Nick Aldis recently spoke with Chris Van Vliet for an in-depth interview covering all things pro wrestling.
During the discussion, the pro wrestling veteran spoke about his role with WWE shadowing producers behind-the-scenes, as well as his status as an active wrestler.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview where he touches on these topics with his thoughts.
On how his WWE deal is a handshake agreement at the moment: “They (WWE) just invited me to come and, you know, see how everything works and shadow as a producer and see and just sort of be part of the meetings and oversee the whole television operation… I’ve done a lot, I’ve worn a lot of hats. I think people who have followed my career, particularly in the last few years know that in addition to wrestling, I was wearing a lot of hats behind the scenes at my last place. So, I certainly don’t feel like it’s a completely new sort of situation for me. Having said that, there’s pro wrestling, and then there’s WWE. So, just taking in just the sheer sort of volume of the operation, and just, you know, the number of people involved… the scale of everything is like — just that alone has been the basis of my time so far. But, it’s all very much much a sort of handshake situation at the moment, very much a, ‘Hey, why don’t you come in and see how all this works? See if you like it.’ I will say this. They’ve been very, very good to me and very, very accommodating. As far as they’ve said, look, this is as much about whether you like it, you know? Now, where that goes, I don’t know, and I’m okay with that. It’s tough with the internet and social media, because people want to put this sort of definitiveness on everything. And this finality like, ‘Oh, that’s it. He’s with WWE. That’s it, game over,’ you know? And so now, people say, ‘Are you not wrestling anymore? Have you retired? Are you not wrestling?’ I mean, even the boys are saying that, like, ‘Are you done wrestling?’ And it’s like, slow down.”
On how despite taking the role, he can still wrestle: “The timing of that, I can accept and concede that (pulling out of dates due to injury when his trial run as a WWE producer was starting). And I knew that even when I did it, you know, it was kind of mad at the timing of this isn’t great, because now people are going to put two and two together and go holy, you must be injured, you must have a back problem and can’t wrestle anymore. That’s not the case… 100 percent (I can still wrestle). I just took a couple more dates recently. You know, I have a few days in September. I know that Mickie (James) and I (are) doing a show in Canada at an Indian Reservation. And it’s another show in Ohio that we’re both doing and you know, so I mean, I’ve had stuff on the books, and I told Bret (Hart) that I would whenever he has a date for Calgary. Yeah, that because I’m the Stu Hart, you know, champion for his son’s promotion for Dungeon Wrestling. I was like, ‘Look, I’ll always be there for that…’ That’s the frustrating part, right? Is when you literally go and try something and just go and see, try it on, see if you like it. And next thing you know, it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s it.’”
Check out the complete interview at ChrisVanVliet.com. H/T to POSTWrestling.com for transcribing the above quotes.
