Austin Aries says he's delighted to be leading the "rebooted" Impact Wrestling but would consider a WWE return.

The 39-year-old was released by WWE last July amid backstage differences and has since competed on the independent scene.

Aries captured the Impact World Championship on his first night back with the US company which aired in the UK last Friday.

His second Impact world title reign came after he defeated ex-champion Eli Drake in an impromptu match in a mere 53 seconds.

'The Greatest Man That Ever Lived' addressed his triumphant return during a candid conference call with media including Mirror Sport.

(Image: Impact Wrestling)

He said: “I think that Eli is a charismatic guy and he certainly has the gift of the gab. People seems to overlook him inside the ring, but he is an incredible in-ring worker.

“I’m sure that Eli regrets his decision to make the match the way that he did and I am more than happy to oblige to the rematch.”

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His Impact return has seen him become the face of the product, but Aries revealed that re-joining the company as a wrestler wasn’t always the plan.

He said: "The initial discussions when I became a free agent before the new team got put in place was more around joining the writing team. I then realised that wasn’t a fit for me at this point.

“It wasn’t then until maybe late December when we talked again. At this stage the new regime were in place and I had a great conversation with Scott D’Amore and realised that it was a place I could come into and lend a hand and help to build Impact back to prominence."

Aries was a focal point of WWE's cruiserweight division for wrestlers weighing less than 205lbs, but it's a classification he is keen to see removed from wrestling.

He said: "I decided to return to Impact as a world class wrestler. I think that weight divisions in wrestling is a little silly as we never adhere to them.

"The perception is if you are not 206lbs then you can’t be considered main event talent, which is foolish.

“You just have to look at boxing and MMA and guys like [Floyd] Mayweather and [Conor] McGregor.

"Those guys will never be a heavyweight in their life but have had one of the biggest fights of all time. It's time for wrestling to follow suit.”

His return to Impact kickstarted 'a new era' led by Ed Nordholm, D’Amore and Don Callis. As a former employee, Aries sensed a big change following the "reboot".

He said: "There is a whole different energy backstage. I know it's been through changes, but some of the founding philosophies are no longer there.

"We have to be open to the fact that wrestling is now different to how it has been.

“We are looking at a new age where it can truly be a mutually beneficial relationship between the guys and the promotions.

"Of course there is a lot of work to do and nobody is delusional to that.

"People are sceptical but what I hope people understand is for me to come back to this company, that should really signal that things are different.

"There’s different thought process and people at the helm because I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

(Image: Impact Wrestling)

Another change Aries has noticed has been the boom in the industry, which has certainly helped independent wrestlers across the globe.

The former X Division Champion said: "I have been doing this for 17 years and the wrestling business is as good as I have ever seen it.”

“When I was free and clear [from his WWE contract] to go take bookings, I was surprised and happy to see how strong and vibrant the scene is across the globe.

"There is a fanbase across the globe that wants to see other stuff than what they have been given in the past.

“It's the first time as an independent wrestler you can travel the world and make a great living. I couldn’t be happier right now with the landscape of professional wrestling.”

(Image: Impact Wrestling)

Aries confirmed that while he was was not signed exclusively to Impact, the creative freedom the company allows him was certainly one of the attractions of coming back.

He said: "I am not under any type of long term contract, we came to an agreement over a certain amount of dates.

"The beautiful thing is there is no restrictions on me and that was very appealing to me. For me it's important to keep my flexibility and options open.”

While his run in WWE came to an end after reports of backstage differences, Aries was grateful for his time there and is open to reviewing an offer to go back in the future.

He said: "I had a great experience and will always be grateful for the opportunity. Coming out the other side has definitely raised my notoriety.

“For me going there was an opportunity to see how things are done at that scale. I benefited from it and if the situation was right, I would entertain the opportunity to go back.”

New episodes of Impact Wrestling air every Friday night at 10pm on 5Spike in the UK.

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