When news broke that Nick Aldis was working in WWE on a handshake deal as a producer-in-training, it turned more than a few heads around the professional wrestling world.

Sure, the idea of going from inside the ring to out of it is nothing new in the industry, as new RAW GM Adam Pearce followed an incredibly similar path to his current role as his fellow former NWA Champion, but surely, as a man in his mid-30s, putting his in-ring career on hold to try something new had to be a difficult call, right?

Sitting down for an interview with Busted Open Radio – where his wife, Mickie James, is a host – Aldis noted that he's always wanted to sign with WWE, and this opportunity proved simply too good to pass up.

“I’d already made the decision that whatever opportunity, if any, ever came from the WWE, I would take it. You’ve only got one chance in the game, and that’s to play, no matter how that comes along,” Nick Aldis told Busted Open Radio via 411 Mania. “I had a brief conversation with Paul Heyman the other night, and I said, ‘Hey, opportunity comes in all shapes and sizes.’ He said, ‘Yes, it does.’ I was excited. I really was. I know that people will hear that and be like, ‘Oh, bulls**t.’ But I’ve enjoyed tremendously the other hats that I’ve worn in this business, particularly in the last few years. I don’t think it’s any secret at this point that my fingerprints were all over my previous employer, as far as the product and everything like that, beyond my contributions as a talent. So I do find it very rewarding, and it is something, certain guys are well-suited to it, and certain guys are not.”

Based on Aldis' time in NWA, where he effectively steered the promotion through the pandemic as a 1,000-plus day champion, it's safe to say the man formerly known as Magnus has a mind for the industry, something WWE clearly saw when they offered him the gig. But unlike in NWA, however, Aldis is now simply a cog in a bigger machine, an opportunity that is both new and exciting to the 11-time champion.

Nick Aldis reveals the value of working within WWE's incredible team.

Continuing his conversation further, Nick Aldis commented on what it's like to join a goliath of a machine like the WWE system and how it feels to bounce his ideas off of incredibly experienced wrestling minds like Kevin Dunn, Michael Hayes, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

For Aldis, being able to peak behind the curtain and take part in some of these conversations is invaluable, even if he's had to leave his in-ring career behind, at least for now, to get into those rooms.

“There’s so many pieces of the WWE machine that I’m still getting familiar with. It’s gonna take me months, if not more, to still really fully understand that beast, and it is a beast. Every day that I go to work, I’m just in awe of the operation. But for me, that’s the most exciting thing. It’s exhilarating for me because I sit there and go, ‘Man, I remember when I had such limited resources.’ Building a brand with one guy and a YouTube show is a h*ll of a lot different than having an idea and being able to pitch it to the most powerful people in the industry and then getting to have your input on things in conjunction with the greatest minds currently working in the industry, like Michael Hayes and Hunter and Bruce and Ed Koskey, all the different guys who are involved, and Kevin Dunn. Getting to sit on the headsets with Michael and Kevin, listening to those conversations and watching that whole process, it’s fascinating, it’s terrifying, it’s exhilarating all at the same time,” Aldis said.

“So I am every bit as fulfilled and excited about contributing to WWE. God’s honest truth, my first conversations with Paul, with Triple H, and with Bruce, I echoed the same message over and over again. It took a few months before I was given some sort of opportunity, but I just kept echoing the same message, which was I’m ready, willing and able to contribute to WWE in any way I can. I stand by that, and I appreciate everybody who wants to see me in different capacities. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just over the moon to be part of the process in any way. If other stuff comes along, those opportunities, you can bet that I’ll be ready, willing, and able.”

Could the day eventually come when Aldis is forced back into the ring for one reason or another? Potentially so; while WWE doesn't usually have their GMs wrestle – emphasis on usually – it feels borderline impossible to imagine a world where Aldis doesn't wrestle again. Still, until that day comes, he's excited about his current opportunity and everything that comes along with it, as should long-time fans of the “National Treasure.”