Will Nick Aldis return to active competition afer altercation with Gunther at WWE Night of Champions 2026?

Nick Aldis got into an altercation with Gunther.

After losing the triple threat match for the Undisputed title in the main event of Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this past Saturday, ‘The Ring General’ Gunther confronted SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis backstage.

The confrontation soon turned into a physical altercation, with Gunther accusing Aldis of favoritism and claiming he was jealous, even calling him a failed wrestler.

“You screwed me over in Europe, you screwed me here. You’re jealous. You would love to be in my position. You’re jealous because you are a failed wrestler yourself! You’re miserable!”

Aldis initially kept his composure and asked Gunther to back off, “Get the f*ck off of me,” but after being repeatedly shoved, insulted, and disrespected in front of another WWE official, he finally snapped and retaliated, leading to a heated altercation between the two. However, security officials soon rushed in to separate the two.

The SmackDown GM has been put on administrative leave

During the June 29 fallout edition of Monday Night Raw, Michael Cole announced that both men have been sent home and Aldis had been placed on administrative leave and is “under investigation. As a result, Adam Pearce has assumed responsibility for overseeing both RAW and SmackDown.

WWE did not provide any clarity on whether Aldis or Gunther will return to next week’s SmackDown. That said, they were absent from this week’s SmackDown, which was pre-taped after Raw in Atlantic City, and will air as usual on July 3. If you wish, you can check out the spoilers for the show here.

Will Nick Aldis make his in-ring return to settle the feud?

The altercation quickly made fans speculate if Aldis will step back into the ring to settle the feud. The speculations only grew louder when Aldis was put on leave, as this left many fans believing that the storyline is far from over.

Notably, if Aldis does make his in-ring return, he will make his WWE debut despite joining the company as a backstage producer and later as the on-screen General Manager of SmackDown. Aldis has spent his career wrestling in TNA and multiple independent promotions.

While Aldis transitioned into a backstage role from an active competitor, he did not retire due to any injury, which means if need be, he could lace up his boots to deal with the Ring General. The precedent for authority figures, backstage personnel, and even commentators to feud with a major name and then end up competing inside the ring is nothing new in WWE.

Gunther, too, has had experience with it as he battled WWE’s former color commentator Pat McAfee at Backlash 2025. On that topic, Aldis is a legit wrestler in his own right, and fans have long wanted to see him return to the ring.

As a result, every physical confrontation involving the SmackDown General Manager is often viewed as a potential sign that WWE is building toward his in-ring comeback. That speculation is at its peak as the video of their altercation has since gone viral, and subsequent follow-up has led to more speculation.

While it is entirely possible that WWE is building towards a clash between the two at SummerSlam, as Gunther lacks a proper direction after the back-to-back losses and failing to win the Undisputed title, the other aspect might be that this is just a time off for the two.

Now, we would definitely want to see Aldis back in the ring and go head-to-head with Gunther, especially if he is healthy and willing to lace up his boots once again for Summer’s Biggest Party.

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