Nick Aldis, better known as Brutus Magnus, started his wrestling training at the age 16 and made his pro debut at 18 at a show featuring legend Jake "The Snake" Roberts. He started going up against the UK's best wrestlers and and even competed against Doug Williams in a highly competitive two-out-of-three falls match that he lost.

In 2008, he made his debut in TNA Wrestling under the name of Brutus Magnus, a modern day gladiator. Early on, he beat names such as Matt Morgan, Chris Sabin, and Eric Young. In 2009, he formed a stable called The British Invasion with Doug Williams and Rob Terry. They joined forces with other foreign born TNA stars Eric Young, Sheik Abdul Bashir, and Kiyoshi to form the group The World Elite. Magnus and Williams beat Team 3D in a tables match to win the IWGP Tag Team titles. They ended up losing the IWGP Tag titles but gained the TNA Tag Team titles.