Nick Aldis Admits Feeling Betrayed By The Elite After 2018 All In

Nick Aldis is the current General Manager of Friday Night SmackDown, but he was an in-ring competitor before making his way to WWE. This included his involvement in 2018’s landmark All In event and Aldis has admitted he felt betrayed by The Elite after the show.

The independent pay-per-view promoted by The Elite stands as a pivotal moment in wrestling history, marking the genesis of AEW and forever altering the industry’s landscape.

The SmackDown General Manager played a significant role in this historic event, defending his NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Cody Rhodes at the Sears Centre Arena. The match is fondly remembered for its intricate storytelling and impeccable execution.

During a recent interview with Inside The Ropes, Nick Aldis reflected on the divergent paths his and Cody Rhodes’ career took after All In. He cautioned against dwelling on comparisons, acknowledging the potential for bitterness and resentment in the wrestling industry. Yet, he couldn’t help but admit feeling betrayed by The Elite after the show.

“I think in this business if you start playing the comparison game, you can really go down a rabbit hole of bitterness and resentment very quickly. I felt a little bit betrayed when I found out that they were all familiar, they were all aware of Tony Khan, and they’d been sort of plotting this thing.”

”So then as we progressed a couple of months forward, it’s sort of like, ‘oh, that’s all already happening. That’s sort of a done deal.’ Sort of in that respect I guess I felt like I could have been informed of that sooner. But I just looked at it from the perspective of like, Well, that piece of business meaning Cody and I at All In, that did nothing but good things for everyone involved. It wasn’t like people looked at me and went ‘Oh he’s finished.”

‘‘We tore the house down and we had the match that everybody remembers. We had the real main event of that show. That built my credibility. Off the back of that, we were able to launch an entire show that at that time had a strong, sustainable audience. I landed a six-figure contract off the back of that also. Cody obviously, had a pipeline to a billionaire. It is a different, I only had a millionaire, he had a billionaire but, whatever. It’s all just part of the tapestry of your career.”

Nick Aldis clarified that he harbors no resentment towards Cody Rhodes. Instead, he expressed gratitude towards him for the opportunity their match at All In provided. Aldis emphasized that while the success of the event wasn’t solely reliant on him, their match played a pivotal role in elevating the show’s status.

“I certainly didn’t resent Cody. If anything, I was grateful to Cody because the success of that show was certainly not [dependent on me]. They weren’t going to sell those…they sold those tickets, no matter what. I always say I didn’t draw the house but I felt like I made the show what it was.”

Aldis highlighted the significance of their match in showcasing that the spectacle of wrestling could thrive beyond WWE. He believed their bout demonstrated that outside of the WWE umbrella, moments of storytelling, emotion, and the grandeur of a big match could still be achieved.

“I felt like what Cody and I’s match did was kind of show that it can be done outside of WWE. Like a moment, storytelling, emotion, the big fight feel. The delivery of the big match and the fairytale ending can happen somewhere else with the right guys. Look, Cody was the right guy, but I was the right guy too. I felt like it underlined me as ‘this guy could do it too.'”

Nevertheless, both Cody Rhodes and Nick Aldis are now working together in WWE and that is what truly matters to them in the end.

Do you feel Nick Aldis should have been part of AEW as well? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!