Was the Aries vs Impact Ending Staged?

If you watched Impact Wrestling’s Bound for Glory PPV event, then you most likely witnessed the main event of Austin Aries and Johnny Impact for the Impact World Championship. In what was a worthy spectacle, it appears that the ending didn’t make Aries very happy, as he flipped off the crowd after his loss and stormed out as the event ended.

The buildup to this match was personal through tweets from Aries towards Impact and his wife, fellow TNA Knockout Taya Valkyrie. With lost respect towards Aries, it was difficult for some to convince themselves to purchase the PPV in the first place.

Since his release from the WWE, Aries was focused on his championship reign at Impact Wrestling, which resulted in him holding the title for 173 days before losing it at Bound for Glory.

Were Aries’ antics staged, or did his actions inside and outside of the ring reveal his true colors? Based on the context, it would appear that Austin Aries’ frustration has hit a boiling point with Impact Wrestling. If that’s the case, what is next to come is truly unknown for the veteran.

Part of professional wrestling is the acting involved, and it’s sometimes impossible to dictate whether a scene is staged or not. For example, the “Montreal Screwjob” forced fans to pick and choose who was involved. In this particular case, Aries would be Bret Hart, while Impact would be Shawn Michaels.

I am siding with Impact Wrestling and their decision to have Austin Aries drop the Impact World Championship. This isn’t because I felt what Aries said or did was wrong, but because I can see Johnny Impact as a name to carry Impact Wrestling in the near future.

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