Add as a preferred source on Google Nick Aldis is no longer WWE SmackDown’s general manager, a result of his upcoming match against Gunther at SummerSlam.
The decision was made official during Friday’s contract signing on SmackDown in Oakland, California. Adam Pearce explained that company policy bars Aldis from serving as both an executive and a WWE Superstar at the same time.
The moment Aldis put pen to paper, he gave up his SmackDown duties. Pearce, who runs Raw, now takes over SmackDown as well.
Aldis had already been pulled from the role once before, after his physical confrontation with Gunther at Night of Champions. He was reinstated on July 10, 2026, taking responsibility for the incident, only to be attacked by the “Ring General” that same night.
The rivalry reached its peak at Saturday Night’s Main Event, when Aldis pulled the referee from the ring and hit Gunther with the Undisputed WWE Championship. The interference cleared the way for Cody Rhodes to get the pinfall and kept Gunther and Sami Zayn out of the SummerSlam title match.
At the signing, Gunther again belittled Aldis’s career, bringing up his run as NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. The exchange turned into a fight, with the Austrian delivering a low blow and then a powerbomb through the table.
The August 1 match will be Aldis’s in-ring debut for WWE. His last match came on October 7, 2023, when he competed in a Five-Way Match promoted by Appalachian Championship Wrestling.
Gunther vs. Nick Aldis is on the card for both nights of SummerSlam, August 1 and 2, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.