Inside the nerves and ‘torture’ Nick Aldis is fighting through for long-awaited WWE chance at SummerSlam By Joseph Staszewski Published July 31, 2026, 8:00 a.m. ET Nick Aldis WWE via Getty Images Nick Aldis won’t allow his mind to go past Night 1 of SummerSlam and the opportunity he’s waited his whole career for.
The 39-year-old British wrestler is feeling enough pressure to deliver in his first-ever WWE match after 22 years in the business. Aldis sees the opportunity as “validation” for the work he’s put in. He will face Gunther, a former World Heavyweight champion who has retired John Cena, A.J. Styles and Goldberg, at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN Unlimited).
“I can’t think beyond SummerSlam,” Aldis said in a Zoom interview. “I’m not going to because ultimately I have to deliver at SummerSlam. Ask me again after SummerSlam. That’s pretty much how I feel about it. I don’t know how I’m gonna feel after.”
Unlike those men, this won’t be the end for Aldis, but he won’t let himself think of it as a chance at a new beginning as the current SmackDown general manager makes his return to the ring after nearly three years since his last match.
