Tag: nick aldis

Drew McIntyre would ‘love’ WWE match against Nick Aldis

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Drew McIntyre is hoping that he and Nick Aldis will get the chance to settle their WWE rivalry in the ring.

Since Aldis joined WWE, his on-screen role has been serving as the general manager of SmackDown. Having at least one WWE match remains a goal for Aldis — and McIntyre told Insight with Chris Van Vliet that he would love to face off against Aldis. There have been issues between the two as Aldis has tried to keep McIntyre in line.

“Hell yeah, I would [love to face Aldis]. I can feel it when I’m out there with him. Whenever we go back and forth on the microphone, I can feel the people starting to get into it,” McIntyre said before discussing his current feud with Jacob Fatu.

“But at the same time, there’s this Aldis thing simmering at the side. And every time we go back and forth on the mic, you can feel the tension, you can cut it with a knife. We’ve known each other a long time. I name-dropped his son because I have known him for that long. But what a corporate stooge he is. His kid, Donovan, must be ashamed of him, having such a corporate stooge for a father instead of backing me, the one who’s in the right and the one that he’s known for years and the one who’s his actual friend.

“So when the time is right, be it Mania, be it after Mania, I think we should have a match. And I don’t think there should be any sanctioning around it. I don’t think anyone should be allowed to interfere. You know, he tapes up the fists. He’s not been in the ring a long time. He thinks he can go with a four-time former World Champion in WWE in the big leagues. [Aldis is] probably the greatest NWA Champion of the modern era, since Billy [Corgan] took over the NWA. But he’s not been in there for a long time.

“He’s a big guy, I would love to get in there with him and I’d love to see what damage I could do. No one’s allowed to interfere. They can come up close and ask me to stop politely, but I’ve been known to get a little crazy out there.”

McIntyre pointed out that Aldis is actually younger than him, with Aldis being 39 years old and McIntyre being 40. They have known each other since they were teenagers.

The potential McIntyre vs. Aldis matchup won’t be happening at WrestleMania 42. Instead, McIntyre is set to take on Fatu in an unsanctioned match at the April 18-19 event in Las Vegas.

Nick Aldis invites AJ Styles to appear on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

AJ Styles has now officially accepted Nick Aldis’ invitation for Friday’s show:

**********

An appearance by AJ Styles is in the works for WWE SmackDown this Friday night.

On Monday’s Raw episode, it was announced that Styles would be putting his career on the line when he faces off against Gunther at the Royal Rumble. WWE has now followed up on that by posting a video with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis inviting Styles to Friday’s show. Aldis said he is looking forward to chatting with an old friend.

“Before he puts his career on the line at the Royal Rumble, I’d like to take this chance to formally invite the Phenomenal AJ Styles to SmackDown this week,” Aldis said. “I would love to have a chat with an old friend. After all, SmackDown is the house that AJ Styles built. My door is always open, AJ. Think about it.”

Styles is legitimately set to retire at some point in 2026 — and WWE has worked that into his feud with Gunther. They faced off on the January 12 edition of Raw with Gunther getting the win. He tricked Styles by tapping out behind the referee’s back, then used a low blow when Styles thought the match was over. Styles wanted a rematch, but Gunther would only agree to face him again if Styles put his career on the line.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada is hosting SmackDown on Friday and WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event the following night. The Royal Rumble will then be held in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, January 31.

WWE SmackDown (Friday, January 23) —

  • WWE Tag Team Champions The Wyatt Sicks defend against The MFTs
  • Women’s Tag Team title number one contender’s match: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Giulia & Kiana James vs. Nia Jax & Lash Legend
  • Nathan Frazer vs. Johnny Gargano
  • Damian Priest vs. Trick Williams
  • AJ Styles invited to appear

New stipulation added to WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event title match

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new stipulation has been added for Saturday’s WWE Championship match.

During SmackDown, Drew McIntyre assured Nick Aldis that everything was fine ahead of the Saturday Night’s Main Event contract signing in the main event. However, when the time came to sign, McIntyre refused. He stated that it was lopsided against him, pointing out in their last match that Rhodes was able to walk away with the title after a disqualification. Rhodes said if he wanted the rules changed so he could lose the title via DQ or count out, that was fine. Aldis warned Rhodes against doing this, but Rhodes insisted, wanting the title match to move forward.

After the two traded some more words, Rhodes finished his promo by saying nice guys finished last until he showed up. McIntyre refused to let Rhodes have the last word, bringing up Rhodes’ daughters. That caused Rhodes to go on the attack, aiming to strike McIntyre with the WWE title. McIntyre dodged and exited the ring as Aldis warned Rhodes doing something like that would cost him the title tomorrow. The distraction left an opening long enough for McItnyre to re-enter the ring and lay out Rhodes with the claymore. After a powerbomb through the table, McIntyre told Rhodes he’d be leaving with the title tomorrow.

