Austin Aries reportedly cleared to wrestle, and WWE could have big plans for him

When Shinsuke Nakamura kicked Austin Aries so hard in the head at an NXT house show that it did enough damage that Aries will have a permanent foreign object in his face, it seemed like the worst possible situation for the former TNA star. But it may have helped set into play a series of events that will lead to a title match at WrestleMania 33.

Indeed, he used some of his time off to do commentary on the debut episode of 205 Live, and a tease of joining the cruiserweight division soon followed. That turned into a full time gig, where WWE would even bring him into Monday Night Raw to do guest commentary for cruiserweight matches. That has since turned into running actual angles with him, where he’s acting as a journalist and riling up all the wrestlers he comes into contact with.

Now, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required) is reporting Aries has been cleared to wrestle again and he’s perfectly positioned to slide right into the cruiserweight division as one of its top players. Not surprisingly, then, the Observer notes that while it’s not a done deal there has been talk of having Aries challenge Neville for the cruiserweight championship at WrestleMania 33.

First, Neville will defend his title against Jack Gallagher at Fastlane next month.

Either way, Aries should give the cruiserweight division a much needed boost. If they’re ever going to become a touring brand like the company is already openly discussing, they’ll need stars like Aries.