Former WWE wrestler Giovanni Vinci has opened up about nearly walking away from professional wrestling after his WWE singles push failed to materialize and he was ultimately released from his contract. Talking to PWMania, he admitted he felt “burnt out mentally and physically” after his departure and therefore took time away from the ring for well over a year. Still, he has since returned to the business with TNA, where he now competes under his real name, Fabian Aichner.
“I took a little bit of time away. I felt a little burnt out mentally and physically. At the start, I really didn’t want to know about wrestling, to be very honest. For the first time in my life. As the months went by, I was like, man. Life feels very different if there’s no wrestling involved. Instead of going from one show to the next show, preparing constantly for a bigger event, and then checking those off the list.” – Fabian Aichner
35 years old, Aichner debuted in 2011 on the European independent circuit and became a multi-time champion in New European Championship Wrestling. From there, he signed with WWE in 2017, where he gained worldwide recognition as Giovanni Vinci alongside Imperium in NXT, capturing the NXT Tag Team Championship multiple times with Ludwig Kaiser. However, after moving to the SmackDown main roster, he was released in 2024, despite appearing set for a singles push at one point.
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