TNA's Nick 'Magnus' Aldis interview

TNA wrestler films TV show in Belfast

Nick Aldis may be best know as Magnus to viewers of TNA Wrestling programming, however there is an awful lot more to him that simply being a professional wrestler. I caught up with Nick in Belfast as he filmed for Challenge TV (also home to TNA here in the UK) show UK''s Strongest Man. Series. Aldis and co-host Matt Bell were on hand to film links for the series, interview some of the competitors and much more over this August Bank Holiday Weekend event. Here are highlights from that chat.

Phil: Hi Nick first up let's chat about you presenting this show. How are you enjoying that experience?

Nick: Well Phil this is my second year now. So being asked back must mean I am doing OK (laughs). Honestly this is a great job, we have a small team really, our Producer, Matt and myself. I think it helps that Matt and I get on so well too. That gives us a rapport and something that comes across on screen.

Phil: Is presenting something you feel you would like to do more of?

Nick: Yes it is. I love getting to help produce our pieces (with the guys) and I am learning so much about the behind the scenes work that you need to know. After all I came from working holiday camps and Gladiators to wrestling in the US for TNA and now this. I'm always learning I guess and picking stuff up. If there are opportunities to do more jobs like this I am happy to do them.

Phil: Would you say that presenting something like UK's Strongest Man has helped you with your in-ring promos?

Nick: Yes and no. I have always had good responses to my promos and got praise from the guys in the back. It maybe has made me look at things in more detail perhaps and of course I have a lot more knowledge of what they are doing back there now as well.

Phil: May we ask you about life in TNA. For example how do you feel about the recent spate of roster cuts?

Nick: I love being a part of TNA and think a lot of times when there is bad publicity it is taken out of context or only partially explained (to suit others means). For example recently Jesse Sorenson (former TNA wrestler) made some comment about how the company treated him, but the truth is he was treated very well, they took care of insurance and even paid for bills. It was blown out of proportion.

Phil: Many say the cuts have been due to added costs created by taking the company on the road each week?

Nick: Well yes there are indeed costs in taking us on the road and that will have an affect on us as a roster. Honestly the way I see it is that we have only one two hour TV show and we all cannot be given time on it. I think what has happened has been necessary for the product and us a company. I mean how can you build up a storyline or character if you are barely getting any TV time. That also means many of the guys were getting basic wages. I'd call it streamlining and something that will help us.

Phil: The UK market has grown very steadily in recent years and Impact has become on of its top shows. How important is the UK to TNA?

Nick: It is very important to us and I would love to see us back here more often. I know the company have a lot of ideas for the UK/Irish fans as well. We always get a great response there. The UK Boot Camp series also highlighted some of the talented wrestlers we have here and we know there are a lot more. I think it helps UK wrestlers to see guys like myself, Robbie T, Doug (Williams) etc. on TV and makes them want to break the US too. Challenge TV have really embraced us and I guess you could say I am the UK face for us right now too.

Phil: You mentioned Boot Camp there, I feel that concept worked very well. You were involved in that were you not?

Nick: I worked as colour commentator on that and boy do I now have (even) more respect for guys like JB (Jeremy Borash) too. You really have to think on your feet and not panic. I liked doing that and hope to maybe do some more. The competitors really worked hard throughout as well. There are a lot of UK/Irish wrestlers who have real potential to be big stars.

Phil: You have already done so much in TNA. But how does it feel to be in the new Main Event Mafia line-up?

Nick: It is a real honour to be involved and what I must say it that guys like Sting and Kurt Angle have always been two of the main guys who have been pushing for me backstage too. They have done that genuinely and really helped me move along. To share the ring with them is amazing.

Phil: In relation to Kurt I for one thought it was a nice touch that (TNA President) Dixie Carter mentioned his entering rehab and his absence from storylines. Do you feel the same?

Nick: To be honest I can see the reasoning, but maybe would not have done it in the ring like that. I think it was really for Kurt's benefit to let him see how much support he has from the fans and us all on the roster.

