Nick Aldis is finally set for his WWE in-ring debut this weekend at SummerSlam. The former NWA Worlds Champion reflected on his journey. He believes his TNA background hurt earlier WWE chances.
Speaking on Insight with Chris VanVliet, Nick Aldis compared his career with Gunther’s. He admitted Gunther received opportunities he never did. Aldis said, “Some of this stuff with Gunther is real because he does represent the opportunities I didn’t get. He did have people lobbying for him that I didn’t have.”
Nick Aldis says TNA reputation affected WWE opportunities
He believes his TNA past created the wrong perception. According to Aldis, that followed him for years. “He didn’t have the TNA stink or different misconceptions about him that I had, based on my relationship with this person or that person or anything like that.”
He admitted he reached the top too early. He said, “I’m not presenting myself as a victim. I got signed at TNA. I was 21. I was not ready for that spot. And I just have to sort of look back and make peace with the fact that, well, what 21-year-old is going to turn it down? No one at that age is going to go, you know, ‘I don’t think I’m ready.'”
“No, you just do it, you know, and I probably paid for it down the line because then, when I’m starting to hit my stride and actually really starting to get this, my TNA career comes to an end, and now I’m in the wilderness, you know. Then this other thing comes along because WWE is not interested.”
Nick Aldis credits WWE legend DDP for helping him reach Triple H
“Because again, unlike Walter, I didn’t have guys like Regal, you know, pulling for me and saying, ‘Oh, this guy’s fantastic. You want to give this guy a look, right?’ Like, I had the opposite, actually, you know. So, I had to make something out of nothing with the NWA and the 10 Pounds of Gold.”
Looking back at All In, Aldis believes it validated his hard work. He said, “It was Cody’s moment at the end, but it was my moment at the beginning. And I will argue that point with anybody. It was a validation of what I had done. I built something.”
Eventually, Diamond Dallas Page encouraged him to contact Triple H directly. He recalled, “DDP… said to me, ‘Here, just call Hunter directly. Stop trying to go through these gatekeepers and stuff. Just reach out to him directly.'”
“Sure, it turns out it worked exactly how I would have wanted? Of course not. It turns out then nothing happens for a while. Then Bruce calls me and goes, ‘You want to work behind the scenes?’ Hey, I’ll take what I can get. You know, maybe there’s enough consternation that I’m not being used on television. So then they go, ‘You can be the GM,’ and now we’re here.”
Read More: Nick Aldis Responds To Rumor That Injuries Led To WWE GM Role
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