Several weeks ago, McIntyre was set to wrestle Jacob Fatu in a number one contender’s match when Fatu was seen reeling from a backstage attack. McIntyre denied that he had anything to do with it. Rhodes came out and told McIntyre if he wanted a title match, he would give one to him. The two brawled for a while before the match officially began. However, it soon ended  when Rhodes used the WWE title to attack McIntyre, causing a disqualification.

Saturday Night’s Main Event (November 1)

  • WWE World Heavyweight title: CM Punk vs. Jey Uso
  • WWE Championship, title can change hands by DQ or count out: Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre
  • WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton defends against Jade Cargill
  • Three-way for WWE Intercontinental title: Dominik Mysterio defends against Penta and Rusev

Mickie James says husband Nick Aldis is ‘far from done’ in the ring

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mickie James believes her husband Nick Aldis still has more to offer as an in-ring competitor.

Since 2023, Aldis has served as the general manager of WWE SmackDown. The former NWA & TNA World Champion has never competed in a WWE ring but would like to do so at least one time, believing his career is worthy of that distinction.

James, appearing as a guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, praised the work Aldis is doing as an on-screen character. She thinks Aldis rivals Teddy Long as the greatest WWE general manager of all time. James does not believe her husband is done in the ring, though.

“Oh my God, yes. Oh, he’s far from done,” James responded when asked if Aldis has another run in him. “I mean, I think if he was ever given — and I would pray for like the perfect opportunity and story or whatever — but I think that if he’s ever given an opportunity to put on his boots and get out in that ring, I know it would be a dream come true for him, obviously.”

Despite never having a WWE match, Aldis has gotten physical in his GM role, like taking an RKO from Randy Orton. There was speculation that the 38-year-old Aldis could potentially be Orton’s mystery opponent at WrestleMania 41 after Kevin Owens was forced off the card due to injury, but TNA star Joe Hendry ended up being the person to face Orton.

“It would be a dream come true,” James said about the possibility of Aldis competing at WrestleMania. “I don’t think you get into this business without dreaming of a WrestleMania moment. Or if you do, I don’t.”

As far as her own career, James said she is not retired and is always ready if the right opportunity comes up. She feels blessed for everything she’s done in wrestling. If for some reason she were to retire tomorrow, she would do so as a happy woman.

James was recently inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame and told Van Vliet that she hopes she’ll have the honor of being a WWE Hall of Famer one day.

Nick Aldis: Mickie James is ‘a no-brainer for every Hall of Fame’

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis has released a statement on his wife Mickie James’ pending induction into the TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame.

James is set to be inducted tonight at Bound for Glory. Aldis’ statement says James is a “no brainer for any Hall of Fame.”

Aldis wrote:

“Tonight, TNA recognizes Mickie James for her extraordinary contributions to TNA and to Professional Wrestling by way of her induction into the TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame. Key word: CONTRIBUTIONS.

This woman has endured hardships, setbacks and unfair treatment at different times in her career that would have put a lot of people in therapy for the rest of their life, but she didn’t complain, she didn’t bitch and she didn’t play politics. She laced ’em up tight and kept moving forward. Moved on to another territory. Learned a new hold. Reinvented herself. Because she’s a PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER first. Trained correctly, dues paid in full. Treated no different than the boys, because she is “one of the boys.

When you talk about “evolving” women’s wrestling, or if you’re a woman kicking ass and making a ton of money today, just remember to put some respect on the names of the women who actually laid the groundwork and showed the proof of concept; women who stood ten toes down and took pride in their craft first; their work in the ring, their promos, their gimmick. Their beauty and femininity were a part of the package, not the whole act. Mickie James is absolutely one of those women.

When you get in this business, the veterans teach you to leave the business better than you found it. In the case of Mickie James, mission accomplished. 5 x WWE Women’s Champion, Divas Champion, 5 x TNA Knockouts Champion. The only woman in history to hold all those championships. And most importantly, has made every woman she’s been in the ring with better. That’s what it means to be great. The bar got raised when she came along. Maybe I’m biased. Or maybe I’m just right. She’s a no-brainer for every Hall of Fame. She’s also fine af. Back woods or up town”

Aldis and James were married on New Year’s Eve 2015. The couple welcomed a son, Donovan Patrick Aldis, the year before.

Victoria (AKA Tara from TNA Wrestling) will induct James at tonight’s ceremony. James will be the fourth Knockout inducted into the HOF as a solo act, following Gail Kim, Awesome Kong, and Traci Brooks. The Beautiful People’s Velvet Sky and Angelina Love will be inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame tonight as well. Tommy Dreamer is scheduled to do Sky and Love’s induction.

James was a five-time Knockouts World Champion in TNA and had five runs with the WWE Women’s Championship and one with the Divas Championship. She received the Women’s Wrestling Award from the Cauliflower Alley Club in 2023.

