Nick Aldis Officially Relinquishes Role As WWE SmackDown General Manager

WWE

Nick Aldis has officially relinquished his role as WWE SmackDown General Manager ahead of his in-ring return at SummerSlam.

Last week, it was officially confirmed that Nick Aldis would be making his in-ring return at WWE SummerSlam, facing off against Gunther in what will be his first WWE match.

Aldis has been the General Manager of SmackDown since October 2023, with him now set to step back into the ring, it seems that run has come to an end.

Nick Aldis Relinquishes Role As SmackDown General Manager

To kick off tonight’s WWE SmackDown, Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis were in the ring for a contract signing for Aldis’ match with Gunther at SummerSlam.

Before signing the contract, Pearce noted that Aldis will not be competing as the SmackDown General Manager, and that signing the contract would mean he relinquishes his duties running the show, with Pearce taking control of both Raw and SmackDown.

Aldis would sign the contract, though it was later noted on commentary after the segment by Wade Barrett that Aldis relinquishing his duties would only be ‘until after SummerSlam’.

Nick Aldis’ In-Ring Return, A One Off Or Permanent Transition?

At long last, it is now official that Nick Aldis will be making his in-ring debut for WWE at ‘The Biggest Party of the Summer’ SummerSlam 2026.

Having perhaps the perfect return opponent in front of him, Aldis and GUNTHER should be an old school clash of heavyweights and, if given the time, they could certainly produce one of the standout matches of 2026.

But will Aldis have to tear the house down in order to ensure that WWE books him in more matches going forward? Given how good Aldis is in his role as an authority figure, there’s certainly a lot of doubt that the former TNA and NWA World Champion will be moving into a full-time wrestling role after SummerSlam.

At just 39 years old, Aldis is almost a decade younger than Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk, and a year younger than Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. Certainly too young to be sat on the sidelines.

Whether it leads to more or not, Aldis getting the chance to compete in a WWE ring, is certainly the crowning moment of his two decade career, and thoroughly deserved.

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• wwe
• Smackdown
• nick aldis

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