Austin Aries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dan Solwold | |
|---|---|
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| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Dan "Casual" Sexton" Austin Aries Austin Starr The Austin Starr |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Billed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Born | April 15, 1978 Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Resides | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Billed from | Milwaukee, Wisconsin TV Land (TNA) |
| Trained by | Eddie Sharkey Terry Fox |
| Debut | November 24, 2000 |
Daniel Solwold (born April 15, 1978) is an American professional wrestler currently performing under the ring name Austin Aries (in Ring of Honor and other independent wrestling promotions) and The Austin Starr (in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling).
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Aries grew up with three younger siblings in a middle class household in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Throughout his schooldays, he participated in football, wrestling and baseball. His prowess in the latter - Aries was a left-handed center field pitcher - eventually earned him several scholarships, and Aries began studying Communications at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota, later changing his degree to Psychology. While in university, he subsidised his income by working as a bartender for the American Legion. He remained in the university for several years before dropping out, and subsequently formed a band known as "Zeno's Revenge" (with Aries the lead singer) before deciding to become a professional wrestler.
[edit] Wrestling career
Aries began training under Eddie Sharkey and Terry Fox in 2000 and debuted in November, 2000, facing "Sheriff" Johnny Emerald. He wrestled in the midwest for several years before his east coast wrestling career was jumpstarted after he was booked to progress to the finals of the ECWA Super 8 Tournament, where he was defeated by Christopher Daniels.
[edit] Ring of Honor
From there, Aries 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, though, 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, and went on a tear throughout the summer of 2004 against all sorts of ROH talent.
Aries captured the ROH World Championship (and the biggest win of his career) at Final Battle 2004 on December 26, 2004, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by defeating the longest reigning ROH Champion, Samoa Joe. 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. Aries then became the head trainer at the ROH wrestling school, replacing the former head trainer, CM Punk.
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 Tag Team Championships. The two would then disband Generation Next on June 6.
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 Roderick 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 No Remorse Corps. with Davey Richards. Jack Evans ran down and pulled Strong off of 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.
[edit] Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
In July 2005, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling held an Internet poll to select an opponent for the TNA X Division Champion Christopher Daniels at their August 14 pay-per-view, Sacrifice 2005. Billed as an "Internet dream match", the poll offered voters the choice of Aries, Roderick Strong, Jay Lethal and Matt Sydal (none of whom were contracted to TNA or had even appeared with the company on a regular basis in the past). Aries won the poll by a landslide, and thus faced Daniels in a non-title match at Sacrifice, which he lost. Following the event, it was rumored that TNA officials had been impressed by Aries and were considering offering him a contract, and these rumors were seemingly substantiated when Aries faced and defeated Roderick Strong at Unbreakable on September 11 in a "Showcase match".
On September 22, 2005, Aries announced on his website that he had received a contract offer from TNA, and intended to sign it. He became a regular member of the TNA roster, and formed a stable with Roderick Strong and Alex Shelley. Many fans referred to this group second coming of Generation Next, a title of the group that Aries, Strong and Shelly were in while in Ring of Honor.
In February 2006, he and Strong were both suspended for two months for arriving four hours late for the pay-per-view Against All Odds 2006 (although they arrived in plenty of time for their scheduled match against The Naturals). This occurred because of Aries and Strong's decision to remain in Long Island for an ROH show, despite TNA's last minute request to travel to Florida because of the potential of a snowstorm.
In the build to Bound for Glory 2006, promos began to air advertising the debut of a new wrestler, Austin Starr, at the event with the slogan "A Starr is Born". Starr appeared for TNA on October 22 as the first entrant and became the winner of the "Kevin Nash Open Invitational X Division Gauntlet Battle Royal at Bound for Glory. After the match, Kevin Nash presented Starr with a bowling trophy and a hug.
On the following edition of iMPACT!, it was announced Starr would work closely with Nash's group Paparazzi Productions, much to the dismay of one of the group's founders, Alex Shelley. Starr replaced Johnny Devine as a member of Paparazzi Productions and participated in the Paparazzi Championship Series along with Shelley, eventually losing to Shelley in the finals at TNA Final Resolution 2007. Starr then went on to feud with Senshi.
[edit] Finishing and signature moves
- 450° Splash / Starrmaker Splash
- Brainbuster / Starrbuster
- Rings of Saturn / Starrbar (Scissored armbar)
- Crucifix driver
- Fish Hook of Doom (Half surfboard fish hook)
- Macho Neck Snap (Over the top rope neck snap)
- Powerdrive Elbow (Pendulum elbow drop)
- Heat Seeking Missile (Suicide dive through the middle rope)
- Bridging arm triangle choke
- Corkscrew plancha
- Corner leap over evasion into a forward roll to the opposite corner followed by a flying back elbow
- Handstand escape from a neck scissors followed by a dropkick to the sitting opponent
- High angle sidewalk slam
- Inverted rolling fireman's carry slam
- No-hands springboard moonsault
- Rolling fireman's carry slam
- Running corner dropkick
- Shin breaker followed into modified leg hook Saito suplex
- Slingshot back elbow to an opponent in a corner
- Slingshot corkscrew splash
- Frog splash
- Slingshot leg drop
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
- Mid-American Wrestling
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- MAW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Midwest Championship Wrestling
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- MWCW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Midwest Independent Association of Wrestling
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- MIAW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- Minnesota Independent Wrestling
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- MIW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
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- NWA Midwest X Division Championship (1 time) (first)
- Neo Pro Wrestling
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- Neo-Pro Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling WAR
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- PWW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
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- ROH World Championship (1 time)
- ROH World Tag Team Championship (1 time, with Roderick Strong)
- Steel Domain Wrestling
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- SDW Tag Team Championship (1 time) (as Dan "Casual" Sexon with "The Piston" Ted Dixon)
[edit] Personal life
He is a strict vegetarian and often posts pro-vegetarian facts on his website.
His ring name is a combination of his astrology sign (Aries) and the first name of one of his favorite wrestlers when he was growing up (Austin Idol). He has a tattoo of the Chinese symbol for Aries on his arm, which is one of the distinguishing features he uses to claim that he and former persona Dan 'Casual' Sexon are in fact different people (the other being that he no longer has a mustache).
He is currently dating Lacey of Ring of Honor.
