Will Gunther and SmackDown’s General Manager Feud at SummerSlam 2026?

At Night of Champions, after failing to win the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Cody Rhodes and new champ Sami Zayn, ‘The Ring General’ Gunther got in the face of Friday Night SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, accusing SmackDown’s GM of always screwing him over because Aldis was jealous of him. In addition, Gunther also brought up how Aldis is a failed wrestler, as both men screamed profanities and began to brawl. Due to this incident on Saturday, what went down on the June 29th episode of Monday Night Raw from New Jersey showed the announcement that Raw general manager Adam Pearce will be running both shows, as Aldis was put on administrative leave while Gunther was also sent home by WWE. With both men holding a grudge towards one another, could we see them feud at SummerSlam?

The last time Aldis wrestled was back on September 9th, 2023, going up against Eric Young during a TNA TV taping in Canada. About a month later, the former two-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion became the general manager of SmackDown. We’ve been teased with a potential return to the ring for Aldis before. Last year, there was a possibility he could have faced 14-time World Champion Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41 due to Kevin Owens’ neck injury. This surely could have happened as Orton has RKO’d the SmackDown GM numerous times in the past, and Aldis was getting tired of the chaos. However, ‘The Viper’ ended up facing Joe Hendry at WrestleMania.

We could have even seen Aldis compete at WrestleMania 42 in a potential feud with Drew McIntyre as ‘The Scottish Warrior’ felt like he was also continuously being screwed by SmackDown’s general manager when he kept giving Rhodes multiple WWE Championship opportunities. All the opportunities ‘The American Nightmare’ got eventually allowed him to overcome ‘The Scottish Warrior’, sending him into a rage specifically aimed at Aldis. This match also didn’t end up coming to fruition as McIntyre would feud against Jacob Fatu and compete in an Unsanctioned Match in Las Vegas.

Now, a potential match against Gunther seems more likely with ‘The Ring General’ retiring multiple WWE Hall of Famers. Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles over the past year and has the utmost confidence in himself and his abilities within the ring. Aldis may try to shut down ‘The Ring General’s’ cockiness by challenging him to a match at SummerSlam. Of course, with Gunther, he may potentially ask Aldis to put his career on the line so he can try to retire another wrestler.

If WWE plans to stay with Zayn as WWE Champion, it would make sense for them to pivot Gunther into a feud that keeps him away from the title. After this potential feud is done, ‘The Ring General’ could hop right back into the main event scene and try to win his third World Championship. Having Pearce run both shows allows Aldis to train more time in the ring and on the mic to get himself back in ring shape for a comeback match. The WWE Universe has wanted to see SmackDown’s GM have his chance to get back in the ring, and it may be happening sooner rather than later.