Austin Aries has been granted his WWE release.
WWE announced the news Friday, saying "WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstar Austin Aries. WWE wishes Aries the best in all of his future endeavors."
Aries had been out of action for over a month, last appearing in a title match loss to Neville at WWE Extreme Rules. Following the match, Aries sat outside the ring with a dejected look on his face. Later that week he announced that he'd be taking time off from WWE.
Aries first appeared for WWE on the NXT brand in April of 2016. He was brought to the main roster as a part of the cruiserweight division, first serving as a color commentator while he healed up from an eye injury that left him sidelined for several months.
Fightful.com was told Aries asked for his release -- though informally by some of his behavior -- and was granted it after growing frustrated with his role in the company. We're told he didn't as much go and request his release as much as he "made it known that he didn't like what he was doing there." He'd impressed many backstage with his commentary, but his attitude often rubbed people the wrong way. He tweeted regarding the matter, which you can see below.