Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
According to sources, at the time of his release, both WWE & Austin Aries were unhappy with their relationship. Aries had expressed frustration with losing repeatedly to Neville in their program, and had asked to be moved out of the cruiserweight division since he felt there was no real future for him there after he had his run with Neville, feeling that the division was a dead end for him. Aries was publicly unhappy that his match with Neville at WrestleMania was not put on the commercial DVD of the show, costing him money.
Word is that Aries was not particularly well liked by the writers and by at least some of the talent, particularly in the cruiserweight division. Through the years, Aries has a reputation for not being happy unless he’s being used well and pushed to the level he perceives his ability is at, which he didn’t think was happening in WWE. The cruiserweights & the writers were not unhappy to see him gone.
There are mixed reports on his release, with some saying that Aries asked for his release and others saying WWE made the decision. That looks to be the case because over the next three months, he will be allowed to work some dates if he chooses but WWE has to approve any date he wants to work and will be paid his downside guarantee. His contract ran until January 2019, and if he had asked for his release, WWE could have kept him locked up through then.