Aldis’ statement is below:

WWE SmackDown live results: Nick Aldis addresses Kevin Owens

Posted on by Colin McGuire

The final WWE SmackDown episode of 2024 takes place live tonight from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

A six-woman tag match has been announced for the show with WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax set to team with Tiffany Stratton & Candice LeRae against Bianca Belair, Naomi & Bayley. Naomi recently replaced Jade Cargill as Belair’s Women’s Tag Team Championship partner after Cargill was forced out of action following a mystery attack.

Also set for tonight, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis will address Kevin Owens’ assault on Cody Rhodes that took place after their match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rhodes has yet to appear on WWE television since that attack. We’ll see if that changes tonight.

Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green will hold a celebration on SmackDown. Green won the title after beating Michin in the finals of a tournament to crown the inaugural champ.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– Video of Cody calling out Kevin Owens from last month opened the show. From there, the video extended to the high points of their ongoing feud.

– Nick Aldis spoke backstage. Aldis said Owens is not a champion, but Owens is in possession of the Winged Eagle Belt. Aldis said the belt represents greatness and Owens has no claim to the belt. Aldis said Owens has until the end of the night to relinquish the belt or he will face severe consequences that will effect his future in WWE.

– Cathy Kelley was shown in guerrilla interviewing Naomi and Bianca Belair. Naomi said she was grateful to hold the tag titles with Belair. Belair said they won’t forget about what happened to Cargill. Bayley stepped in and asked Belair if they were good. Belair said they were and then her music hit. The three walked out for the first match.

– Nia Jax made her entrance with a microphone and reiterated that they didn’t mess with Cargill. Jax half made fun of Stratton and called out Belair for doing fine without Cargill. Jax said she thinks Belair is trying to avoid suspicion on Belair. Jax said Belair couldn’t stand the share the spotlight with Cargill because Cargill is better than Belair. Jax said Belair snapped. Jax told Belair to own up to what she did or Jax will make Belair own up to it.

Naomi, Bianca Belair & Bayley defeated Tiffany Stratton, Nia Jax & Candice LeRae [16:10]

A fine six-woman television tag match. We’ve officially reached The Point Beyond when it comes to Stratton teasing cashing in her MITB briefcase because this is far past old these days. It’s to the point where you almost think it will be one of those cash ins that are called ahead of time and it turns into a regular planned match and that’s never fun. We’ll see. As for the match, there were some fun spots and I can’t say Jax didn’t say the things a lot of us are thinking about Belair as we watch the fallout of the Cargill attack unfold. Again, we’ll see.

Stratton and Belair started the match. Belair had control early. With the heels outside of the ring, Belair, Bayley and Naomi all took them out with various mistimed splashes. The show then went to a quick commercial break. The show returned and Jax was taking punches from Belair inside the ring. Naomi gave Jax a stink face after tagging in. Jax came right back and planted Jax and got a two-count out of it. LeRae tagged in and kept control for the heels. Naomi made a brief comeback and Belair tagged in to hit a pair of splashes on LeRae.

Belair pounded on LeRae until Stratton distracted Belair and Jax tagged in. From there, Jax hit a leg drop on Belair and earned a two-count. LeRae tagged in and then Stratton hit a splash from the top rope after a blind tag. Stratton yelled at LeRae about not being tagged in enough and it ultimately leg to Belair tagging in Bayley. LeRae tagged in and was the recipient of a back suplex. Bayley went for a dropkick through the turnbuckles onto LeRae, but LeRae ran Bayley’s head into a ring post. LeRae planted Bayley face-first on the ring apron and the show went to another commercial break.

The show returned and Bayley and LeRae were down in the ring. Stratton tagged in and Naomi tagged in, too. Naomi kicked Stratton in the head and followed it up with a Mule Kick and a Bulldog for a near-fall. Things broke down and everyone traded power moves. Jax found herself on the second rope and Naomi pulled her off with her legs before hitting a split-legged moonsault, but Stratton broke a pin attempt up. With Jax down, Stratton teased cashing in her briefcase, but LeRae pulled the briefcase away from Stratton. LeRae tagged herself into the match and fit a full-nelson slam on LeRae for the win.

**********

– Grayson Waller and Austin Theory were talking to Aldis backstage and Sami Zayn walked in. Zayn told Aldis they should talk. The show then went to a commercial.

– Back from that break, Zayn was still talking to Aldis and said he thinks it’s only fair he gets his crack at The Bloodline. Carmelo Hayes walked into the room with Christmas cards to hand out and Zayn told Melo to wait his turn. Zayn crumpled up a card and threw it in Melo’s face. Melo told Zayn to stay off Melo’s show. Zayn told Aldis that The Bloodline stuff could wait and instead, he wanted to face Melo later. Aldis said, “Consider it done.”

