WWE is looking to bolster its behind-the-scenes talent. Recent weeks have seen WWE give opportunities to veteran in-ring stars to transition into backstage producers, with both Bobby Roode and Nick Aldis holding trial runs in the role. Roode has been with WWE since 2016, dominating NXT before having a midcard spot on the main roster. While his WWE tenure has been fairly short in the grand scheme of things, Roode came into the company with almost two decades of experience in TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Coming off a couple of surgeries, the 47-year-old Roode seems to have his best days ahead backstage rather than in the ring.
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Much of Roode’s résumé is the opposite for Aldis. Aldis has never wrestled for WWE and is arguably in the middle of his prime right now. At just 36 years old, Aldis is younger than top WWE stars like Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, and Damian Priest.
Is Nick Aldis Signed to WWE?
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Nick Aldis revealed that he does not have a definitive contract nor role within WWE right now.
“None at the moment,” Aldis said. “They just invited me to come and see how everything works and shadow as a producer and be part of the meetings and the whole television operation. It’s all very much a handshake situation. ‘Why don’t you come in and see how all this works, see if you like it.’”
While Aldis has never specifically been a producer, he is largely familiar with the backstage environment thanks to his time with the National Wrestling Alliance.
“I’ve worn a lot of hats, I think people who have followed my career, particularly in the last few years, know that. I certainly don’t feel like it’s a completely new situation to me,” Aldis continued. “Having said that, there is pro wrestling and there is WWE. Just taking in the sheer volume of the operation and the number of people involved and the scale of everything, just that alone has been the basis of my time so far.”
Moving forward, Aldis admitted he is unsure what he permanent future in professional wrestling is, but stressed that he still wants to compete.
“Where that goes, I don’t know. I’m okay with that. It’s tough with the internet and social media because people want to put this definitiveness on everything. ‘He’s with WWE, that’s it. He’s not wrestling anymore.’ Even the boys backstage are saying that. Slow down,” Aldis added. “They were very open with me, ‘if you don’t want to do this, that’s totally cool.’ I may as well say it, obviously, I would love the other thing [wrestle]. Until that day comes, I’m going to explore other opportunities. That is absolutely something I want to do in the end, the question will be, whether I’m ready to do that now.”
Nick Aldis’s WWE Interest
Speaking to ComicBook.com in August 2022, Nick Aldis hinted at wanting to compete at that “one major level” that has eluded his career to this point.
“When I choose to sign a contract somewhere, that’s me making my full commitment to that organization for the time that I’m under contract. To me, that’s what being a professional is. So having said that, it’s always difficult to talk about having aspirations to move on and to conquer the last big [thing],” Aldis said. “For me, there’s one major level that I haven’t accomplished in the game and everyone knows what that is. I’m not going to deny that that’s still something that I think about all the time. I think the difference is that I sort made peace with the idea that it’ll happen or it won’t.”