Nick Aldis is channeling his nerves into brutal conditioning work as he preps for Gunther at SummerSlam, admitting in a new interview that he was initially thrown by how calmly WWE seemed to treat his in-ring return.
Speaking with MuscleManMalcolm, Aldis described a mix of anxiety and excitement heading into the biggest physical test of his WWE tenure.
Aldis said he has been “immersing myself in crazy conditioning workouts” to get ready on a short turnaround, framing the assignment as a “very tall order” against one of the elite in-ring performers in the business.
I’m feeling nervous but excited. I’m feeling good. I’ve been just really immersing myself in crazy conditioning workouts… to try to get my conditioning where it needs to be, as best you can in a very short amount of time, for what is obviously a very tall order to be in the ring at SummerSlam with one of the real elite-level guys in our industry,” Aldis said.
I feel good, I feel nervous, in a good way. I feel excited, I feel validated. But I also understand that the work for me is to deliver at SummerSlam and that’s pretty much all I’m focused on.
All The Pressure Is Internal
Aldis said he came into the opportunity with no expectations and intends to leave it the same way, placing the entire burden on himself to perform to the standard he believes he is capable of. He described the goal as a showing worthy of his pedigree, then everything after that being out of his control.
I am 100 percent fully focused on SummerSlam. I came into this with no expectations. I come out of it with no expectations. The demands are only on myself. I’m demanding of myself to put on a performance worthy of what I believe to be my pedigree and my level,” Aldis said.
He also admitted to “a couple of little freakout moments” early on, unsettled by how relaxed everyone around him seemed about the situation.
Early on, I had a couple of little freakout moments, where I was a bit sort of like, ‘Why is everyone so calm about this?’ Taking a guy who’s never wrestled here and you put him in a match at SummerSlam with a top guy. No one’s asking me, do you think you can do it?
Michael Hayes was the only one who was like, ‘How you feeling?’ And Michael was the only one who said to me, ‘You just make sure you do whatever you need to do to be ready,’ and I knew what that meant. He’s like, don’t be afraid to say you need help or you want this or you want that… After a while, I suppose I just had to make peace with the idea that I guess they have faith in me.
A Long Wait For A First WWE Match
Aldis signed with WWE in 2023 and debuted as the on-screen General Manager of SmackDown on the October 13, 2023 episode, moving from full-time competitor to authority figure. Before joining WWE, he built his reputation on multiple NWA World Heavyweight Championship reigns.
Gunther sits at the opposite end of that spectrum in WWE storytelling. His Intercontinental Championship reign is the longest in the title’s history, and consistently books him as a punishing, elite-level measuring stick.
Aldis stepped away from the day-to-day of his GM duties amid the build to the match. He has spoken previously about wanting at least one proper run as a wrestler on WWE’s main roster, and staying in top condition despite his front-office role.