Braun Strowman defeated Austin Theory [7:26]

A result that was never in doubt. In fact, this was probably a little more competitive than it should have been. That said, I also understand they needed this to fill a space that included a commercial break, so as always, television rules all. Still, I wonder if Theory was actually supposed to land his finisher on Strowman near the end and the two stumbled, of if what we got was what the plan was supposed to be. Either way, this amounted to nothing more than a long squash that cements Strowman in the middle of the card, which is a bit of a shame, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Strowman face-palmed Theory out of the ring to start. Strowman followed that up with a series of strikes and eventually, after Strowman threw Theory, Theory rolled out of the ring. The show went to a commercial break after that. The show returned and Theory hit a DDT on Strowman. Theory chop-blocked Strowman and punched Strowman for a one-count. Strowman dropkicked Theory and Theory rolled to the outside. Strowman pulled Theory up to the apron and eventually threw Theory onto Waller on the outside.

Strowman clotheslined Theory on the outside of the ring and threw Theory back into the ring. Strowman then went to the top rope, but Waller stalled Storwman and Theory went for an A-Town Down, but Strowman stumbled out of it and landed a running powerslam on Theory for the win.

**********

– Owens cut a car promo and said he heard what Aldis said. Owens said he deserves to have the winged eagle belt because he is the true WWE Champion. Owens said he think he and Aldis need to have a discussion and he’ll come into the arena on only his terms – no security guards or office people, with just Aldis and Owens. In that case, they can talk.

The Chelsea Green Celebration

Meh. I was hoping this would be better, but a lot of this felt forced. It just wasn’t as witty or as funny as you could tell the people who wrote it thought it would be and the crowd didn’t help matters. Even so, it was entertaining enough. I have so much hope that Michin and Green can get their program over – especially with a brand new title involved – but we’ll see. It should be interesting to see how things shake out as WWE gets a mild reset with the Netflix premiere and a new calendar year on the horizon.

Piper Niven stood in the ring behind a podium that looked like it could be used for an American president. Niven introduced Green. The crowd cheered when Green’s music hit and Green walked out dressed as the Statue Of Liberty. Green stepped to the podium and thanked the crowd. Green said she wanted to address the people of the WWE universe and said they have officially turned the blue brand into the green house. Green called herself the most glamorous, most … you get it … Women’s United States Champion. Green walked over to Niven and teased giving Niven credit, but instead gave herself the credit for helping herself.

Green spoke to Michin and said she had two words for her: Good riddance. Green said she’d say Michin could be a champion, but she doesn’t want to say that because she doesn’t lie. Green challenged the crowd to ask themselves not what Chelsea Green could do for them, but what they could do for Chelsea Green. She said 2025 will be the year of Red, White and Green. Michin’s music hit and Michin walked out with a kendo stick. Michin said she’d introduce Green to her little friend – her kendo stick – and walked to the ring. Michin hit Niven a bunch with the kendo stick. Michin entered the ring and went after Green, but Green got out of it. The segment ended with Niven carrying Green to the back.

**********

– #DIY and The Street Profits were shown talking to Aldis backstage and Aldis asked #DIY who attacked The Profits a couple weeks ago. Pretty Deadly walked in and it turns out, they were witnesses to the attack. Pretty Deadly tried to bribe everyone and nobody bit. They said it was Garza who attacked the Profits and the Profits went looking for Garza and Berto. They found them and brawled. Aldis then made a match for the teams after the break.

The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) defeated Los Garza (Berto & Angel) [11:04]

Another weirdly overly competitive match for acts that just aren’t on the same level, speaking in terms of the booking these teams have received in the recent past. In some ways, good for Berto and Angel because they have been throwaway characters for so long; on another level … yeah, if I’m Montez Ford, I’m probably a little fed up with the irrelevant booking his team has been receiving for a long time now. As such, the match was pretty good and I like the edge that the Profits continue to show. In fact, I’d like to see more of it, going forward, but seeing is believing.

The match was joined in progress and the four wrestlers fought in and out of the ring. Ford and Berto ended up alone in the ring and Ford clotheslined Berto. Dawkins tagged in and the two hit a double flapjack on Berto. Angel tagged in and the two worked over Dawkins. Angel pummeled Dawkins and tagged in Berto. Dawkins fired up and took Berto down. Ford tagged in and things broke down between the four wrestlers. They brawled outside of the ring and the show went to a commercial break.

Back from the break, Angel had control over Ford, complete with a spinebuster. Berto tagged in and kept the momentum up. Angel tagged in and before long, Ford hit a DDT to even things out. Ultimately, Dawkins received the hot tag and Dawkins came in to take out both heels. Ford tagged in and Berto was on Dawkins’s shoulders, but Angel broke things up. Berto and Angel threw Ford off the top and Berto landed a moonsault on Ford for a nice near-fall.

Angel tagged in to become the legal man, but it wasn’t long before Dawkins tagged in to take care of the heels. With Berto and Angel on the outside, Ford landed a splash and then the Profits set up for their finisher and this time they hit it for the win.

**********

– An Andrade vignette aired during which Andrade was taking aim at Nakamura. Next week, Naomi will face Nia Jax for the WWE Women’s Championship and Andrade will take on Nakamura for the U.S. title.

