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Guest Editorial - In Defense of Austin Aries
By Joshua Macala of Houston, Tex.

Before TNA is quick to pull the plug on Austin Aries's new title reign, I would like to offer up a few suggestions from the point of view of a wrestling fan. First, in my eyes, Austin Aries is a wrestling workhorse who can bring the sort of credibility to the TNA Heavyweight Title that Ric Flair brought to the NWA Heavyweight Title back when it was considered a more prestigious prize than what was then known as the WWF Heavyweight Title.

While the idea of Robert Roode as a heel champion doing whatever needs to be done to retain the title until his eventual re-match with former tag partner James Storm seems like a good idea on paper, the options that story presents are rather limited, given that the end result was expected. TNA threw a nice sort of wrench into those plans when Austin Aries became TNA Heavyweight champion.

At the same time Aries won the TNA Title, it was interesting to see the leader in the Bound for Glory Series being Samoa Joe. What a match for the TNA Title these two could have, especially with in a main event spot with pay-per-view time given. That is actually a match I would look more forward to than the probable Roode-Storm encounter.

On the other hand, James Storm could still superkick his way to victory in the Bound for Glory Series and face Austin Aries for the title in a face versus face style match.

What it all boils down to is the caliber of wrestling focused around the title and the match possibilities. At least right now, the potential matches seem much more promising with Austin Aries at the wheel. TNA has come a long way from Robert Roode defeating the likes of Sting, Jeff Hardy, Mr. Anderson, and Rob Van Dam - you know, the sort of cookie-cutter formula matches they were going with to give the heel champion wins. Now, TNA has matches in the making with Austin Aries taking on Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels, and King Mo… Okay, maybe not King Mo.

Being that hindsight is 20/20, I must say that looking back now it made perfect sense for Austin Aries to win the TNA Heavyweight Title, so much so that everyone should have seen it coming. TNA had this new concept presented where the X Division champion could surrender the title at Destination X and compete for the Heavyweight Title. If Austin Aries failed to do this, wouldn’t it have in many ways diminished it come next year? It could have tainted Destination X so much that they did away with the whole concept. Instead, there's a chance for another X Division star to break out next year and do what Austin Aries did. If nothing else, it definitely adds some much-needed fuel to the fire of a once-prominent division.

Wouldn’t it be something to see Austin Aries still TNA Heavyweight champion at Destination X next year, defending the title against someone following in the footsteps he paved the way for? The mere thought of it makes the wrestling fan in me giddy.

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