Seth Rollins is excited to see how Nick Aldis handles the spotlight when the SmackDown General Manager makes his WWE in-ring debut at SummerSlam.
Aldis is set to step back into the ring for the first time in three years when he faces Gunther at SummerSlam after weeks of escalating tensions. During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (see video below), Rollins was asked which match he was most looking forward to watching as a fan, and Aldis vs. Gunther topped his list.
“I think one of the big ones is Nick Aldis, who’s the SmackDown General Manager. He’s taking on Gunther who I wrestled at WrestleMania this past year. One of the best in the game,” Rollins said.
He continued by pointing to Aldis’ lengthy career before joining WWE as an on-screen authority figure.
“Aldis is a guy who’s been in the industry for a long time, but he’s making his WWE in-ring debut,” Rollins said. “If you want to pop on the old internet machine and Google Nick Aldis, you’ll find a lot about his professional wrestling career before he was just the SmackDown GM.”
Rollins went on to explain why he’s especially interested in seeing how Aldis performs under the bright lights of SummerSlam.
“It’s always interesting for me to see how people react in a huge spotlight like this, right? It’s not just like a regular match on a Monday or a Friday. This is a big-time match against a big-time player,” he said.
“When you get your first kind of blush with achieving what is most people’s dream in our industry, to be in WWE, I’m always curious to see what that’s going to be like for him.”
Rollins also highlighted the Intercontinental Championship match between Chad Gable and Penta as another bout he’s eager to watch.
“The other one is actually Chad Gable vs. Penta,” Rollins said. “I think if you follow the Chad Gable story over the past year, and some change from Grande Americano to his injury to coming back as Grande and then having an incredible Mask vs. Mask match down in AAA in Mexico, to now this redemption arc.”
He noted that the hometown atmosphere could make the match even more special for Gable.
“He’s from Minneapolis, so this is his hometown,” Rollins said. “So to see what that’s going to be like for him, the ovation that he’s probably going to get against one of the greatest masked wrestlers of our generation, Penta, for a prestigious title like the Intercontinental Championship, I think that one jumps off the page for me as well.”
Rollins added that competing in front of a hometown crowd brings an extra level of motivation.
“I know when you’re in your hometown or your home state, there’s an extra little chip on your shoulder that you really want to show out and show up for your hometown fans.”
Seth Rollins challenges Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WWE SummerSlam 2026, which goes down on August 1 and August 2 from US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN.
Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com on 8/1 and 8/2 for live WWE SummerSlam 2026 Results coverage.