– Pretty Deadly were shown walking backstage and ran into #DIY. Pretty Deadly said they scratched #DIY’s backs, so they hope they can scratch theirs. The Profits walked in and B-Fab told Pretty Deadly they were thankful they told them the truth. The Profits started walking and ran into Motor City Machine Guns, who said they deserve a title shot. Apollo Crews walked in and told the Profits that it was #DIY who attacked the Profits. Crews then walked away as everyone looked confused.

Sami Zayn defeated Carmelo Hayes via DQ [11:34]

A good match and a worthy main event, match-wise. The smoz finish was expected, but it’d be nice to see Zayn get a clean win sometime soon, considering how many loses he’s been taking from Drew McIntyre. The Strowman wrinkle was fun and I hope we see more of that moving forward (as referenced above). Kevin Owens appearing to get involved in Sami Zayn business – even if it’s just his music hitting after an unrelated angle is show – is always a nice way to get people to wonder about what might happen next, so kudos to the cleverness of those involved.

The two locked up to begin things and “Sami Uso!” chants broke out in the crowd. Zayn chopped the hell out of Melo until Melo came back with a dropkick for a one-count. Melo found himself on the outside of the ring and Melo dragged Zayn to the outside. Ultimately, Zayn landed a moonsault off the crowd barricade onto Melo and then the show went to a break.

The show returned and Melo had control. Melo landed a springboard splash onto Zayn and worked a ground and pound. Zayn fired up and hit a clothesline to reset the match. Zayn went to the second rope and hit a double axe-handle. Zayn hit his Blue Thunder Bomb for a good near-fall. Zayn went to the top and missed a splash, which turned into a First 48 from Melo for a very good near-fall. Melo landed a springboard DDT on Zayn and went to the top, but he leapt into a clothesline from Zayn, who then fired up.

Zayn landed an Exploder on Melo into the corner. Zayn set up for the Helluva Kick, but Melo rolled to the outside and started to walk to the back, but Strowman appeared and Melo ran to the back. Out of nowhere, The Bloodline appeared and attacked Zayn, so Zayn got the DQ win. Strowman was shown bringing Melo back to the ring and saw what was happening and threw Melo down to walk to the ring and battle Solo Sikoa. Strowman shoulder-blocked Sikoa to the ground and Jacob Fatu stared down Strowman. The crowd went wild. Tama Tonga cho–blocked Strowman before anything could happen and Sikoa hit a Samoan Spike on Strowman. Zayn came back into the fold, but the Bloodline took Zayn out all over again.

Kevin Owens’s music hit and Owens walked out with the winged-eagle belt. He walked slowly, so his entrance didn’t really have much to do with the carnage in the ring.

**********

The Nick Aldis/Kevin Owens segment

A good segment to end the show. Cody showed great fire and Owens keeps trying to get heat as a heel, but these crowds are slowly but surely rallying behind him and it will be very fun to see how this all shakes out by the time the Rumble comes around. At some point, we should pay attention and give credit to the fact that Owens and Cody have managed to work a program that keeps people interested all these months into it. The ladder match should be very good, but it’s going to have to be the end of the road for these two … maybe? … Hopefully?

Aldis told Owens to do the right thing and hand over the winged eagle belt. Owens told Aldis to explain why he’d give the belt back because it’s the only bargaining chip he has. Owens said he’d give the belt back if he can get a rematch with Cody. Owens said he had Cody beat and everyone knows it. Aldis noted how he said it’s not a negotiation and because of that, Owens needed to hand the belt over or Owens would never step in a WWE again. Cody’s music hit to a huge pop. Cody walked out with a microphone and Aldis told Cody to turn around and let Aldis handle it.

Cody said he wasn’t going to walk away and he didn’t want Owens to be a martyr. Cody brought up how Owens claims Cody teamed with Reigns and that’s why Cody is a bad person. But, Cody argued, Owens attacked Cody at SNME like Reigns would have. Cody listed off all the people for whom he does what he does. Cody said it’s his responsibility to take the winged eagle back. Cody said he wanted a match with Owens and entered the ring. Cody challenged Owens to a ladder match and to put the winged eagle up there with the Undisputed Championship. Aldis announced that at the Royal Rumble, it will be Cody vs. Owens for the Undisputed WWE Championship in a ladder match. Owens stuck out his hand and said he’d see Cody there. Cody didn’t shake it and Owens attacked Aldis before attacking Cody. Owens eventually walked away and yelled that he was the true champion. The show ended with Owens holding up the winged eagle and walking to the back.

Nick Aldis not at peace with career unless he has one WWE match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

If he doesn’t have at least one more match, Nick Aldis won’t be at peace with the career that he has had.

The 38-year-old Aldis is prominently featured on WWE programming but has never had a match for the company. He started with WWE as a producer in summer 2023 and then made his on-screen debut as SmackDown general manager that October. In the ring, he’s a former World Champion for both the NWA and TNA Wrestling.

