way match . On the March 21 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries and Roode defeated Guerrero and Hernandez to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship , following interference from Daniels and Kazarian . Afterwards , the champions would be attacked by Daniels and Kazarian On the April 11 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Aries and Roode lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship back to Guerrero and Hernandez in a Two - out - of - Three Falls match , ending their reign at 76 days . Aries and Roode received their rematch on the April 25 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , but were again defeated by Guerrero and Hernandez after an inadvertent interference from Christopher Daniels and Kazarian . Aries and Roode faced Daniels and Kazarian in number one contenders match on the May 9 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , however , the match ended in a no contest after special guest referee James Storm superkicked Aries and Daniels and walked out on the match . Aries and Roode received another shot at Guerrero and Hernandez ' s titles on June 2 at Slammiversary XI , in an fatal four - way elimination match , which was won by Gunner and James Storm . On June 20 , 2013 at the " Impact Wrestling " tapings for June 27 , Suicide defeated champion Chris Sabin and Kenny King to win the X Division Championship . After GM Hulk Hogan demanded Suicide unmask himself ( due to discovering the real Suicide was jumped backstage ) , Aries revealed himself as the imposter . This marks Aries ' second reign as X Division Champion , and he announced that he intended to trade in the X Division Title for a World Heavweight Championship match at the " Destination X " special on July 18 . On July 11 Chris Sabin would regain the X Division Championship in a triple threat match that also included Manic . On the August 1 episode of Impact Wresting , Aries turned face after praising AJ Styles , before being interrupted by his former tag team partner Bobby Rhode . Aries also competed in the Bound For Glory Series before being eliminated by Styles on September 12 at the Impact Wrestling : No Surrender event . On October 20 at the Bound for Glory pay - per - view , Aries competed in a Ultimate X match for the X - Division Championship but the match was won by Chris Sabin . On the December 12 episode of Impact Wrestling , Aries defeated Sabin to win the X - Division Championship for a third time . On the January 2 , 2014 episode of Impact Wrestling , Aries drop the X Division Championship back to Sabin . Three weeks later , on the January 23 special episode of Impact Wrestling : Genesis , Aries once again defeated Sabin to win the TNA X Division Championship for the fourth time . On the February 6 episode of Impact Wrestling , Aries successfully defended his X Division Championship against Zema Ion , who cashed in his Feast or Fired briefcase . Three weeks later , on the February 27 episode of Impact Wrestling , served as the special guest referee in a match between Bobby Roode and M . V . P . . Aries attacked MVP , allowing Roode to win the match , turning heel once again . On March 2 , Aries lost the X Division Championship to Seiya Sanada at Wrestle - 1 ' s Kaisen : Outbreak event in Tokyo , Japan . On the May 22nd edition of Impact , Aries helped Eric Young against MVP , Bobby Lashley , and Kenny King but was attacked by the trio , turning face once again . On June 15 , 2014 at Slammiversary , Aries faced Kenny King in a one - on - one match to determine one of the challengers for Eric Young ' s world title later in the night . Aries would defeat King and advance to the main event match for the TNA World Championship , in which he lost by pinfall to the retaining champion Eric Young . At the June 20 Impact Wrestling taping , Aries won back the X Division Championship from Sanada for his fifth reign . A mere five days after regaining the championship , Aries chose to invoke " Option C " to vacate the championship for a title shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Destination X on June 26 , where he lost to the champion Lashley . On January 7 , 2015 Aries would defeat Low Ki to regain the X Division Championship for the 6th time on the debut edition of Impact Wrestling on Destination America . Low Ki would recapture the title during the January 16 Impact Wrestling taping after interference from Beat Down Clan . That same night , during the January 23 Impact Wrestling taping Aries would win the annual Feast or Fired affording him an opportunity at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship . Throughout February and March , Aries would continue to feud with the Beat Down Clan with Low Ki stealing Aries briefcase after a match with Samoa Joe , with Aries eventually taking it back . Aries would also reform The Dirty Heels with Bobby Roode , with the two challenging The Wolves to a best of 5 series for the Tag Team Titles . The Wolves would win the first two matches and Aries and Roode won the third . At Destination X Aries would cash in his Feast or Fired briefcase for an opportunity at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on Kurt Angle however Angle would retain the championship . There ' s been a lot of speculation about Austin Aries leaving TNA as his contract reportedly expires with on June 28 , 2015 Slammiversary XIII pay - per - view and now we know he is on his way out . At June 27 , 2015 Impact Wrestling tapings in Orlando , Aries wrestled his final match with the company , at least for now , against Rockstar Spud and lost . The stipulation was that if Aries won , he got to take the " Rockstar " from Spud ' s name but if Spud won , Aries had to leave TNA . 2nd Return to Ring of Honor . On July 6 Aries made his return to Ring of Honor . Aries was then announced as the replacement for Roderick Strong in the Vegas Wild Card 6 - man tag match on July 17 alongside Moose and Undisputed ROH World and Television Champion Jay Lethal against Jay Briscoe , Dalton Castle and Kyle O ' Reilly . WWE . NXT ( 2016 – present ) . On January 22 , 2016 , Aries debuted in WWE ' s developmental branch , NXT , during the February and March tapings , after being introduced by General Manager William Regal . He was then attacked by Baron Corbin before heading into the ring . Color commentator ( 2016 – present ) . On the premiere episode of 205 Live , Aries making his appearance as a color commentator , along with Corey Graves and Mauro Ranallo . Aries also making his appearance to calls the Cruiserweight division matches on Raw on December 19 , 2016 , and since , and calls every matches on Main Event on December 20 , 2016 , along with Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton .