GUNTHER almost had a completely different SummerSlam opponent. Before WWE started teasing a fight with Nick Aldis, the company had another name penciled in for The Ring General at the biggest party of the summer.
According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, GUNTHER vs. Royce Keys was originally planned for SummerSlam. That would have been a huge spot for Keys. A SummerSlam match with GUNTHER is not exactly a small assignment, especially with the way WWE protects The Ring General.
Now, things appear to have shifted toward Aldis. WWE placed Aldis on administrative leave after his backstage confrontation with GUNTHER at Night of Champions. Adam Pearce is now running both RAW and SmackDown, which conveniently frees Aldis up for something else.
Meltzer previously said on Wrestling Observer Radio that GUNTHER and Aldis are expected to face each other at SummerSlam. Meltzer added that he likes Aldis as General Manager, but he understands WWE doing the match once.
“They’re going to wrestle at SummerSlam, yeah. Aldis, I guess because he’s big, with the big shoulders and all that in the suit, there’s always been that thing like, ‘Oh, he should wrestle.’ Hopefully it’s only a one-match thing. I like him as a General Manager, and I think if they replace him, they’re probably replacing him with someone who’s not as good. If he becomes a wrestler, I don’t think he’ll be successful at this stage of the game. But for one match on a big show? Sure.”
So WWE may have taken Royce Keys out of the SummerSlam picture and replaced him with a much more personal story. Aldis is no longer just the authority figure who got grabbed backstage. Now he may be the guy stepping into the ring with GUNTHER.
Whether WWE changed course because the Aldis angle got stronger or because plans simply moved around is unclear. What is clear is that Royce Keys was once in line for a massive SummerSlam match, and now Nick Aldis looks like the one getting that spot instead.
Do you think WWE made the right call by shifting GUNTHER’s SummerSlam direction from Royce Keys to Nick Aldis? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