While appearing on a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Aldis was asked if he’s at peace with his career if he never wrestles again.

“All honesty? No. I would like to lace them up,” he responded. “I don’t care if it’s on a regular basis, but I’ve earned it — once. I don’t know [if it would just be one time]. If it was one more time, so be it. Like I said, I feel like I meet the criteria to be on that canvas at least once.”

Aldis said he’s 100 percent recovered from the ruptured biceps tendon he suffered earlier this year. The injury happened while Aldis was doing a Ninja Warrior-style course at a trampoline park with his son.

Though he would like to wrestle a match for WWE, Aldis said it is not something he has asked for.

“Look, it gets asked all the time by everyone except me,” Aldis said. “I have never once said, ‘Hey, what about me? Could I wrestle?’ Because I don’t need to. If and when the time comes, it’ll be what they want and it will hopefully be the right time. I just told them that if you want to do that, I’m ready.”

Aldis said he has two contracts with WWE — one employee contract as a producer and a talent contract for his GM role.

Nick Aldis felt ‘a little betrayed’ after All In 2018

Posted on by Ian Carey

Nick Aldis admits he felt “a little betrayed” following 2018’s All In. 

Aldis was involved in one of the feature matches on the show when he lost the NWA World Heavyweight title to Cody Rhodes. However, he recently told Inside the Ropes that his feeling of betrayal stems from learning Tony Khan and members of The Elite were all familiar and had been working on a project that would eventually become AEW.   

Aldis said: 

I felt a little bit betrayed when I found out that they were all familiar, they were all aware of Tony Khan and they had been sort of plotting this thing. And so then as we progressed a couple of months forward it’s sort of like, ‘Oh, that’s already happening, that’s sort of a done deal.’ In that respect, I guess I felt that I could have been informed of that sooner. 

But I just looked at it from the perspective of, well, that piece of business, meaning Cody and I at All In, that did nothing but good things for everyone involved. It wasn’t like people looked and went, ‘Oh, he’s finished.’ 

 

He continued:

Look, I landed a six-figure contract off the back of that also. Cody obviously had a pipeline to a billionaire, so it was different. I only had a millionaire, he had a billionaire, but whatever. 

Aldis regained the NWA World title from Cody the following month at NWA 70. He wouldn’t lose it again until dropping the belt to Trevor Murdoch at NWA 73 in 2022. He left the promotion at the end of the year, briefly returned to Impact Wrestling, and eventually signed with WWE as a producer in August 2023. 

Later in the interview, Aldis discussed what led to his signing with WWE. 

He said:

I gave my notice to the NWA last year in November. I made it clear to WWE, I reached out to Paul Levesque and Bruce Prichard and said that I was going to be a free agent as of January the 1st and I would love to explore any opportunities with WWE.

We had some positive conversations and it was implied a the time things were a little unpredictable on the corporate side which obviously as we later discovered the impending sale and the sort of shift of management and responsibilities. 

It was sort of suggested to me, ‘Hey go and stay busy for a bit and let’s circle back in a few months when things are a bit more clear. So, I did. I went and did some stuff, had my little run with Impact, which I thought went really well and then during that time, Bruce called me and said, ‘How do you feel about being a producer?’ He said, ‘Look, I know it’s probably not what you had in mind but it’s something that we can do right away. We can get you in sooner as a producer. 

Aldis was announced as the new on-screen GM of SmackDown in October 2023. 

WWE SmackDown GM Nick Aldis undergoes surgery for ruptured biceps

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

Nick Aldis posted a tweet confirming that he underwent surgery on Wednesday for a ruptured biceps tendon. Aldis said he’ll still be fulfilling all of his WWE commitments:

**********

WWE SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis is reportedly dealing with an arm injury.

Though he’s not currently competing in the ring, PWInsider reports that Aldis was recently injured and is expected to undergo surgery on his arm. “The belief among some is that the injury may be a torn bicep,” PWInsider wrote.

Aldis was introduced as SmackDown’s on-screen authority figure in October 2023. He hasn’t wrestled since competing at an indie show that month.

Before becoming an on-screen character, the 37-year-old Aldis had been brought into WWE for a potential role working behind the scenes as a producer.

In an interview with the Daily Mail this January, Aldis was asked about potentially competing in a WWE ring one day. Aldis said he’s focused on trying to be the best general manager of all time, but anything is possible in WWE:

Anything is possible in the WWE. I deeply appreciate all of the fans who keep me alive in that regard, who want to see me in the ring with this person or that person. Since my interaction with Roman [Reigns], that started a whole different conversation in that regard.

I’m just grateful that there’s an interest in it. At the same time, I’m fully committed to being the best general manager of all time, so I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it.

Aldis is a former World Champion for the NWA and TNA Wrestling.

Aldis appeared on SmackDown last Friday and announced that Logan Paul will defend his United States title against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 40.

