Nick Aldis talks turning down AEW, building the NWA brand, and more!

DDT: What are your goals with the NWA brand and beyond?

Aldis: Our next major goal is to, we’re in the process now of developing our episodic television show. Like I said, I’ve had a big hand in that, we’re going along nicely with that. Billy’s going to be back from his Europe tour with the Smashing Pumpkins, and when he gets back, we’ll finalize all those plans.

That’s our next major goal is develop and deliver this really good episodic show that’s different and I truly think that if we get this right, we’ll fundamentally change the way pro wrestling shows are formatted, much like they did in the early to mid-90s with Monday Night Raw and Nitro. It’s been that way for a long time and I think it might be time for something else. We think we have an idea of how to do it and it’s an exciting thing for me to have my stamp on something historical.

And like I said, I want to headline a big show. I want to get to a point where we can headline half a dozen big tent-pole events like the Crockett Cup every year and fill arenas and do it our way with integrity. I take personal pride being here in the mid-Atlantic area.

A lot of the fans here have a real nostalgia, generational affection for the NWA. They stop me in the street and tell me, “I really appreciate everything you’re doing. My grandfather used to take me to watch Harley Race, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes.”

It means a lot to a lot of people in this area especially. I just want to help keep building it and be involved in the big moments. In 2018, I was arguably involved in the biggest moment in wrestling, or certainly one of them. That’s my intention. That’s why I got in this business: to be involved in the big moments. I want to continue doing that.