LUKE GALLOWS STEPS IN THE ROOM
On Teaming With Punk in SES:
They wanted a big guy with [CM Punk]. He didn't really need it, nor do I think he thought he did. I thought we made it really work though. I tried to change my look, change a little my style in the ring. I think a little character development may have helped us more, but on the other hand--and he's one of my best friends so this isn't me kissing butt--he is one of the best on the mic. I could understand why they wouldn't give us more to say, but I always wish they would have.

On the Straight-Edge Society In General:
We called ourselves the Addams Family. You had me, the big Cowboy. then you had Serena, the bald-headed girl, then you had the unshaven CM Punk, picking stuff out of his beard. We'd be sitting there in Cracker Barrel and people would just stare.

On Portraying the "Fake" Kane:
I didn't end up liking the result, but when you're a 21 year old guy, I tried my best. Bill DeMott to his credit would come back with me at night for secret Kane training. I remember that first night on Raw. I looked like I was a member of that 80s hairband. That hair kinda killed me in the water right out of the gate. It was what it was though. I always appreciated and respected Kane in the business, and it helped promote his movie coming out. So it was what it was.

On the Festus Experience:
I loved Ray Gordy. I was wrestling in developmental as the Freakin' Deacon, but they had The Boogeyman and they felt that it would be too 80's. I remember Vince pulled us aside and laid out the idea for this Festus character. At the time, you look at it I was 23 years old. I just wanted to be the best damn whatever it was. So hopefully that's what I was able to do. People still ask me the most about that. There were times when  I thought we could have done more with that character than we did.

AUSTIN ARIES NAMED #8 IN THE ECWA SUPER 8 TOURNAMENT
East Coast Wrestling Association, Voorhees, New Jersey–Wooo! Whether you know him as “A Double,” “Austin Starr,” or as “the Greatest Man That Ever Lived,” many fans worldwide recognize Austin Aries as one of the best professional wrestlers and performers in the sport today.

Aries, who debuted in the mid-west in 2000, made his first big mark on the wrestling world on April 3, 2004 at the 8th Annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament in Wilmington , DE.  Aries defeated Shawn Daivari in the quarter-finals and John Walters in the semi-finals before losing the finals to “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels, which was Daniels second Super 8 Tournament Championship as he also won it in 2000 defeating Scoot Andrews in the finals that year.

The Super 8 helped Aries jumpstart his storied career, one that has seen two stints in Ring of Honor (ROH) wrestling, a run in Total Non-Stop Action (TNA) Wrestling and most recently as a feature performer in both EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA (DG-USA).  Aries was able to capture the ROH Heavyweight Title on two occasions and the ROH Tag Team Title on one occasion with Roderick Strong.

And while the Super 8 gave Aries the exposure and platform to showcase his talents, it is his personality, drive, athleticism and innovative offense that have afforded him with his success.

Aries now comes back to the Super 8, this time in the role of the veteran, whose experience and talent can help mold others as he was in 2004!

Recently, Aries has found himself at a cross-road, as he has been re-evaluating his career which has been well documented in the pro wrestling community.  Regardless, Aries is looking forward to return to the tournament that helped launch his career and win the Super 8 trophy, something that eluded him in 2004, but it will not be an easy task with a diversified, talented and “hungry” field of seven competitors in Tommaso Ciampa , Sami Callahan, Adam Cole, Shockwave the Robot, Rich Swann, Bobby Shields and Shiima Xion!

This year’s tournament will take place at the Flyers’ Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ, a move ECWA owner Mike Tartaglia hopes will make it more accessible to ADDITIONAL fans in New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, while still being close to Delaware. Either way, it will make this year’s Super 8 tournament more centrally located than ever before. For more information on Super 8, keep checking back at ecwaprowrestling.com and thebradyhicks.com.

AUSTIN ARIES
AKA: Austin Starr
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 202 lbs
Hails From: Milwaukee , Wisconsin
Years Pro: 11
Feuds: Roderick Strong, Samoa Joe, Tyler Black, Bryan Danielson, Jimmy Jacobs
Trained by: Eddie Sharkey, Terry Fox
Style of Wrestling: Fast-paced, high risk, cruiser/junior
Finishers:

- Powerdrive Elbow
- 450° splash
- Brainbuster
- Horns of Aries / Last Chancery

Titles Held:

- Mid-American Wrestling (MAW) Junior Heavyweight Championship
- Midwest Championship Wrestling (MWCW) Light Heavyweight Championship
- Midwest Independent Association of Wrestling (MIAW) Cruiserweight Championship
- Minnesota Independent Wrestling (MIW) Cruiserweight Championship
- NWA Midwest X Division Championship
- Neo Pro Wrestling (NPW) Cruiserweight Championship
- NPW Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked #25 of the best 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010- Pro Wrestling WAR (PWW) Heavyweight Championship
- 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 “The Piston” Ted Dixon
Inspirations: Dynamite Kid, The Great Muta, Jerry Lynn, Cactus Jack, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, Austin Idol
Aspirations: “While I am currently re-evaluating my career, one of my immediate goals is of course to win the ECWA Super 8 Tournament and trophy, something that eluded me in 2004′s tournament."