WWE SummerSlam 2026 featured a huge clash as GUNTHER went one-on-one with former SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis. This was a match that nobody could have predicted, even though the writing was on the wall for a long time.
Long before stepping into his role as SmackDown General Manager, Aldis built a very impressive career in the ring. He is a former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion with one of the longest title reigns in modern history and has also captured the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, TNA World Tag Team Championship, and GFW Global Championship. Even though he never competed in WWE, he achieved a lot. That absence from the WWE record books ended at SummerSlam.
The road to the match began after Night of Champions, where GUNTHER lost the Undisputed WWE Championship in a triple threat match won by Sami Zayn. GUNTHER was determined to stay in the spotlight, while Nick Aldis seemed to get in the Ring General’s way. Eventually, things got physical between GUNTHER and Aldis, and that led to a snowball that rolled all the way to SummerSlam.
GUNTHER is known as the Career Killer for a reason. He retired John Cena, AJ Styles, and Goldberg last year, and he wanted to add Nick Aldis in 2026. Nick Aldis came out in his old ring attire with Oasis as his entrance music, and he was announced as The National Treasure before entering the ring for the first time in over three years. It was a great moment for every Englishman, and Wade Barrett loved it.
The match got started with GUNTHER in control, as most would expect. GUNTHER left the ring the moment Nick Aldis showed any sign that the ring rust might not be as thick as the Ring General first thought. Then GUNTHER got back in the ring and chopped Aldis out of his skin as the former SmackDown GM went plummeting to the outside.
Mickie James was at ringside as she watched her husband, Nick Aldis, alongside their son. GUNTHER took some time to trash-talk her a bit. The match kept going, and Nick Aldis rallied with a flurry of his greatest hits. Then he latched on a Cloverleaf and GUNTHER almost tapped out before he made it to the ropes.
GUNTHER latched on a sleeper, but Aldis turned it into a sleeper of his own. Fans were behind Aldis in a big way, but GUNTHER just drove him into the mat with a sleeper hold latched on. He wrestled Aldis back to the mat after the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion got to his feet, but in the end, Aldis tapped out.
Fans were deflated after Nick Aldis tapped out. He really put up a fight, and it wasn’t a walk in the park for GUNTHER at all. Fans chanted “You Still Got It” to Nick Aldis and gave him a standing ovation as he made his way to Mickie James after the match to take in the SummerSlam moment.
What’s your take on Nick Aldis and GUNTHER’s match at SummerSlam? Do you think that Nick Aldis should wrestle for WWE again? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
