![Austin Aries was featured in the poster (and eventual DVD cover) for "Destination X", the PPV where he won the TNA World title from Bobby Roode.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/d9/6a/d96a71c47363354d7f69927cc2cfa50b.jpg?itok=DAr-6Czc "Austin Aries was featured in the poster (and eventual DVD cover) for "Destination X", the PPV where he won the TNA World title from Bobby Roode.")
An appearance by Austin Aries on the Top Ten Wrestlers of 2012 is no surprise, but maybe it should be. Aries discussed retirement in early 2011, only to win an Ultimate X match at the first X Division-only “Destination X”. He would win the X title two months later and hold it for nearly ten months before trading it in to take a chance at Bobby Roode’s World Heavyweight title.
In the process he started what looks to be a “Destination X” tradition and shocked the world by winning the TNA World title.
Aries has been and remains an internet darling, but his title win also reaffirmed TNA’s commitment to building new stars. Aries quickly cemented his place as a main event with subsequent wins against Roode and Kurt Angle.
Ultimately, he would main event TNA’s biggest pay-per-view “Bound For Glory” against the company’s most well known star, Jeff Hardy. He would walk out on the losing end, but not without securing a place as one of the top stars of the year. His rematch with Hardy a month later is a leading contender for Match of the Year status.
With nothing but upsides ahead of him, Aries looks to have a feud with current X champion Rob Van Dam in the future. If those matches prove half as good as his battles with Hardy, Aries may very well find himself the top talent in TNA very, very soon.
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