Chairshot Wrestling News Report (7/25/2026): Gunther Crushes Nick Aldis, Nikki Bella Returns on SmackDown

Gunther puts Nick Aldis through a table, Nikki Bella returns, Finn Bálor earns a SummerSlam opportunity and AEW prepares for Redemption.

Gunther left Nick Aldis lying in the wreckage of a table after the two signed a hold-harmless agreement for their SummerSlam match, temporarily removing Aldis from his position as SmackDown General Manager.

Elsewhere, Nikki Bella returned to help Brie Bella and Paige against Fatal Influence, Finn Bálor earned a SummerSlam match with Sami Zayn, AEW prepared its final television episode before Redemption and TNA announced the release of Victoria Crawford.

It’s the Chairshot Wrestling News Report for July 25, 2026!

Gunther Puts Nick Aldis Through a Table

Adam Pearce oversaw the contract signing between Aldis and Gunther, explaining that Aldis would temporarily relinquish his duties as SmackDown General Manager once he signed. Pearce will assume those responsibilities until the situation is resolved.

The agreement also states that WWE will not be responsible for anything Gunther does to Aldis during their SummerSlam match. Gunther dismissed the bout as beneath him and argued that Aldis was jealous because he never reached WWE as an active wrestler despite becoming a world champion elsewhere.

Aldis responded by attacking Gunther, beginning a fight that ended when The Ring General drove him through the contract-signing table.

The physical result favored Gunther, but Aldis demonstrated that he is not entering SummerSlam as an executive attempting to survive. He has accepted every consequence attached to the match and continues initiating the violence rather than waiting for Gunther to attack him.

Nikki Bella Returns and Sets SummerSlam Match

Brie Bella defeated WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Lainey Reid with a quick pin before Fatal Influence attacked Brie and Paige after the match.

Nikki Bella then returned from injury to help clear the ring. She challenged Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Reid to face Nikki, Brie and Paige in a Six-Woman Tag Team Match at SummerSlam. WWE later confirmed the match for the two-night event.

Chelsea Green also defeated Kiana James with the Unprettier to qualify for the Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match. Charlotte Flair advanced by disqualification when Jade Cargill’s involvement caused Nia Jax to attack Flair.

Green and Flair join Cargill and Tiffany Stratton in the five-woman match, leaving one qualifying position unfilled.

Finn Bálor Earns SummerSlam Opportunity

Bálor defeated Damian Priest, United States Champion Trick Williams and Royce Keys in SmackDown’s main event. Jacob Fatu removed Keys from the match during the surrounding Bloodline fight, allowing Bálor to deliver the Coup de Grace to Priest and secure the victory.

Bálor will now face Sami Zayn at SummerSlam in an Undisputed WWE Championship No. 1 Contender’s Match. The winner will be positioned to challenge either CM Punk or Cody Rhodes after their championship match.

New WWE SummerSlam Matches

• Undisputed WWE Championship No. 1 Contender’s Match – Sami Zayn vs. Finn Bálor
• Six-Woman Tag Team Match – Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and Paige vs. Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid

WWE SmackDown Results — July 24, 2026

• Brie Bella defeated Lainey Reid
• Chelsea Green defeated Kiana James in an Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match Qualifier
• Charlotte Flair defeated Nia Jax by disqualification in an Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match Qualifier
• Finn Bálor defeated Damian Priest, Royce Keys and Trick Williams in a Fatal Four-Way Match

What to Watch on AEW Collision

AEW will present its final television show before Sunday’s Redemption pay-per-view, with two remaining positions in the six-man International Championship No. 1 Contender’s Ladder Match at stake.

Nick Wayne will face AR Fox in one qualifier, while ROH World Television Champion Lio Rush meets El Clon in the other. The winners join Jack Perry, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Komander and The Beast Mortos at Redemption.

AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla will also team with TBS Champion Hikaru Shida against their respective Redemption challengers, Willow Nightingale and Maya World.

AEW Collision Lineup — July 25, 2026

• Thekla and Hikaru Shida vs. Willow Nightingale and Maya World
• International Championship No. 1 Contender’s Ladder Match Qualifier – Nick Wayne vs. AR Fox
• International Championship No. 1 Contender’s Ladder Match Qualifier – Lio Rush vs. El Clon

Collision airs Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and HBO Max, followed by the Countdown to AEW Redemption special.

TNA Releases Victoria Crawford

TNA announced that Crawford, formerly known as Alicia Fox in WWE, has been released from the company effective immediately.

Crawford joined TNA under her real name after competing on the independent scene as Vix Crow. She had primarily been associated with Tessa Blanchard and Mila Moore as part of the Diamond Collective.

Her release continues the recent restructuring of TNA’s roster and leaves another opening in a Knockouts division currently introducing the Television Championship.

Royce Keys Explains Decision to Leave AEW

Keys said several personal factors influenced his decision to leave AEW and sign with WWE, although he does not intend to discuss all of them publicly.

He described WWE as his dream destination and compared his decision to an NBA player choosing a new team during free agency. Keys acknowledged that leaving his AEW friends was difficult but said he had to approach the situation as a business decision.

Keys appears to have departed AEW without destroying the relationships he formed there. More importantly for WWE, the company has already trusted him with major television matches and a role alongside Solo Sikoa heading into SummerSlam.

Gunther against Aldis continues becoming more compelling because WWE is presenting Aldis as a wrestler who happens to be a general manager, not an executive being pulled into an unfamiliar environment. The contract signing made the risks clear and then allowed both men to accept them.

Nikki Bella’s return gives WWE another recognizable name for SummerSlam without changing the Women’s Tag Team Championship immediately. Fatal Influence still possesses the championships, but Jayne, Henley and Reid will now share a stadium match with three wrestlers carrying decades of combined history.

Bálor against Zayn also gives SummerSlam meaningful consequences beyond the championships already being defended. The winner will leave Minneapolis with a defined path toward the Undisputed WWE Championship rather than waiting for another contender to emerge after the event.