Nick Aldis may not have picked up the win against Gunther at SummerSlam, but his first WWE match appears to have changed how the company views his future as an in-ring talent.
According to WrestleVotes Radio, via Fightful Select, there is a backstage belief that Aldis will wrestle for the company again. One source, however, believes that may not happen until 2027.
More notably, some people in WWE don’t want this to be just another one-off appearance. Aldis reportedly impressed to the point that some people backstage consider him as talented as, or even more talented than, several wrestlers who regularly appear on television. The plan is for him to get a real run as an in-ring wrestler.
At SummerSlam, Aldis returned to in-ring competition for the first time in nearly three years, marking his official WWE debut. Gunther won by submission, but the SmackDown General Manager came close to victory with a Texas Cloverleaf and drew “You’ve still got it” chants from the crowd before Mickie James and their son joined Aldis in the ring.
The possibility of Aldis wrestling more often isn’t a new development since SummerSlam. In 2025, a potential feud with Solo Sikoa gained some internal momentum but never moved forward. Discussions about an in-ring return later picked up steam and eventually led to the match against Gunther.