Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978) better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler. He is a former member of the IMPACT Wrestling roster, where he was a three time IMPACT World Champion. He also holds titles on the international and U.S. independent circuit, holding eleven world titles through out his career.
Aries began to work with Ring of Honor in 2004, joining the Generation Next faction. He won the ROH World Tag Team Champion with his teammate Roderick Strong and at Final Battle 2004, ROH's biggest event, defeated Samoa Joe to win the ROH World Championship, ending his 654-day reign. He would regain the title on 2009, becoming the first two-time champion. Aries also worked in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling between 2005 and 2007 under the ringname of Austin Starr. However, he found success during his second stint, between 2011 and 2015. Aries won the TNA X Division Championship six times. His first reign is the longest of the title's history, at 301 days and created the "Option C" concept, where he traded in the X Division Championship for a World Heavyweight title opportunity at Destination X, winning the title. He also won the World Tag Team Championship and the Impact Grand Championship, making Aries a Grand Slam Champion in IMPACT Wrestling.
In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- 450° splash
- Brainbuster, sometimes from the second rope
- Discus Fivearm (Discus elbow smash)
- Horns of Aries / Last Chancery (Bridging arm triangle choke)
- Signature moves
- Crucifix bomb
- Death Valley driver
- Figure Eight Leglock (Modified figure-four leglock)
- Fish Hook of Doom (Presses both knees onto a facedown opponent's arm before applying a fish hook)
- Forward Russian leg sweep
- Frog splash
- Head stand into a dropkick
- Heat Seeking Missile (Suicide dive under the middle rope)
- IED (Running corner dropkick)
- Inverted suplex slam
- Japanese arm drag
- Macho Neck Snap (Neck snap to the rope hung opponent)
- No-handed springboard moonsault
- Pendulum Elbow (Pendulum backbreaker hold followed by an elbow drop to the opponent's face)
- Powerdrive Elbow (Twisting elbow drop, with theatrics)
- Rolling fireman's carry slam
- Scissored armbar
- Sidewalk slam
- Slow Motion Special (Running jumping delayed knee drop, with theatrics)
- Slingshot back elbow to a cornered opponent
- Slingshot corkscrew splash
- STO
- Shin breaker followed by a leg-hook Saito suplex
- Managers
- Thea Trinidad
- Nicknames
- "A Double"
- "The Belt Collector"
- "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived"
- "The Greatest Manager That Ever Lived"
- "Mr. It"
- "MV3 (Most Valuable Vascular Vegetarian)"
- "The Star"
- "The Truth"
- "The Vascular Vegetarian"
- Entrance themes
- Independent circuit
- "From This Day On" by Machine Head
- "Born of a Broken Man" by Rage Against the Machine
- "Personal Jesus" by Gravity Kills
- "Obsession" by Animotion
- "Disdain" by Aries Rising
- Ring of Honor
- "Born of a Broken Man" by Rage Against the Machine
- "Interstellar Overdrive" by Melvins
- "Personal Jesus" by Marilyn Manson
- "Fire It Up" by Black Label Society
- "Devil Ride" (w/ "Personal Jesus" Intro) by Phil Garrod, Reed Hayes & Scott Schreer
- "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" by Weezer
- "Black Wednesday" by Terry Devine-King
- "We're on Our Way" by Torch the Spires
- "Disdain" by Aries Rising
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / IMPACT Wrestling
- "Redneck" by Dale Oliver
- "Alliance" by Dale Oliver
- "U Are" by Dale Oliver
- "Starr March" by Dale Oliver
- "Mercenaries of the Elite Guard" (Remix) by Dale Oliver
- "Raging of the Region" by Dale Oliver
- "Dirty Heels Theme" by Dale Oliver & Serg Salinas (used as a member of The Dirty Heels)
- "Disdain" by Aries Rising
- "Dark Strings Metal Rap Beat Instrumental" by Lost in Scores (used while teaming with Killer Kross and Moose)
- NXT / World Wrestling Entertainment
- "Ambition and Vision" by CFO$
- National Wrestling Alliance
- "Run for Our Lives" by Deep Winter
- Independent circuit
Wrestlers trained[]
- Bobby Dempsey
- Ernie Osiris
- Rhett Titus
Championships and accomplishments[]
- Defiant Wrestling
- Defiant Championship (1 time)
- DEFY Wrestling
- DEFY Wrestling Championship (1 time)
- European Pro Wrestling
- EPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom
- IPW:UK World Championship (1 time)
- Mid-American Wrestling
- MAW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Midwest Championship Wrestling
- MCW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Midwest Independent Association of Wrestling
- MIAW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)
- Minnesota Independent Wrestling
- MIW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Midwest
- NWA Midwest X Division Championship (1 time)
- Neo Pro Wrestling
- NPW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)
- NPW Cruiserweight Championship Tournament (2002)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked #60 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2017
- Pro Wrestling WAR
- PWW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Ring of Honor
- ROH World Championship (2 times)
- ROH World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Roderick Strong
- Steel Domain Wrestling
- SDW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ted Dixon
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / IMPACT Wrestling
- TNA World Heavyweight Championship / IMPACT World Championship (3 times)
- TNA X Division Championship (6 times)
- TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bobby Roode
- Impact Grand Championship (1 time)
- Feast or Fired (2015 – TNA World Heavyweight Championship Contract)
- Gold Rush Tournament (2014)
- X Division Showcase (2011)
- Fifth TNA Triple Crown Champion
- Fifth IMPACT Grand Slam Champion
- World Series Wrestling
- WSW Heavyweight Championship (2 time, current)
- Xtreme Wrestling Alliance
- XWA Xtreme Rumble (2018)