"There's a story there already" - WWE Hall of Famer doesn't want to see Nick Aldis get into the ring right away (Exclusive)
Teddy Long recently spoke about Nick Aldis being introduced as the new SmackDown general manager and advised WWE not to rush putting him inside the ring.
Aldis had been working as a producer for WWE for a couple of months when he was finally introduced as an on-screen talent by Triple H on the October 13, 2023, episode of SmackDown. He was revealed as the show's general manager.
Considering he's only 36 years old and has earned plaudits for his in-ring work across the globe, fans are still hoping to see him set foot inside the ring someday.
On the latest episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine podcast hosted by Mac David, Teddy Long expressed his happiness over seeing Nick Aldis secure a spot on TV. He added that there was no need for WWE to rush having the former IMPACT Wrestling World Champion lace his wrestling boots.
"This is absolutely a big break for him [Nick Aldis]. His foot is in the door. That doesn't mean he has to come right in and put the wrestling tights on. There's a story there already. There's Cody, and there are some other people. So why not let him be the general manager because he can always go to bigger and better things? Some guys would just be general managers, that's it."
The former SmackDown general manager added that WWE must let Nick Aldis get comfortable in his on-screen authority role first before pushing him as an in-ring competitor down the line.
"Like Paul Heyman, for example. If he's not managing somebody, that's it. But now [they have] got Nick Aldis, who can get out of that role anytime and go right back at and put those tights on. But let's build that story, let's get Nick on TV, let him do some stuff on SmackDown, and put some people in their places. I just wish all the best, congratulations," added Long. [1:18 - 2:04]
Check out the full video below:
Dutch Mantell on Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce's simmering tensions in WWE
On last week's SmackDown, WWE planted the seeds for brand warfare at Survivor Series 2023 when RAW general manager Adam Pearce came face-to-face with Nick Aldis.
Dutch Mantell also spoke about this on Sportskeeda's Smack Talk, mentioning he was excited about how the company would book the simmering tensions between the managers. However, he wanted the creative team to build the feud slowly.
"We called it right. I think those two could slow it down a little bit. Both of them are good talkers, especially Nick. Nick's going to be the heel, and they are looking at each other like, 'Listen, I'm the boss over here, you stay over there.' And that was plainly demonstrated tonight. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with these two guys. I really do on the two brands. That takes in everybody, really!"
Fans can expect the build to Survivor Series 2023 to officially begin once Crown Jewel 2023 is in the books, which goes down on November 4.
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