WWE’s Nick Aldis was in ‘total shock’ over first match vs. Gunther

It has been over three years since former Friday Night SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis competed in a match, but he will face Gunther during Night 1 of WWE SummerSlam 2026.

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Aldis explained that his match against Gunther came as a “total shock” despite his wife, Mickie James, and Randy Orton telling him to “stay somewhat ready.”

“Yeah, might be [possible], but that doesn’t mean that this one didn’t come as a total shock, because it did,” he explained about his reaction to having a match against Gunther. “When there were other moments where it looked like that might be [in] the cards, two people said to me, ‘You have to stay somewhat ready because they’re not gonna give you three months’ notice. You’re gonna get, like, a couple weeks.’ One was Mickie [James], and one was Randy [Orton].”

Speculation about Aldis potentially returning to the ring began at WrestleMania 41. He took his fair share of RKOs from the “Viper,” who seemingly knew WWE would eventually have Aldis wrestle. He didn’t “lobby” for a match, but it happened anyway.

Who is Nick Aldis facing in his first WWE match at SummerSlam?

Aldis will be taking on Gunther, the “Ring General,” at SummerSlam. It is his first match in WWE and his first in over three years. He was still wrestling in Impact Wrestling, which is now known as TNA, at the time.

Since joining WWE in 2023, Aldis has been the SmackDown general manager. He recently relinquished his duties in order to face Gunther at SummerSlam.

The animosity between them has been building for months. Gunther has been upset about the endings to his championship matches, and it reached a boiling point.

At Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 18, Aldis interfered in Gunther’s tag team match against Cody Rhodes and CM Punk, costing the “Ring General” the win. This resulted in WWE finally booking his first match against Gunther. They will face during the first night of the two-night event.

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