Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode: Winner, Reaction & Analysis

When Austin Aries beat Robert Roode at Sunday’s TNA Destination X pay-per-view for the World Heavyweight Championship, wrestling fans across the world had something to celebrate.

TNA Wrestling got this one right.

Not only had A-Double vindicated himself for the years of hard work he invested in the sport of wrestling, Aries had built a clear path from X Division competitor to world heavyweight champion.

In a matter of a few weeks, Aries has turned the X division from an afterthought in the company to one of its main focuses; that’s called having an IMPACT.

Now that the Age of Aries has begun, the fans of the sport should just enjoy it—just like the CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan storyline—before it goes away.

Match Breakdown & Analysis

Coming into this match, it wasn’t about who won or lost, it was a forgone conclusion that Roode would retain. The main focus of this match was making both men look as strong as possible.

TNA did that in spades.

While Aries could have lost and still looked like a viable heavyweight contender, the loss from Roode was the perfect situation for all. Not only did the former champion get to claim the longest reign in company history, he got to lose the title just before it started getting old.

That’s a luxury many former champions were not afforded, and now Roode is involved in one of the hottest feuds in all of professional wrestling.

While eight months doesn’t seem like a long time, Roode’s reign was long enough and there is little doubt that he will continue to fight for the belt leading up to Bound for Glory; possibly even winning it back.

There are hundreds of ways to go from here in terms of storyline, and as a fan, let’s hope TNA takes this momentum and keeps it going. Not like WWE did when they stepped all over CM Punk’s momentum last summer.

What They’re Saying

WWE champion CM Punk took to Twitter to congratulate the Indy guys that had climbed to success Sunday at Destination X and how TNA is starting to get it:

"

I didn't see it, but congrats to @austinaries @SamoaJoe and @zematna Looks like somebody finally gets it. Kudos.

— CM Punk (@CMPunk) July 9, 2012"

TNA president Dixie Carter talked about how hard Aries worked over the last year and how much he deserves this honor:

"

Congrats @AustinAries!!What a year it has been. You have fought hard and deserve this!

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) July 9, 2012"

Independent legend Colt Cabana congratulated his old friend on his big win:

"

Congrats to @AustinAries.#Champ

— Colt Cabana (@ColtCabana) July 9, 2012"

Gut Check star and independent wrestling phenom Joey Ryan talks about what Aries did to the limits put on smaller wrestlers:

"

Hear that? It's the sound of the glass ceiling shattering. Congrats @AustinAries.

— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) July 9, 2012"

All-around funny guy and TNA star Eric Young took time to be serious and talk about Aries win and how truly hard he works:

"

Congrats to @AustinAries he's a pro works hard and loves pro wrestling.

— Eric Young (@ShowtimeEY) July 9, 2012"

Former Ring of Honor star and WWE protégé Seth Rollins thanked Aries for helping him get to where he is in the business:

"

I owe a lot to @AustinAries for the time we spent working together. Good luck and congrats to A Double. You deserve it brother.

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) July 8, 2012"

What’s Next?

While many fans thought that TNA was building up to a possible rematch between James Storm and Bobby Roode at this year’s Bound for Glory, there is a chance that could still happen. There are roughly three months of action before BFG, so that is more than enough time to eventually have Roode win the title back.

If that’s what the long-term plan is, it shouldn’t be.

TNA saw the wave of momentum that Austin Aries was carrying and realized they had to capitalize on it. While what they did was the smart move for right now, they must play Aries reign by ear and see if it losses momentum or continues to grow.

If Aries is a great champion that sells the PPVs, there is no doubt in my mind that TNA could infuse Roode, Aries and the winner of the BFG series in the main event of the company’s biggest event this October.

For now, let’s just enjoy show!

Check back for more on the TNA Wrestling as it comes, and visit Bleacher Report’s Wrestling Page to get your fill of WWE/TNA. For more Wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics you just can’t miss (some language NSFW).

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