TNA Star Nick 'Magnus' Aldis Interview

Interview: TNA Star Nick ‘Magnus’ Aldis

By Phil Allely

He has just signed a new long-term contract with America’s Florida-based TNA Wrestling Company and already has held the companies Tag Team Gold, plus the highly prestigious Japanese IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, amongst many other successes in a few short years.

Yes indeed young British wrestling star Nick Aldis (better known as Magnus) has come a long way from his early days of wrestling on small UK shows and of course his stint as Gladiator Oblivion (in the Sky TV revamp).

Here he exclusively talks to Phil Allely about his tenure in TNA to date, the upcoming UK/Irish tour and what the future holds for Magnus.

You’ve been in TNA a while now Nick, plus you’ve just signed a new deal, so I assume you’re very happy there?

I’m really pleased to be here, I’m very happy to have worked out a new agreement, it’s a great place to work. I am having the best time I could wish for and doing what I love to do.

You had a three month lay-off earlier this year, what necessitated that and how does it feel to be back?

My time off wasn’t organised or pre-arranged, it just coincided with working out my new contract and to be honest I was itching to get back in the ring for TNA. So I’m really enthusiastic to be back in the ring and that we were able to get my new contract worked out so well.

You started off as a solo star in TNA (the Gladiator-based Brutus Magnus gimmick), then had a successful tag team run with Doug Williams as The British Invasion and of course as a member of the World Elite faction, you now team with fellow British star Desmond Wolfe, which do you prefer tag or solo wrestling?

I honestly enjoy both, at the moment (in TNA) the tag team division is amazing, there are some of the best pro wrestlers in the world in that part of the roster. That’s not taking it away from the singles guys, but they are all working hard for a few spots and chasing those titles against fierce competition, which is great.
But tag team wise we have an equally excellent selection of worthy opponents and great teams. The likes of the Motor City Machineguns, Beer Money, Ink Inc. and guys like Team 3D are all the best at what they do and a pleasure to work with.

With regards to Desmond and I, our team was purely an organic thing, we compliment each others styles and I’m enjoying our time together thoroughly. I have more experience as a tag team wrestler right now, so I’m happy with my spot as one.

My only regret with the British Invasion was we never got to really work with the Motor City Machineguns. We had one great match on Pay-Per-View and that was it unfortunately, but at least Desmond and I seem to be heading that direction now. So I’m hoping we can have some wonderful big guy/high flyer stuff with them. There are some excellent storylines we could play out with the Guns and ourselves.

What was it like to win gold in TNA with Doug as your partner and is it something you see Desmond and yourself achieving?

I was both surprised and unbelievably pleased to hold the IWGP and TNA tag belts, actually they are the only two belts I’ve ever held in wrestling. I see them as what they are in wrestling, they are wonderful to receive, but you can’t hold onto them forever and it’s a privilege to hold them when the opportunity is presented to you.

At present we are seeing the EV2.0 and Fortune groups collide, what do you think of these groups and how do you think they will assist TNA as a whole?

I hope it will work, so far it has got a good reaction and has a great story to be told. It’s the rich snobby bad guys versus the poorer good hearted good guys, in a way I think. It’s a story we can all relate to in some way and connect with.
I am really pleased for Doug, because he’s found himself a part of that storyline and I hope it goes well for us all.
It reminds me of the World Elite/Main Event Mafia stuff we did, which went down a storm.
When it all works it’s great for the whole roster and all of us in TNA, which is where I fit in I guess, their success helps us all achieve our goals.
It’s basically legendary guys reunited by the fact that they were in the original ECW and wanting one more chance, taking on a bunch of elite guys recruited by Ric Flair to take over TNA if they can.

Are there any dream matches you hope to achieve whilst working for TNA?

Dream match wise, the Guns will be up there, hopefully Desmond and I can get that one under our belts soon. I got one fulfilled recently when I worked with Sting in the Impact! man event of Impact!, I was taken aback when they came up to me and told me about that one.
I’d love to face Kurt Angle one-on-one, I‘ve been in tag matches with him, but never as a singles.
I wrestled Doug (Williams) in my third ever match, back in the day, in Worthing (if I recall), but I’d love to face him in TNA and see if we gel as well now, as we did then.

As a young guy on the roster (Nick is 23 years old) what’s it feel like to working alongside legendary veterans like Hulk Hogan, Sting, Ric Flair etc?

I sometimes have to take a step back and realise I’m working with these guys as peers, it’s amazing really, I feel admiration for them and appreciate all they do for us.
I do even think about pinching myself sometimes, when you see them in the flesh and know them as their real selves, it takes a bit of getting used to.
Yeah to see guys like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Sting and Kurt Angle in that way is amazing, but I even have to consider guys like Team 3D as veterans and personal heroes. I have a great respect for them, Bubba and Devon have helped me lots and I sometimes have to explain that when they did that big series of match in 2000 (for example) I was barely a teenager. They’ve been about for as long as I’ve been a fan.
It’s hard to explain what it feels like to work in the same company as all of these guys.

TNA are embarking on another UK Tour in January, will you be there and what can Irish fans expect when the tour hits Dublin?

I will be there of course, I can’t wait, its easily my favourite dates on the calendar each year , we always do great houses on the UK tours.
It’s great to work with your own people in the audience, I have more confidence and understand them more than the Americans (after all I‘ve been a fan there myself and of course began my career wrestling in front of these people), it’s easy to please them (in a good way) they react so well to us.
TNA live shows as a collective deliver so much, it’s not just a gimmick either, we really do pull out all of the stops.
Dublin will be awesome in January, we found the Irish fans to be amazing last time round, Doug and I did the British Invasion stuff then and got so much heat from the fans there, it was election time and we made a speech, we even sang the (British) national anthem and I remember it fondly they really went for us and got into our match with Beer Money that night.
We were all so tired and burnt out after our European tour, but we all fed off the fans in Dublin and they were so hot we all went from being dead on our feet, to being at the top of our game.
I personally can’t wait to get back in the ring on UK/Irish soil.

You can catch up with Magnus and his tag team partner Desmond Wolfe each week on TNA Impact! And of course each month on Pay Per View, check back here for reviews and previews of forthcoming TNA events, DVD releases and a follow up interview with Nick ‘Magnus’ Aldis from the UK/Irish tour next January.

See www.tnawrestling.com for more information and ticket details for the UK/Irish tour in January 2011.