Latest on Nick Aldis' Potential Return to the Ring Against Gunther

It's been nearly three years since Nick Aldis stepped into a wrestling ring as an active competitor, but that streak could soon be coming to an end.

The current SmackDown General Manager is younger than several of the wrestlers under his watch on Friday nights, including the current Undisputed WWE Champion. It also wasn't that long ago that Nick Aldis was in the midst of an NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship reign that lasted well over 1000 days, and even under a suit, most fans can tell that he still keeps himself in great shape.

Aldis is currently suspended from his duties as the Blue Brand's General Manager after getting into a physical altercation with Gunther after Night of Champions. It's not the first time he's gotten heated with a Superstar, or even laid hands on one, but his past quarrels with the likes of Randy Orton, Solo Sikoa and Drew McIntyre never led to Aldis pulling his wrestling boots out of the closet.

The creative team is discussing Nick Aldis' WWE in-ring debut

The guys behind WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select say this new rivalry with The Career Killer may take Nick Aldis down a different path this time around.

"There have been significant internal discussions about an in-ring program between [Nick] Aldis and Gunther," WrestleVotes said during their latest episode on Fightful Select Thursday. "A source shared that the idea of Aldis returning to the ring has been floated around on multiple occasions, one of those being in 2025 when there was a proposed program with Solo Sikoa that gained traction internally."

WrestleVotes added that once Aldis and Gunther are allowed to return to television from their storyline suspensions, the expectation is that if and when their program continues, it will not end with Aldis choosing another wrestler to fight in his stead.

Pour one out for those of us who thought this might lead to an Ilja Dragunov return match against his longtime rival.

Nick Aldis last wrestled at ACW Bluegrass Con on November 10, 2023, unsuccessfully challenging for the ACW Title in a Fatal 5-Way Match. He's never once wrestled a match for WWE, nor has he pushed for one since signing with the company.

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet in the fall of 2024, Aldis said he would always stay ready for a match if the creative team needed him for one.

"I have never once said, hey what about me? Could I wrestle? Because I don't need to. If and when the time comes it'll be what they want, and it will hopefully be the right time. I just told them that if you want to do that, I'm ready," Aldis said.

There was no mention from WrestleVotes of when or where a potential match between Nick Aldis and Gunther would take place.

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