Nick Aldis was named the general manager of WWE SmackDown in October 2023 after working backstage as a shadow producer for a couple of months. Aldis had just come off a brief run with TNA Wrestling and the independent scene before moving to WWE, and fans wondered why he wasn’t given an in-ring role. It wasn’t a case of being not cleared or needing time to heal up or anything like that. I went to Vanderbilt in Nashville and saw a specialist because it felt like I had a bulging disc or herniated disc. Aldis is set to return to the ring at WWE SummerSlam against Gunther.