AJ Styles is starting to see why fans believe WWE wasted the momentum Gunther gained from retiring three massive names.
The discussion began after Styles was asked about criticism surrounding WWE’s handling of Gunther after his victories over John Cena, Goldberg and Styles himself. Instead of immediately moving into another World Championship program, Gunther became involved in a storyline with SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis. Styles initially pushed back on the criticism. He admitted WWE could not keep booking Gunther to end the careers of every opponent placed in front of him.
“I can see where you’re coming from. I do. But what do we do? We can’t just have him retiring people. That’s not going to work. There’s always the chance that he could, so I get it.”
“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. I just don’t know what we were trying to do. He can’t retire everybody who wrestles.”
The conversation then turned toward Gunther’s current position on SmackDown. It was argued that after retiring Cena, Goldberg and Styles, Gunther should have been pushed directly into the World Championship picture as WWE’s dominant heel.
Styles agreed that Gunther has the credibility and presence to fill that role. However, WWE instead moved him into a personal issue with Aldis after Gunther attacked the SmackDown general manager and took him off television.
The potential match creates a difficult situation. Aldis is a former World Champion with years of experience, but most of WWE’s current audience has only seen him as an authority figure. Having him defeat the man who retired three legends could destroy the momentum WWE spent months building. After considering the entire situation, Styles admitted the criticism was fair.
“It’s fair. It’s fair to say that. The more I think about it, I’m like, ‘Oh, freak. Okay. Yeah, I guess.’ It’s kind of a big deal, getting rid of John Cena, right?”
Styles still refused to pretend that fixing the situation would be easy. He defended WWE’s creative team and said producing weekly wrestling television requires writers to constantly stay ahead of an audience that analyzes every decision.
“I don’t know. I don’t write the stories. Listen, I’ve said this and I’ll say it again: I’d rather beat myself to death in that ring than be a writer for a show, because you have to be smarter than everybody else.”
“It’s very hard to do week after week, so I give all the praise to those freaking guys who are able to do that and work with each other. It’s not as easy as you think.”
Styles also cautioned fans against deciding the storyline is already dead. WWE could still introduce another opponent, bring someone back or use the Aldis feud as the beginning of a much larger plan.
“We don’t know if someone’s coming back or someone’s coming up. Anything could happen where you’re like, ‘Oh, freak. I didn’t expect that.’ Then it’s, ‘Oh, I’m invested now. I’m back on it.’”
Gunther retired three legends and appeared ready to become WWE’s most dangerous heel. A feud with Nick Aldis could still deliver something worthwhile, but Styles understands why fans expected a much bigger payoff after Gunther ended John Cena’s career.
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Do you think WWE dropped the ball with Gunther, or could the Nick Aldis storyline still turn into something major? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
