The former Damien Sandow got a bit of a raw deal in the WWE, you could say.
Despite making his character work on several occasions, Sandow, now Aron Rex was rarely used on WWE programming in 2016, and eventually cut from the company. If you're looking for him to have a chip on his shoulder, you'd be wrong. Rex spoke about his move to TNA recently.
"As far as I am concerned, anyone that doubts me, that is their opinion," Rex told Ring Rust Radio. "I have to live with myself, and in terms of a performer in the WWE, my fans reactions spoke for themselves. Regardless of what I was doing, if you aren’t in the world title picture, but you’re getting a world title response as a performer, that’s on me and that’s OK with me. I was completely at peace with it and that’s why I didn’t know if I would still wrestle since other opportunities have come up. As far as guys having a chip on their shoulder, I can’t think of anyone like that, and I know the guys like ECIII, Lashley and Galloway. There is no chip on their shoulders and they are going out there and doing their job and making waves. Impact Wrestling in the last few months, you can’t tell me they haven’t changed the ways the industry has presented itself. They are exploring new venues and operating off a new template. They are taking risks, and it’s not just from a production stand point, it’s from a TV standpoint. It’s working. It’s absolutely working. I would put Impact Wrestling against any other wrestling show on TV today."
When leaving the WWE, many speculated that Rex already had one foot out of the wrestling business. He admitted he thought his prime in wrestling may have been in the past, but says he still has goals to accomplish with his new home in TNA wrestling.
"You are talking to the most left brained professional wrestler you will ever speak to with goals and everything. Short term goals, every time I am out there, I am out there to make the audience feel like they got their money’s worth, to make the viewer feel the time they invested to tune into and watch Pop TV, that their time is well spent. There are a lot of guys with that philosophy in Impact Wrestling. When you have a team atmosphere back there, and this isn’t just talent, this is management, talent and everyone working together, and giving everyone freedom and collaborating together it is such an awesome process. It is such a process and it is really starting to translate on TV. It has been a long time since I have been excited for professional wrestling and about the future. I honestly thought months ago my best days in the wrestling business were behind me, but after last night I can guarantee you they are ahead of me. There are a lot of guys I can say that for. This TV show, this company, is growing, it’s changing and it’s awesome," said Rex.
Rex saw a chance to be a part of something different in TNA, but admitted that some familiar faces were a part of his decision to appear for the company.
"From an executive stand point, John Gaburick I have known him for a long time. That was just kind of like, “Oh hey great to see you again.” Dixie couldn’t have been nicer. I met her and her family for the first time yesterday. This is coming from a guy who spent his whole career in the WWE. It’s just an instant sense of family. I felt so welcomed by everyone there. Even guys I have never met before would come up and just tell me they were so glad to have me there. I cannot say enough good things about how I was received on every level of the company. The agents and producers are so great and they are so passionate about it. You look at our talent roster for example and see a guy like Moose. He is a former NFL star and competed at the highest level of football that there is in the world, and now he is here with us and doing great. He is so passionate about this. He stepped away from a NFL career to do this because he loves it. The list goes on and on. There are guys that can go out there and entertain and put on great matches and a great TV show. Who would have thought the Hardy’s could spend the rest of their career as the Hardy’s in terms of what you get from them? They are doing stuff that is absolutely crazy and is changing the way the business is operating. I think this is some of the best stuff Matt Hardy has ever done. With me one thing that never went away was this: Whenever I stepped through that curtain, whether it was with the WWE at WrestleMania, a live event, an independent show or Impact, whenever I am performing in front of people, I had no choice but to love it. It is just the way I am wired. I put everything I have into it. That’s what I said last night and it might have been a little off the cuff, but I can’t remember verbatim. What hit me was how positive and upbeat everyone is about creating the product. How everyone’s input is taken into consideration. I left a lot of friends in the WWE locker room, but I have a lot of good friends here too so everything is a tradeoff. For me, and I actually said this to Dixie today, as far as timing goes, I couldn’t have picked a better time to come into Impact Wrestling. We really are on the cusp of some awesome stuff happening and everyone is on the same page. I really feel blessed to be here at this time," Rex said.
Rex will take on Drew Galloway at TNA Bound For Glory on October 2.