Phil: Thanks so much for your time Nick I'll hopefully see you on the January 2014 UK/Irish tour.

Nick: Thanks Phil. I'll see you there.

Nick and his co-host Matt were recording their UK's Strongest Man show live from Belfast. This will be shown on Challenge TV very soon. In the meantime you can watch Nick (as Magnus) each week on the channel's Impact Wrestling show.

Ultimate (UK's) Strongest Man has been running for ten years now and was created by Northern Irish strongman Glenn Ross. Ross has won the event many times and represented Ireland and the UK at many others across the globe as well. Ross has also competed at the World's Strongest Man events and founded the UK Strength Council and Irish Strength Association. As well as organising the UK's Strongest Man events Ross also acts as a referee when needed.

Phil caught up with Glenn briefly, here are his responses.

'We have been doing this for ten years now and it has grown so much since then'.

'It is great to have Challenge recording this and supporting us too'.

'We started out on Channel 5 way back then and didn't know where we would end up. This is amazing to see'.

'This weekend we hope to see between 500-1000 people here outside the Odyssey Arena in Belfast'.

http://www.ultimatestrongestman.com

http://www.challenge.co.uk/

By Phil Allely

WWE Wrestlemania Revenge Tour 2011 - Belfast Ireland Review 14/4/2011

Cena Pushes the Truth in Belfast


By Phil Allely

WWE main eventer John Cena graciously allowed the spotlight to shine on R Truth during the second night of the Raw tour in Belfast, Ireland last night.

In front of a pumped up 8000 sell-out crowd Cena took to the mic praising Truth’s assistance in saving him from a post-match beat down by Miz/Alex Riley and the young stars dedication to the business, nicely hyping up their match with Miz at Extreme Rules.

Cena’s main event bout for the WWE Title was a real crowd pleaser too, with action taking place in and out of the ring, the pair gelled well together. Miz’s stooge Riley was the key factor though, running in to cause a DQ finish, the cunning champion retaining his gold.

The rest of the card saw Evan Bourne take flight on numerous occasions, his ‘Air Bourne’ finisher putting Riley down for the three count to open up proceedings in style.

Percy Watson won some new fans with his demolition job on high flyer Tyson Kidd, the up and comer was very over in a quick but well-paced outing.

The Uso’s and Santino Marella (with Tamina) had what appeared to be a handicap match next, fortunately as things looked bleak, the injured Vladimir Kozlov sprinted to the ring to a huge pop and bullied his way through the Samoan pair. A cobra from a rested Marella ending things nicely.

John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler’s heated encounter was an early match of the night contender, both pulling out all of the stops to keep the rabid fans happy. The always impressive Starship Pain giving Morrison the win.

Divas champion Brie Bella (with Nikki) faced off against Eve in a decent Divas brawl, the ever improving Miss Torres however fell short on regaining her belt.

Randy Orton and CM Punk then tore the house down with their ‘fans choice’ battle, the street fight was just what the Irish fans wanted and saw some still spots involving a Kendo stick, steel chair, the ring steps and the ring post. Punk saw defeat but as Orton dug deep and hit a surprise RKO.

Mexican newcomer Sin Cara made his Irish debut next, putting on fair showing against Primo, there were plenty of flashy and attention grabbing in-ring moments before the latest masked superstar to join the WWE grabbed the pin.

The penultimate match-up saw Daniel Bryan (with Gail Kim) tackle Ireland’s own Sheamus. The mighty Celt was more than up for the challenge, overcoming the La Bell Lock and other in-ring abuse to nail a big boot assisted pin.

WWE brought their A-Game to Belfast and the tour certainly lived up to its Wrestlemania Revenge moniker. It was nice to see the effort being put into the card and storylines continue through the night, the build up to Extreme Rules and push for R Truth (amongst others) were a very positive aspect as well. Especially in a week where the wrestling world has lost yet another main eventer, as Edge retired due to injury. The pushing of new/young talent as credible main eventers really is key to the WWE’s future success these days.

