Nick Aldis has finally arrived in WWE. The longest-reigning NWA Worlds Champion of the 21st century made his debut for the sports-entertainment giant earlier this month, introduced by WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque as the new WWE SmackDown general manager. This role was bestowed upon Aldis following a successful producer trial run. At just 36 years old, some pushed back on the idea of Aldis joining WWE in a non-wrestling capacity, as it is evident by his recent runs in both NWA and Impact Wrestling that he still has prime in-ring years ahead of him.
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Nick Aldis Responds to New WWE Role
The National Treasure is ready to execute on another big opportunity.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, WWE SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis admitted he had been awaiting the WWE phone call for some time now, but he was content with his career if Stamford never rang.
“I’d be lying if I said it was something that I was anticipating at this point. But at the same time, I’d sort of made peace with the idea that it may or may not happen,” Aldis said. “I think I sort of made peace with that several years ago, and I think that actually that was in many ways a sort of turning point that helped me embrace the other opportunities that came my way.”
While he may be new to WWE audiences, Aldis is no stranger to wrestling fans around the world. He is one of the most decorated wrestlers of the modern era, impressing with his runs in both TNA and NWA.
Aldis burst onto the scene in 2009 when he debuted in TNA as Brutus Magnus. Operating as a gladiator, Aldis maximized his minutes in what was seen as a dead-end gimmick and rose the ranks to the main event. In 2017, Aldis was penned as Billy Corgan’s poster boy for the dormant National Wrestling Alliance. Just over one year later, Aldis was defending the NWA Worlds Championship at the inaugural ALL IN event.
There’s no word on whether WWE plans to eventually have Aldis wrestle. Regardless of what’s in store, Aldis points to his track record with opportunities as evidence that he will make the most of his general manager position.
“I took an awful (TNA) Roman gladiator gimmick in 2009 and by 2013, I was the world champion. I took [the NWA], a brand that, if it wasn’t dead, it was on life support, and a belt that was not particularly well thought of, and within less than a year, headlined the biggest independent show in the history of pro wrestling,” Aldis recalled. “For anyone who thinks that I would be disappointed or unhappy or anything like that with the opportunity to be in the biggest sports-entertainment show in the world in this capacity, you’re out of your mind. I’m so happy, and I can’t wait to get stuck in. When you think about what I did with those opportunities, this is the biggest opportunity that I’ve ever had, and I’m fully ready to execute.”
WWE SmackDown returns on Friday, October 28th at 8 PM ET on FOX.