Adam Pearce & Nick Aldis to make announcement on WWE Raw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The general managers of Raw and SmackDown are set to make an announcement tonight.

Ahead of tonight’s Raw, WWE posted a video with Adam Pearce revealing that he and Nick Aldis will make an announcement on the show. Pearce didn’t indicate what the announcement will be about.

WWE’s tweet called it a “massive announcement.”

“SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis is here tonight to make an announcement with me,” Pearce said. “About what? You’ll find out [tonight].” 

Including tonight, there are only four episodes of Raw left until WrestleMania 40.

Pearce also revealed that Michael Cole will conduct an interview with Cody Rhodes live on Raw tonight. It was made official on SmackDown last Friday that Rhodes & Seth Rollins vs. The Rock & Roman Reigns will headline night one of WrestleMania.

Rhodes is challenging Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40 night two. If Rhodes & Rollins win the tag match on night one, The Bloodline will be barred from ringside for the night two main event. But if The Rock & Reigns win, Reigns vs. Rhodes will be a Bloodline Rules match, meaning that anything goes.

Raw is taking place from the Toyota Center in Houston tonight. Here’s the updated lineup:

  • Gauntlet match to decide Gunther’s Intercontinental title challenger for WrestleMania 40: Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable vs. Ricochet vs. Bronson Reed vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. JD McDonagh
  • Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) defend against Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark
  • Michael Cole interviews Cody Rhodes
  • Raw general manager Adam Pearce & SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis will make an announcement

Nick Aldis on wrestling for WWE: ‘I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Though he’s having a blast in his current role, Nick Aldis isn’t ruling out the possibility of wrestling in WWE.

Aldis joined WWE as a producer last summer and has now been working as an on-screen character for three months. He was introduced as the new SmackDown general manager on October 13.

Aldis has been involved in a power struggle with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline on WWE television, leading some fans to speculate that a Reigns vs. Aldis match could happen one day. Aldis told the Daily Mail that he’s grateful for the fans who want to see him compete in a WWE ring. Aldis is fully committed to his GM role right now but believes that anything is possible in WWE.

Anything is possible in the WWE. I deeply appreciate all of the fans who keep me alive in that regard, who want to see me in the ring with this person or that person. Since my interaction with Roman, that started a whole different conversation in that regard.

I’m just grateful that there’s an interest in it. At the same time, I’m fully committed to being the best general manager of all time, so I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it.

When Aldis departed the NWA, he knew that he wanted to end up with some kind of a job in WWE. Aldis wanted the chance to contribute in the big leagues.

I’ve been having a blast. I’ve come in blessed with the gift of managed expectations. I had sort of made peace with the idea that maybe WWE was never going to be on the cards for me at all. So I certainly have come in with a level of gratitude that I perhaps wouldn’t have had as a guy in his 20s.

I came in on a on a day rate, try out as a producer behind the scenes, which I, again, had fully made peace with the idea of if that’s going to be my job, then that’s going to be my job, and I’ll do that job to the best of my ability, because I decided that at this point in my life and my career, I wanted to contribute to the big leagues.

That may be because I put in my 10,000 hours, I felt like I had done enough and had enough experience, enough expertise and my own unique sort of philosophy and my own track record of success in the wrestling business that I was ready to work at the top level. I felt one way or another that my skill set as a professional was best suited to be contributing to the number one company.

I finished up with the NWA. And at that time, I decided that if there was any kind of opportunity whatsoever with WWE, that was where I wanted to be. I felt like I’d done everything I could do at a place with limited resources and just decided one way or another that I wanted a chance to contribute there.

Aldis was a two-time Worlds Heavyweight Champion while with the NWA. He’s also a former TNA World Champion.

On SmackDown two weeks ago, Aldis announced that Reigns will defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble. Aldis made the announcement after The Bloodline disrupted an Orton vs. Knight vs. Styles number one contender’s match.

Nick Aldis ‘made peace’ with idea he’d never join WWE

Posted on by Ian Carey

Nick Aldis says he made peace with the idea that he might never end up in WWE. 

Aldis appeared on Busted Open Radio on Wednesday and spoke about his new role as a WWE producer and general manager of SmackDown. Aldis said that at one point during his career, he had to stop worrying about whether he’d ever end up in WWE and start embracing the opportunities that were in front of him.  

“I’d sort of made peace with the idea that it may or may not happen,” Aldis said. “I sort of made peace with that several years ago and I think that actually was, in many ways, a sort of turning point that helped me embrace the other opportunities that came my way.”

“I think I might have wasted some time with always having one eye on WWE and eventually I had an epiphany where it was like, ‘Look, they are either going to give you an opportunity or they’re not. All you can do is be the best version of you that you can and show the world your vision of who you want to be.'”

“You can’t determine what opportunities come your way, you can only determine what you do with those opportunities,” he continued.  

Aldis was asked about working behind the scenes in the company rather than as an in-ring talent. 

