Austin Aries Comes Out Swinging for Vegan Eating in New peta2 Ad

Wrestling Champ Reveals How Ditching Meat and Dairy Products Propels Him to Victory in the Ring

For Immediate Release:
November 6, 2014

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Brimming with a fighting spirit and a take-charge attitude, TNA Triple Crown Champion wrestler Austin Aries issues a challenge in a new ad for peta2, PETA’s youth division: “I Want You to Try Vegan!” The ad, available here, goes on to point out that everyone who goes vegan saves the lives of more than 100 animals every year and protects their health and the environment. “Try going vegan,” reads Aries’ ad, “I dare you!”

As a five-time TNA X Division Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, and TNA World Tag Team Champion, Aries takes home win after win on the strength of plant-based nutrition—and in a video interview with peta2, whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat,” he explains why. “[I]t doesn’t feel right to exploit other living creatures for my pleasure,” Aries says, “because I’m proof that you don’t need those things to sustain yourself. You have a choice.”

Athletes who ditch meat report health benefits across the board, including increased energy, strength, and stamina. Delicious, nutrient-rich vegan foods provide all the protein and complex carbohydrates that athletes need in order to excel in every aspect of life, including in the ring. And of course, vegan meals also spare animals immense suffering on factory farms, in slaughterhouses, and on the decks of fishing boats—and vegans decrease their carbon footprint, as the meat industry is a major producer of the greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change.

Aries is part of a long list of athletes and other celebrities—including UFC fighter Thiago Alves, pro surfer Tia Blanco, mixed martial arts fighter Jake Shields, Dave Navarro, Ty Lawson, and Metta World Peace—who have teamed up with peta2 to promote kindness to animals.

For more information, please visit peta2.com or click here.