Nick Aldis is officially back in charge of SmackDown.
After being placed on administrative leave following the events of WWE Night of Champions 2026, Nick Aldis announced on Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown that he has been reinstated as the blue brand’s General Manager.
Aldis addressed his recent absence by stating that he accepted full responsibility for the situation involving Gunther. Both Aldis and Gunther had been sent home after Night of Champions, though Aldis briefly resurfaced on this week’s episode of Raw to facilitate CM Punk’s return to WWE television.
With his reinstatement official, Aldis wasted little time getting to business by introducing the new Undisputed WWE Champion, CM Punk, to kick off the July 10 edition of SmackDown.
During his opening promo, Punk made it clear that he has no shortage of potential challengers, calling out names including Sami Zayn, Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. Before Punk could say much more, he was interrupted by Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes reminded Punk of their last in-ring interaction following WrestleMania 42, when Punk lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns. Cody recalled asking Punk to name a future date for a championship opportunity and turned the question around, asking if Punk would now return the favor.
Punk’s response was simple: he just needed a time and a place.
Rhodes immediately answered with SummerSlam, prompting Aldis to make the Undisputed WWE Championship match official for WWE’s biggest event of the summer.
SummerSlam 2026 takes place on August 1 and August 2 from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The card also includes Roman Reigns defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins, Liv Morgan defending the WWE Women’s World Championship against IYO SKY, and Brock Lesnar facing Oba Femi III inside Hell in a Cell.
Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com on 8/1 and 8/2 for live WWE SummerSlam 2026 Results coverage from Minneapolis, MN.
Sami Zayn…
Gunther…
Finn Balor…
Royce Keys…
Damian Priest…
Trick Williams…THE UNDISPUTED WWE CHAMP is ready for you! 👀 pic.twitter.com/oEzzhPvNnK
— WWE (@WWE) July 11, 2026
"Just say when…" 👀
CM PUNK will battle CODY RHODES for the UNDISPUTED WWE CHAMPIONSHIP at SUMMERSLAM! pic.twitter.com/bfFrsQhEwT
— WWE (@WWE) July 11, 2026
CM PUNK vs. CODY RHODES
UNDISPUTED WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH#SummerSlam📍: Minneapolis, MN
🎟️: https://t.co/NCo5yBBF5n pic.twitter.com/upvfSEAgin— WWE (@WWE) July 11, 2026