The tour continues across the UK, Ireland and Europe for the next two weeks.

More WWE Belfast pics

Pics taken Nov 2010

More Smackdown European Tour Nov 2010 Pics

More of my own pics taken during the recent WWE Smackdown European tour, November 2010 @ Odyssey Arena Belfast.

WWE Smackdown Live Review: Belfast Nov 4 2010

WWE Smackdown Live Review: Belfast November 4th 2010
By Phil Allely

Every year we fans in the UK and Ireland get the chance to see our favourite Wwe supertsra live in the flesh and what a treat it is to be there at ringside for all of the action.

This November it was the turn of the Smackdown roster to head to Belfast and showcase their talents. Of course recent injuries to many of the companies top name shave had a knock on effect to the roster and the live product. However with almost a full house on hand in the Odyssey arena it was up to those fit, ready and willing backstage to offer forth some top class entertainment.

Phil Allely was on hand (alongside a fellow grapple fan and former wrestler) to witness just how the WWE were going to fill the void left by such stars as Undertaker and CM Punk.

Things kicked off well with hometown hero Finlay stepping out of self imposed retirement to live up to his tough guy image. His opponent Tyler Reks is a highly tipped big man and Finlay made him look like a star. Finlay’s comedy sidekick Hornswoggle was on hand to give his comrade an assist, much tot eh fans delight. Finlay pulled off the win and had the Belfast crowd in the palm of his hand as he and little Hornswoggle celebrated in the centre of the ring. Hornswoggle’s top rope frog (spawn!) splash was hilarious to witness.

Jack Swagger and Chris Masters had a believable and spirited match next. Trading holds, moves and near falls before Swagger made Masters tap out.

Mason Ryan pulled off an upset win next as crowd favourite Chavo Guerrero fell to him with ease, it’s easy to see why WWE legend Dusty Rhodes is high on Ryan.

The Intercontinental Title match saw champion Dolph Ziggler face off against Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre and MVP. Scottish native McIntyre proved himself well in this one, controlling much of the match and almost netting himself the belt on a few occasions. After many near falls, high spots and trademark moves the action fell apart as Nexus made their first appearance of the night to end the match, Ziggler retaining.

The hot blooded males in attendance took notice next as diva Kelly Kelly made an unscheduled appearance to pose, strut and throw out some tee shirts to the crowd.

Up next everyone’s favourite little man Rey Mysterio showed just how in need he is of time off to recuperate his collected injuries. Rey was knockout out of action early in his bout with Alberto Del Rio and replaced with Kofi Kingston. Kingston fared well against his unexpected foe, but did require a returning Mysterio’s help to nail the match winning ‘boom drop’ for the pin.

After the interval Hart Dynasty members DH Smith and Tyson Kidd tackled Nexus for the Tag team Championships. The match itself was very good, Kidd especially impressing with his high-flying and risk taking moves. Nexus though proved to be slightly superior on this occasion and retained their gold.


The match of the night in your reviewers opinion was the Divas brawl between Natalya and Layla. Both women had their work boots on and assembled a near perfect bout, trading near falls, hitting decent moves and whipping the crowd into a nice frenzy as near falls came and went. The more experienced Natalya deservedly gained the win with a ‘Sharpshooter’.

The main event had a lot to live up to and since the as-billed Kane/Undertaker match had been scrapped due to Takers injuries his replacement Big Show had awful big shoes to fill. The seven foot monster did try his best and he and Kane did assemble a fair match-up for Kane’s World Title.

Perhaps knowing that fans were feeling short-changed by the lack of star talent on hand the finale to the match saw Nexus and the Smackdown roster have a full scale brawl.

Smackdown may have disappointed some, but whoever did put the show together did their best with what they had. The Nexus collective did their jobs perfectly, Kane proved to a very articulate speaker (something you never see on TV) and equally the often underrated Divas division proved to be the best on the night live.

