SmackDown GM could be headed toward GUNTHER clash
Summary
– Nick Aldis has reportedly been discussed within WWE for a possible in-ring return against GUNTHER
– Aldis being placed on administrative leave could open the door for him to wrestle again
– WWE previously considered using Aldis in a wrestling role, including a 2025 idea involving Solo Sikoa
Nick Aldis may be closer to stepping back into the ring than his current SmackDown role suggests.
Following the heated Night of Champions post-show angle with GUNTHER, WWE has reportedly held serious internal talks about a possible in-ring program between Aldis and the Ring General.
Aldis being placed on administrative leave may look like a storyline punishment, but it also gives WWE a clean reason to move him away from the General Manager role long enough for a match.
Dave Meltzer previously discussed the possibility on Wrestling Observer Radio and suggested GUNTHER vs. Aldis could happen at SummerSlam. He noted that Aldis has always looked the part physically, which has kept fan interest alive in seeing him wrestle again.
WrestleVotes also reported that Aldis’s return to the ring had come up before inside WWE. One idea in 2025 involved a possible program with Solo Sikoa, though that direction never made it to television.
The GUNTHER idea has more momentum because WWE has already begun building on-screen tension. The administrative leave angle gives Aldis a reason to stop acting only as an authority figure and start acting like a wrestler again.
Aldis has not wrestled since 2023, but he brings a strong résumé if WWE wants to remind viewers of his past. He is a former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion and former TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
The question now is whether WWE keeps this as a one-match attraction or turns it into something bigger. For now, Aldis’ time away from the GM desk may be more of a setup than a suspension.
