Austin Aries recently discussed the famous incident between him and Christy Hemme on the Ryback podcast. The incident involved Austin Aries putting his crotch into the face of Christy Hemme whilst climbing the ring post. Hemme would put a post on the TNA’s website stating she did not feel sexually assaulted, and that Aries had apologised to her in person.
Austin Aries gave his thoughts on the industry and how its changed over the years,
“You know what? Let me also put this out there — it’s changing. And that’s part of the appeal why I’m like, open to coming back. But the pro wrestling I grew up in, you know, in 2000 is a lot different than it is now. And the culture and what was accepted and — the s**t I had to navigate around not being like a lot of the people that were in positions of power? That took a toll. I’m very proud of where I got and the things that I achieved without having to kind of sell-out to that, and not really changing my moral compass.”
On the impact of the incident on him and his personal life,
“After that incident in 2013 — Again, that on-air interaction between me and the ring announcer [Hemme] — I got classified as a sexual harasser. And that, for me, was really difficult. And I — it turned me very dark, and I really leaned into it. ‘If this is what you think of me and who I am, well then, I’ll give you that.’ Because as we know as wrestlers, the most important thing is to listen to the reaction. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, so I leaned into the bad because it was easy. But that slowly started to erode [me] personally; it takes a toll. You start to blur those lines.”
You can listen to the entire interview with Austin Aries on Ryback’s podcast below.
(H/T to 411 Wrestling for the quotes.)
You can find me on Twitter @fazzasthoughts
Check out our official store at PRO WRESTLING TEES, show us your support and buy a shirt. You can visit our store by clicking here.
Make sure to follow us on Twitter @BodySlamNet and on Instagram @BodySlamDotNet
Also check us out on Facebook and give us a like and share by clicking HERE.
