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SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis has delivered a strong message to Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
On the New Year's Revolution edition of SmackDown this past Friday night, LA Knight, AJ Styles, and Randy Orton competed in a Triple Threat match to determine The Tribal Chief's challenger at Royal Rumble 2024. However, The Bloodline interfered in last week's main event and the match ended in a disqualification.
The Bloodline continued to beatdown the three stars after the match as Paul Heyman watched on from ringside with a smirk on his face. However, that was quickly wiped away after Aldis informed him that Reigns would now be defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in a Fatal 4-Way at the premium live event on January 27.
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Nick Aldis appeared on WWE's The Bump today and was asked how important it was to him to set a strong tone with The Bloodline and Roman Reigns on SmackDown. Aldis stated that while Reigns is a generational talent, he's also just a man, and fans deserve the best competition for the title.
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"Well, management in WWE is all about sending a message and setting a tone. You're managing a lot of egos, you're managing a lot of agendas. But your number one priority, your number one focus has to be the WWE Universe. So the way I see it, while Roman (Reigns) is absolutely a generational talent, and absolutely one of the pillars of WWE. He's just a man, and WWE is always bigger than any one person, and the WWE Universe deserves the highest level of competition, particularly for the Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Championship," said Aldis. [From 40:10 - 40:54]
Nick Aldis responds to WWE SmackDown star wanting a title shot
Zelina Vega is a part of the LWO faction on SmackDown and had a request for Nick Aldis today.
During his appearance on WWE's The Bump, Nick Aldis was shown a social media post from Zelina Vega asking for a title opportunity. Aldis said that he is not against giving Vega a title shot but she is going to have to earn it.
"When did Zelina Vega start speaking in the third person? That would be the immediate response to that question. Look, Zelina is doing very well. But we just saw Michin for example have an amazing showing against Iyo Sky. The competition at the top level, the air is thin the higher up you get. So, I think that Zelina is going to have to prove to me and to the WWE Universe that she is worthy of a title shot, but it is certainly it is not something I am against if she can earn it the right way," he said. [From 42:34 - 43:14]
It has become clear that SmackDown GM Nick Aldis is not threatened by Roman Reigns and his faction. It will be fascinating to see how this storyline develops on the road to WrestleMania 40 in April.
What are your thoughts on Nick Aldis as SmackDown GM? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit WWE's The Bump and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
