Nick Aldis On What Separates NWA And All In From The 'Huge Conglomerate' Of WWE
Former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis was interviewed by Sean Mooney during Starrcast weekend prior to his match against Cody Rhodes at All In. Aldis and Mooney discussed the success of All In, and how it is providing an atmosphere that takes people back to how it was in old school WWF.
"I remember when this was all beginning and the company, the WWF at the time, was very small, and there was that real connection," said Mooney. "It seems like a simple concept, but it seems like [All In] is getting back to that. The fans are really connecting."
"Exactly," Aldis responded. "We look at everything like 'what can we do that they're not necessarily able to do based on their requirements as a huge conglomerate?' They have to answer to the shareholders, they have to meet advertiser's requirements, they have to put out a certain amount of content. We're not beholding to any standards like that, so we can just focus on quality and we can go, 'hey, you know what, this week we feel like we need to put out three videos, and then next week, we may put out none.'
"It just depends on what is required at that time. And by the advent of having subscribers and having that online viewing habit now, it goes out, and immediately people can watch it on their phone, on their TV, on their tablet, wherever they want. And it's real, it's a connection, it's not manufactured. Whatever we put out, we put out for a reason. To me, it's all about trust. It's about developing a trust with the audience where when you put something out, they know that it's gonna deliver something that they want, and it's gonna build to something that they are willing, in this case, willing to pay to see."
At All In, Aldis was dethroned of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but his reign lasted nearly nine months. Aldis along with William Corgan and Dave Lagana are widely responsible for putting the legacy of NWA back on the map. Aldis defeated Tim Storm to win the title, and Storm has also been an instrumental part of the NWA's resurrection, being a big part of the Ten Pounds of Gold series.
If any portion of these quotes is used, please be sure to credit Prime Time with Sean Mooney with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Prime Time with Sean Mooney