Nick Aldis earned a shot at the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship by winning the Race to the Chase tournament. He was scheduled to challenge Trevor Murdoch for the belt at NWA 74.
Instead, Billy Corgan removed Aldis from the match and replaced him with Tyrus. Corgan said Aldis had politicked for his spot over the years and he was fed up with it.
Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Aldis gave his side of the story.
Aldis began by going back to 2017 when he first started working with Corgan and the NWA.
"My first year with the NWA, an entire year, we're talking the Ten Pounds of Gold Series, traveling all over the world. Tommy is well aware of this because he is a promoter who booked me. The entire time I was doing that, do you know how much money I received from the NWA? Try 0. Try zip. My earnings as a professional wrestler came from the promoters who wanted to book me because the fans wanted to see me defend that belt. I was working without a contract. All In, one of the most significant pro wrestling shows of the last decade, I didn't sell those tickets, but by the time we got there, I was in the match people wanted to see. I had no contract. If I had been a 'politicker,' do you not think I would have said, 'Hey brother, there are 11,000 people here and I'm in the match you guys came to see. I think I'm going to need a little cheddar or might need something here because this doesn't work for me, brother.' If I was a politicker, do you not think I might have been able to call Stamford and say, 'I don't have a contract.' Everything is riding on this and here I am, you need me to facilitate this moment you want. I didn't do that because I love and respect this business and I'm a man of my word," he said.
Aldis defended the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship against Cody Rhodes at All In in September 2018.
Aldis went on to comment on detractors. While he would "concede that Cody was the draw for NWA 70 and Marty Scurll was the draw for NWA Crockett Cup 2019, he said there was no doubt that he was the draw for NWA 73 and his match against Trevor Murdoch.
"Whether he wants to accept it or anyone else wants to accept it, that show was sold out because people wanted to see him beat me," he said.
Aldis said he did his job as being the villain as the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion and the guy people wanted to see get beat.
"I'm not going to apologize for being good at my job and for having the impact I had on the NWA and the industry. I'm a 35-year-old grown fucking man now and I know who I am and know what I'm worth. My whole reaction to this? Good luck. I have nothing against Tyrus. He sells a hell of a lot of books. I hope he's putting tickets to NWA 74 in them. Ultimately, the people will tell you. I know the NWA audience because the NWA audience is largely my audience. I ain't going to apologize for that. That was my job. He's trying to re-create this image of me as if I was given this thing and I turned into a monster. No, I was given one of the most difficult tasks in the modern era of wrestling. I'm presented with this challenge of 'do you think you can make anyone give a shit about the NWA?' Yeah, I think I can," he said.
Aldis went back to the pandemic and said that he gave money back during that time to help keep other talent around while NWA wasn't running shows.
"I gave money back from my salary so he could help keep other guys whole. I said, 'I'm okay, I'm good, help try and keep some of these other guys whole.' I'm not sure at what point I was politicking. What I've always done, regardless of where I worked, is I've done everything I can for the people paying me. No amount of money in the world buys you the privilege to disrespect me," he said.
Aldis also said that he showed his loyalty to NWA in 2019 when he talked to Tony Khan about potentially joining AEW.
"In 2019, I was given the opportunity to jump on the train with Tony Khan. Tony was very gracious to me. He gave me a phone call and we had a good conversation. Out of loyalty and gratitude, I decided to stay. I guess the train doesn't stop twice. Now that I look back, who knows. That gets thrown back in my face. For what?" he wondered.
Aldis concluded by saying he felt disrespected when Matt Cardona came in and started trashing the NWA and the throwback style that he helped build.
"Having dedicated everything I had mind, body and spirit to rebuilding the NWA brand, which has led to other people I respect and admire to getting full-time jobs and having a paycheck. To then have Matt Cardona show up, having just made a great living in WWE, walk in and go, 'This place is rinky dink. This place is a joke.' When you've wrapped up so much of your identity in building something and some prick comes in and takes big steaming shit all over it, how would you feel? The fact that he was not only accommodated for that, but celebrated, I took it as a slap in the face. When he was given a title shot. I think Billy's plan was 'I'll let Matt run his mouth and I'll let Trevor beat him.' That didn't happen. He beat Trevor, which is why Billy hit the panic button and said, 'Nick go challenge him.' In case of emergency, break me," said Aldis.
Aldis vs. Cardona was set to headline NWA Alwayz Ready, but Cardona suffered an injury and had to relinquish the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title. Murdoch won a four-way bout to regain the belt.
It is unknown if Aldis will be part of NWA 74.
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