Nick Aldis debuted in WWE in October 2023, assuming the role of SmackDown General Manager – the British star and former TNA World Champion is the latest in a long line to serve as the authority figure on WWE’s blue brand.
It’s a role that’s ever-changing, and no doubt Aldis will eventually be replaced – perhaps even lacing up his boots again and returning to in-ring action.
When that day comes, who will succeed him?
Here are six potential options.
6. The Undertaker
Recent years have seen The Undertaker take on a more active role post-retirement – serving as one of the coaches on LFG, making frequent appearances on NXT, and more recently, reportedly working backstage with WWE-owned lucha libre promotion AAA.
Could we now see the legendary star step into a more prominent on-screen role – filling the position of SmackDown General Manager?
The Hall of Famer certainly has strong ties to WWE’s blue brand: as an active performer, The Undertaker was most closely associated with SmackDown, spending much of the later part of his in-ring career there following the 2002 brand split.
While the idea might’ve seemed outlandish just a few years ago – when Undertaker was still fiercely protective of his mystique – it would no longer be a surprise to see him named General Manager of SmackDown.
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5. Paige
Forced to retire from the ring due to a neck injury, one of the roles Paige took on during the later years of her WWE run was as SmackDown General Manager.
With her wrestling career seemingly over, it was a role the charismatic British star thrived in.
Her trajectory changed significantly after stepping away from the GM position in December 2019 – eventually leaving WWE altogether and returning to the ring in AEW.
Could Paige’s oft-rumoured return to WWE come through her reprisal of the General Manager role – before eventually stepping back into the ring?
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4. Bubba Ray Dudley
Nick Aldis has mostly played the on-screen role of General Manager as a babyface – but could the next to fill the position do so as a heel?
If WWE chooses to go in that direction, one option is tag team Hall of Famer turned wrestling radio host Bubba Ray Dudley, who is already a mainstay on WWE programming – from his role as a coach on LFG to recent appearances on NXT.
Few would question Ray’s ability to perform as a heel GM, having spent years in ECW, WWE, and TNA as one of wrestling’s most belligerent and despicable characters.
Perhaps his part-time gig with WWE could soon become full-time, with one half of the Dudley Boyz stepping into the position of Smackdown’s GM.
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3. Eric Bischoff
The General Manager role was first introduced in WWE in 2002 and has since become a mainstay of the company’s programming.
It was brought into storyline by Vince McMahon, who shocked fans by appointing his real-life rival and former WCW President Eric Bischoff to the role – a position Bischoff excelled in during his three-year run.
Bischoff has remained close with WWE, most recently appearing on NXT last year.
Could we see the 70-year-old return once again to the company, stepping back into the role he first helped popularise?
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2. Joseph Park
Abyss is one of TNA’s most legendary characters, having delivered some of the company’s best and bloodiest bouts – battling the likes of Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, and the late Sabu, among many others.
His alter-ego Joseph Park was far less known for brutal in-ring work – instead portrayed as a bumbling, friendly on-screen attorney with a strong dislike of violence.
The juxtaposition of these two characters was played to perfection by wrestler Chris Park, who, after leaving TNA, transitioned to a backstage role in WWE as a producer.
But could he now step back in front of the camera and reprise one of those former gimmicks as Joseph Park? If WWE decides to go in the direction of a comedy General Manager, the much-loved, soft-spoken Park could very well be the pick.
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1. William Regal
Few stars in WWE have more experience in the role of on-screen General Manager than William Regal.
The legendary British technician has held the role twice before: first as Raw GM between 2007 and 2008, and then during a long run as NXT General Manager during the peak “Black and Gold” years from 2014 to 2021.
The 57-year-old currently works behind the scenes in WWE as Vice President of Global Talent, but he’s lost none of his ability to perform as a compelling on-screen character – as he clearly demonstrated during his standout run managing the Blackpool Combat Club in AEW.
Given their shared British heritage, it would seem fitting if Aldis eventually passed the GM torch to Regal.
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