If Nick Aldis wasn’t on WWE’s radar before, he should be after All In
Former NWA World Heavyweight champion Nick Aldis’ performance at All In should be enough to earn him a spot on the WWE roster.
At a time where seemingly everyone under the sun is getting signed by WWE, it’s a mystery as to why Nick Aldis, also known as Magnus from his time spent in TNA, hasn’t already been scouted by the company.
The former TNA World Heavyweight champion achieved great success while with the company, rubbing elbows with the likes of Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and others. In 2013 alone, he came close to winning the Bound for Glory Series, defeated Sting in clean fashion at TNA’s premier pay-per-view Bound for Glory, and won the world title.
Unfortunately, bad booking and abysmal management led to his departure from TNA in the summer of 2015. At that point, he should have been considered a prime candidate to journey over to WWE/NXT, but for unknown reasons, he was never brought in by the company.
After being overlooked for an opportunity to take part in the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament, Aldis could have very easily decided to walk away from wrestling upon realizing that his likely goal of making it to WWE wouldn’t become a reality.
Instead, he took his talents to Global Force Wrestling, became the first-ever GFW Global Champion and began honing his craft on the independent scene. Despite GFW fizzling out and his second stint in IMPACT ending on a bit of a sour note, he continued to prove himself as a world championship caliber competitor by traveling across the globe and battling the most elite athletes companies had to offer.
It wasn’t until he arrived in the relaunched NWA at the close of 2017, however, that he was put back on the map and almost immediately he knocked off Tim Storm for their top title.
Aldis clinching the NWA title in front of a few hundred people at a CZW show was merely a blip on the radar at the time, considering how damaged the NWA brand had become. It was his mission to take the title to heights that hadn’t been reached in years, and through how he carried himself as champion, he managed to do just that.
Whether it was Tommy Dreamer or James Ellsworth, each of Aldis’ title defenses had a “big fight feel” to them because of how they were hyped up and how they were presented. Even when the matches themselves weren’t mat classics, Aldis made a name for himself by acting and looking like a world champion at all times.
Not many would argue that Aldis’ in-ring abilities have ever been above-average, but those familiar with his work in TNA and in NWA are well aware of how tremendous of a talker he is, which was exposed on Ten Pounds of Gold.
With help from former WWE, TNA and ROH writer and producer Dave Lagana, Aldis was able to put together a tremendous series of videos entitled Ten Pounds of Gold that chronicled his championship reign.
His All In encounter with Cody for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship was one of the best built bouts in recent wrestling history, so much so that the audience was chanting “This is awesome!” before the bell even rang. It was an electric atmosphere in Chicago that night, and the match they went on to have was easily the most memorable of Aldis’ career so far.
More from Daily DDT
- It’s time for Adam Cole and MJF to drop the ROH tag team titles
- Tom Lawlor talks MLW return, AEW opportunity, CM Punk’s WWE return and more
- Eddie Kingston stands to gain the most from the AEW Continental Classic
- Trish Stratus on WWE NXT would help elevate that women’s division
- Randy Orton signs with SmackDown to go after The Bloodline
Of course, Aldis dropping the strap to Cody nearly 39 years removed from his father’s NWA world title win was only academic. With his performance, though, Aldis should have turned quite a few heads and reentered the conversation of stars worthy of a shot in WWE.
Looking at the current landscape of NXT, the black-and-yellow brand is filled with exceptional wrestlers and unique personalities. As noted, Aldis isn’t known for his five-star matches by any means, but he certainly can bring something completely different to the table if he was recruited to NXT.
That said, WWE/NXT is not the be-all and end-all of professional wrestling super stardom the same way it was years ago. Aldis can still thrive on the independent scene and continue carving out a legacy for himself, but for WWE to not have the slightest bit of interest in signing him is inconceivable.
Next. All In: What Could Be Next on the Horizon. dark
Regardless of the reasons they haven’t scooped him up yet, WWE would be foolish to not give Aldis another look after everything he has done to reinvent himself over the past year, including his unforgettable outing at All In and beyond.