Nick Aldis shares concerns heading into first WWE match at SummerSlam
The stakes and pressure is high for SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis as he steps into a WWE ring as a competitor for the first time this weekend.
Aldis expressed his concerns heading into his SummerSlam match against Gunther on the Insight Podcast. He stated his physical in-ring performance as compared to the other WWE talents intimidated him to some extent despite having an extensive wrestling resume.
“I think the big nerves are still to come, obviously. But I think because I feel like I’ve got my body right, now I feel a bit more comfortable. In the beginning, when I first sort of realized that this was on the horizon, I think my biggest concern was my physical ability. I don’t mean my ability to execute a bodyslam. I mean my conditioning. I suppose I should take it as a compliment that upper management didn’t seem to have very much concern about that. But I was very concerned, and I remember saying to Ed Koskey, there’s a big difference between physique shape and ring shape, and I only have one of those right now.”
“Honestly, I say this with all sincerity. My focus for the last couple of weeks, or a little more than that, has been entirely on conditioning, performance and conditioning. You’re not going to make a whole lot of difference to your physique in four weeks. Obviously, you can make some significant dent in your body fat and you can tighten up. But I’m not going to add any muscle. I’m not going to make any drastic changes to my proportions or composition or anything, but the focus had to be on being able to go. I basically just decided, okay, whatever happens with the physique, it is what it is. The physique’s somewhat there, so I have to be able to go.”
Gunther’s attack and taunts towards Aldis especially after losing an opportunity for the Undisputed WWE Title provoked the match to be set for SummerSlam. The PLE will take place on August 1 and 2 at U.S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Ring General and Aldis will collide on Night One of SummerSlam in a singles bout.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.