By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
PWMania interview with guest Nick Aldis
Interview conducted by Scott Mitchell
Interview available at PWMania.com
The “new” Nick Aldis and the differences between his first Impact run to his current one: “Well, look. Nick Aldis found himself. That’s the reality of the situation. I spent a lot of time in my first run there being pulled in a lot of different directions, by who was running the company, the producers, and different influencers. I felt I always tried to compromise and be something that I wasn’t. It was never quite the fully formed idea of who I was. It came close when I had my World Title run, but it wasn’t right. I was still young, and making an impression of what a wrestler should be, rather than really feeling it. I had to go away and find out who I was and who I wanted to be remembered as.
“I really re-committed to studying the greats who I wanted to be thought of, like Nick Bockwinkel, Harley Race, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Dory Funk, Jack Briscoe, and even early 2000s Triple H. These were all guys who I studied and tried to emulate. You have to have self-awareness in the game. I am not the hero, franchise player, or all-American good guy. I’m British and proud of it, but I’m a citizen of the world. I’m very calculated, I know who I want to be and know what I want to accomplish. I’m strictly business. So, I started to realize it was time to stop trying to fit into whatever the current fashion is, I’m an Anglo-sexton animal, I’m a British wrestler.
“I blend the British and American styles. I spent way more time focusing on who I am and believing in who I am. If you believe it, they believe it. I’m a professional athlete, I take this seriously. This isn’t a joke for me, this isn’t a hobby for me, I’m not a weekend warrior. Pro wrestling has been my full-time occupation since I was a legal adult. This isn’t a game for me, it’s not a hobby, it’s not a pastime, it’s my career. I’ve had good times and bad times. I’ve accomplished things I wanted to, and I’ve missed things I wanted to. What I’ve proven is whenever I get the opportunity, I rise to the top of wherever I am. I make things better for everyone around me. The first episode of Impact following my return to Impact at Rebellion was the highest-viewed episode in over a year. Am I taking credit for that? No, of course not, it’s a team effort, but I had a part in it.
“Now, I set my sights on the World Championship. I played the game a little bit, I was a nice guy and very respectful, and now I got what I wanted. I have the match at Slammiversary. I’m in the spot, now I can be who I really am and be all business. Now the earnest is on Alex Shelley, who is not who I was preparing for, but hey, great champions are ready to adapt. The truth is that people are wondering why I decided to hit him in the head with the belt. It’s because he disrespected me. He had the nerve, after everything I’ve done already to raise the company and raise the world title scene, they had the nerve to disrespect me by saying this is the Machine Guns era? Sorry boys, you had a good night, you were in the right place at the right time. I’m the difference-maker here. He’s going to find that out at Slammiversary. This may be a short run for him. This could be a short reign. He made it, he had his moment, good for him, alright well the fun and games are over. It’s time for the right guy to get the strap and pull the company where it needs to go.”
Main eventing Slammiversary: “It’s great to be in that spot but it feels familiar. It’s the right thing to do. I’m not going to sit here and say oh my God it’s such an honor to be in that spot. That’s another thing that drives me crazy, there’s so much sentiment in all of this. If I wasn’t in the World Title match at Slammiversary, I’d be pissed off. That’s what I’m here to do. Be in the main event, be in the World Title match. I’m happy I’m getting to do what I came here to do, but I’ll be even happier when I win the title and we start the Aldis era of Impact Wrestling, and I can really start to make a difference. I’m focused, I’m ready, and I feel good. I’m ready to make it happen.”
His future goals and potential upcoming opponents: “Opponents, I never think too much about that. Certainly, I know there’s some New Japan stuff on the horizon. I just need to win the championship and do what I’ve proven I could do before and carry it. Enhance it. Elevate it. Elevate everyone who will challenge me for it. Take the company to new heights, level up.”
Other topics include his return to Impact Wrestling, finding chemistry with talent in the company, and more.
Aldis reminds me of a old-school Ric Flair in how he dresses and carries himself, but that’s it. His promos are basic and his in-ring work is nothing special. That being said, I hope he wins the belt, because he truly does love the business and gives a damn about the fans.