“I’d already made the decision that whatever opportunity, if any, ever came from the WWE, I would take it,” he responded. “You’ve only got one chance in the game and that’s to play, no matter how that comes along.”

While Aldis says he is committed to contributing to the company in whatever capacity he is asked to, he says that he is “ready, willing, and able” if WWE presented him with other opportunities as well. 

“I appreciate everybody who wants to see me in different capacities. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just over the moon to be part of the process in any way. If other stuff comes along, those opportunities, you can bet that I’ll be ready, willing, and able.” 

Mickie James: WWE SmackDown GM role ‘perfect’ for Nick Aldis

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mickie James believes her husband Nick Aldis’ new role on WWE programming is a perfect fit. 

James appeared on the Under the Ring podcast recently and was asked for her opinion on the new General Manager of WWE SmackDown. 

“I can’t tell you how excited I am for Nick,” James responded. “He’s worked a really, really long time and there’s been opportunities that, you know… perhaps he thought it would never happen, or we thought it may never happen.”

“I feel like it’s his time now and I’m so grateful that he’s finally gotten an opportunity and I know he’s going to kill it. He’s so great on the microphone as it is but I think this GM role is perfect because he can be cocky and people can love him or they can hate him. I’m so excited for him and he deserves it more than the world.”

“I was crying when we got the news and I’d been waiting for, obviously, the news to come out and was trying to keep it as much of a secret as possible so it was a big surprise. It’s amazing and it’s amazing to see him finally living the dream and living his dream. We’re obviously a couple and we are a team but I’ve had so many opportunities and so many amazing things in my career and I feel like a lot of people don’t even know how good he is and now they’re going to see.” 

Triple H announced Aldis as the new General Manager of SmackDown on last week’s show. Aldis has been working backstage as a producer for the company since August but has also said his in-ring career is not finished. 

Aldis was pulled from a Dungeon Wrestling show in Calgary on October 27 as it conflicts with next week’s SmackDown. Our own Dave Meltzer addressed Aldis’ ability to fulfill his independent dates in the October 16 Daily Update. 

“Regarding Nick Aldis doing indies, the reason he pulled out of the Calgary show was because it was on a Friday so there was no way he could fulfill that commitment,” Meltzer wrote. “Our impression is that he is allowed to fulfill prior commitments as long as they aren’t on Fridays but as far as taking new dates, we don’t know the answer to that. Obviously, time will tell.”

Wrestling Observer Live: Creative changes in WWE

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

On a Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live, I talk about the latest news from a loaded week in professional wrestling.

WWE made a decision not to bring back CM Punk at this time, and I talk about why they made that decision and how it would have affected current storylines and possibly backstage morale.

It was also reported this week that Paul “Triple H” Levesque is fully in charge of WWE creative going forward and that Vince McMahon is not currently part of the process. I talk about how this has improved the shows on a weekly basis and the effect on long-term stories.

Also, I give my review of WWE SmackDown which saw a lot of story development including the return of Roman Reigns and the debut of new general manager Nick Aldis.

Plus, I talk AEW Collision, the possibility of a December AEW pay-per-views, and MJF’s latest feuds.

Click Here To Listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube above

WWE SmackDown video highlights: Season premiere

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Roman Reigns, John Cena, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque all made appearances on SmackDown’s season premiere episode last night.

A confrontation between Reigns and Cena opened the show, but it didn’t set up a future match between them. Cena acknowledged Reigns’ historic title reign as being the greatest accomplishment in WWE history. Cena said he wasn’t there to challenge Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship because he hasn’t earned that right. But Cena said he does know someone who has earned it: LA Knight.

Knight told Reigns things have changed during the two months that Reigns has been gone. This is LA Knight’s game now. Knight said Reigns is standing in his way. Jimmy Uso then attacked Knight, but Knight was able to turn the tables on Jimmy and throw him out of the ring.

With Cena helping to fend off interference by Jimmy, Knight defeated Solo Sikoa in last night’s main event. But Reigns laid out Knight with a spear after the match was over.

Levesque was on last night’s show to make an announcement. He stated that Raw and SmackDown will now have their own general managers. Levesque revealed the debuting Nick Aldis as the new SmackDown general manager. Adam Pearce will be the general manager of Raw.

In his first act as GM, Aldis announced that Kevin Owens is now a member of the SmackDown roster. Owens is the trade compensation that SmackDown received for Jey Uso going to Raw.

More coverage from last night —

WWE SmackDown video highlights —

Full segment: Roman Reigns-LA Knight confrontation

The Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly

Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits blindside Carlito

Zelina Vega vs. Bayley

Nick Aldis makes WWE debut, named general manager of SmackDown

Kevin Owens has been traded to SmackDown

Jade Cargill and Charlotte Flair go face-to-face

Rhodes & Uso vs. Theory & Waller for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles

Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes meet again

LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa

SmackDown fallout: Kevin Owens reacts to getting traded to SmackDown

SmackDown fallout: Aldis books Santos Escobar vs. Montez Ford for next week