WWE has booked Gunther against Raw General Manager Nick Aldis at SummerSlam, and it will mark Aldis’ first match since joining the company. Booker T is fully on board with it.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker said Aldis stepping back between the ropes fits a man who never wanted to stop wrestling in the first place.
“Nick Aldis wasn’t ready to step away from the ring when he came over to WWE, but something about opportunity, man,” Booker said. “When you get an opportunity like Nick Aldis got, to be the general manager of Raw, you take that and run with it.”
Booker has been impressed by how Aldis has handled the authority role, which he thinks makes the leap back to the ring an easy sell.
“He’s got like that James Bond feel. He’s perfect for the job. He really is. He’s perfect for that general manager role,” Booker said. “He comes off so authoritarian. He definitely has that feel to where he controls the show very, very well. He seems very believable when he talks to guys, and now you’re gonna believe him stepping back in the ring, because I’m sure he’s been in the gym and I’m sure he’s been training.”
Aldis built his reputation as a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion and in TNA as Magnus before joining WWE in an on-screen management role, and Booker said that background gives the match legitimacy.
“Nick got credentials. He really has credentials, as far as NWA, TNA, overseas. He’s pretty much done it all except in the WWE, and now he’s got a chance to go and do it,” Booker said. “I appreciate them giving Nick Aldis a chance to actually go out there and do it. We’re going to see exactly what he’s got left in the tank at SummerSlam. I’m looking forward to it.”
Much of Booker’s confidence comes down to the man across the ring. Gunther has spent the past year as WWE’s “Career Killer,” ending the runs of Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles, and Booker said there may be no safer bet to carry a returning wrestler to a strong match.
“It’s no secret that Gunther’s a hell of a guy to go out and be able to get the job done with anybody. You can put him in the ring with anybody, and it’s going to come across believable. It’s going to come across with a real feel to it,” Booker said. “He’s a general in the ring. He really truly is.”
For Booker, the match works because it is not just a novelty booking. It is built into the story, which grew out of Gunther attacking Aldis after demanding a rematch.
“It plays perfectly into the story,” Booker said.
