10 Things We Learned From NWA Worlds Champion Nick Aldis (Exclusive Interview)

10. He Wants To See Joe Hennig In The NWA

When you have the name and pedigree of being the son of 'Mr. Perfect' Curt Hennig and the grandson of Larry 'The Axe' Hennig, surely it would make all the sense in the world to play up this heritage and embrace the real-life history that cannot be manufactured. For whatever reason, WWE opted not to push this element too hard with Joe Hennig.

Even though he competed in the FCW developmental system under the name, Hennig was bafflingly rebranded as Michael McGillicutty ahead of turning up on the second season of NXT. He did manage to get the slightly better name of Curtis Axel in May 2013 as a nod to his father and grandfather, yet fans were still confused as to why WWE just didn't go all-in on the Joe Hennig name. And for Nick Aldis, not only does he likewise agree with the bewilderment of fans, but he sees the former Intercontinental Champion as somebody he wants to bring to the National Wrestling Alliance.

Upon being asked which, if any, of the recently released WWE stars he'd like to see in the NWA - in addition to mentioning how he'd like to butt heads with EC3 - Aldis enthused, "For Joe Hennig to get the Ten Pounds of Gold treatment and get that long-form story, really do a deep dive on what this would mean to him, the family history and the title. I would love us to get our hands on Joe Hennig, even if it was just for a short period of time. I feel like I could make magic with Joe Hennig."

Aldis and Hennig actually have previous, with both men being part of a Harley Race training camp back in 2007.

Authored by Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

Posted On: 15th May 2020

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Interviews Nick Aldis