GUNTHER Defied WWE Orders on Nose-Blading Plan at SummerSlam

GUNTHER’s brutal SummerSlam loss to CM Punk not only took him out of action indefinitely—it also came with backstage fallout that could stir real heat.

According to Billi Bhatti on the Dirty Sheets Wrestling Informer podcast, WWE had pitched a unique idea to tie GUNTHER’s real-life sinus surgery into the storyline. The plan? Have The Ring General blade his nose so the visual would line up with the medical angle. At first, GUNTHER agreed. But when it came time to deliver, he changed course.

“Gunther was filmed during SummerSlam weekend and we had, well, there was supposed to be a portion on the next season of Unreal where Gunther was supposed to blade. Now Gunther is going in for genuine sinus surgery, and WWE asked him if he would be able to bleed from his nose. Gunther during these exchanges conveyed to WWE that he would be uncomfortable lacerating his nose, but in the end agreed to it.”

However, once the lights were on and the cameras were rolling, GUNTHER didn’t follow through on the nose-cutting angle. Instead, he opted for a traditional blade job. That caught everyone off guard—especially the commentary team, who had been prepared to call the spot as if he had actually bladed his nose.

“As you guys saw at SummerSlam, Gunther did not lacerate his nose. This is what people were told he was going to do, and even the commentators were confused by where Gunther would have actually bladed himself. Go back and listen to that commentary — it doesn’t make any sense because Gunther didn’t do what he was supposed to do.”

The entire exchange was reportedly caught on camera and may end up as part of the next season of Unreal, the Netflix/WWE docuseries. WWE producers and talent in Gorilla were said to be baffled by GUNTHER’s decision.

“And as captured on Unreal, Gunther had reservations about lacerating his own nose and felt more comfortable just doing a normal blade job. And in the end actually went against the company instructions, confusing the commentators and those in Gorilla position, and therefore making I think better content for Unreal if they decide to show that.”

Now, the fallout could extend beyond confusion. Bhatti noted that GUNTHER may catch some heat backstage for defying a specific creative direction.

“There will likely be some heat on Gunther for this because the storyline was supposed to cut his nose… in the end, he agreed but then went against it when the moment came.”

GUNTHER is currently off television after suffering a septal hematoma and orbital blowout fracture. If GUNTHER thought this move would fly under the radar, he might be in for a rude awakening. Going against WWE’s creative call mid-show—and throwing off the entire commentary team—could easily ruffle feathers in Gorilla. Whether this leads to long-term backstage tension or simply becomes juicy footage for Unreal, one thing’s for sure: The Ring General’s return might come with more heat than just his in-ring firepower.