Roll on the Raw tour next year for more of the same for the WWE.

WWE Smackdown Belfast Nov 4 2010 Results

Odyssey Arena Belfast November 4th results (review to follow)

Finlay v Tyler Reks (finlay won with an assist from Hornswoggle)
Jack Swagger v Chris Masters (Swagger won)
Chavo Guerrero v Mason Ryan (Ryan won)
IC Title Match: Drew McIntyre v Cody Rhodes v MVP v Dolph Ziggler (Ziggler retained)
Alberto Del Rio v Rey Mysterio (became Kofi Kingston v Del Rio as Rey was injured) (Kofi won after Mysterio interfered on his behalf)
Hart Dynasty (DH Smith & Tyson Kidd) v nexus (Tag Title match) Nexus retained.
Layla v Natalya: divas match (match of the night) Natalya won.
Kane beat Big show by DQ in the main event.

Fozzy Gig Review - Belfast October 2010

Fozzy: Let The Madness Begin Tour - Belfast Gig Review

By Phil Allely

He may be better known to a great many people as one of professional wrestling’s greatest superstars and in-ring characters, but that’s not where Chris Jericho’s heart really lies these days. Jericho (real name Christopher Irvine) has been involved in music for a lot longer than he has wrestling and has a real passion for making music and performing. He fronts fast-rising rock band Fozzy and after a five year break their 2010 UK tour brought them to Belfast once again. So just what did Belfast get from the band who began their life as a covers act named Fozzy Osbourne?

The Spring and Airbrake venue in Belfast’s city centre is a far cry from the large stadiums Chris regularly performed in as part of the WWE’s live shows and pay-per-views, but as he said himself during our lengthy pre-show interview he ‘loves playing live’ and ‘to be able to see the fans in the front rows sing-along to Fozzy’s songs is a bonus in playing more intimate venues‘.

The show itself was well paced and Jericho was hardly out of sight for long. From his entrance where he came in like the star he is all smile and sunglasses, to his rousing finale, this man proved he was one of those rare and annoying things, someone who can easily excel at more than one thing and overshadow all who’ve tried before, carving two different and interchangeable careers for himself. Plus he has a very decent rock voice, which he not only knows how to use, but can adapt to cover the softer tracks on Fozzy’s set list too. The band are a sum of their gathered talents though and each does play their part to the hilt, even if Jericho quite rightly is the main focus for many who watch them.

Fozzy’s music style is a mix of classic rock heavyweights of the 1970s and 1980s melodically styles mixed with more harder modern edge. Letting their music open itself to more than one distinct fan base.

The set comprised mainly of Fozzy’s latest album release Chasing The Grail and a few other tracks from the bands back catalogue, plus a cover or two. The large crowd in attendance thoroughly enjoyed each riff, joined in the lyrics and had a blast rocking along with a fully charged Jericho bounding about the stage. He never let up during the entire set, seemingly soaking up the energy and enthusiasm he was generating amongst the baying masses. The wrestling based chants, in-jokes by fellow band mates and other grappling related things went down well with the feisty front man, taking them on the chin, smiling and getting on with his performance.

During our conversation prior to the show Chris informed me that whilst previous gigs had been packed solid the fans were a bit quiet at times, he had even higher expectations for the Northern Irish fans, who were all eagerly awaiting the ‘Fozzy experience‘. He was to disappointed as we Belfast natives once again proved that this really is the place to play live rock music in, we welcome it with open arms, we adore it, buy it in shed loads and know a good band when we see one. Fozzy said they would leave us a ‘sweaty mess who had just experienced a real life hard working rock band’ and you know what they did just that.

Support acts Symphony Cult and Death Valley Driver were in the unenviable roles of warming up a crowd who just wanted to see Fozzy, however they did do their job and win over some new fans along the way. Symphony Cult’s Charlotte especially was on the receiving end of some adoring Irish eyes as her angsty voice and alluring style entranced the Belfast boys and girls.

Fozzy’s album Chasing The Grail is available now.