Mickie James, Nick Aldis, And Conrad Thompson Announce Australian Endeavor

Since his stint with the NWA came to a sudden, and very acrimonious conclusion, many have been wondering what Nick Aldis' next move would be. Could the former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion wind up in AEW? WWE? World of Sport's latest revival? Elsewhere? Regardless of what people expected, few, if any, would've predicted Aldis' next project would be in the land down under.

In a press release unveiled Tuesday afternoon, Aldis, along with his wife, Mickie James, were announced as executive producers for Oceania Pro Wrestling's 2023 Oceanic Wrestling Event. Scheduled for the latter stages of 2023, the event will see James in charge of the women's content related to the show, which will be co-promoted by wrestling podcaster and occasional event promoter Conrad Thompson and Australian executive Cam Vale, who serves as COO of the North Melbourne Football Club of the Australian Football League.

The release revealed that the Oeanic Wrestling Event is looking to be a cross between "a major sporting event and a major cultural event like a Comic-Con." The event was also compared to Starrcast, the wrestling fan convention that Thompson has promoted several times in the US, most recently this past summer. It is expected to take place over the course of four days, and work to locate a venue able to accommodate at least 5,000 fans is expected to begin imminently. While this project would seem to preclude Aldis from signing with a major US promotion, it should be noted that comments from Vale in the press release suggest they are seeking the involvement of several wrestling companies, including AEW, Impact, New Japan, Lucha Libre AAA, CMLL, and even Aldis' old promotion the NWA. Aldis' NWA deal is set to officially expire in January.