Some fans think WWE has cooled off GUNTHER too much since his loss to John Cena, but Cena isn’t ready to criticize the company’s plans. Instead, he believes there’s probably a bigger picture that fans simply can’t see yet.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Cena addressed the recent criticism surrounding GUNTHER’s direction on WWE programming. While he acknowledged that many fans feel “The Ring General” has lost momentum, Cena said he’s not in a position to question WWE’s creative process because he isn’t part of those internal discussions.
“I know there’s sentiment out there that like, ‘Man, they’re wasting GUNTHER!’ Maybe currently they are. But I don’t see the view from the penthouse. I’m not in those meetings where they’re just looking at the whiteboard, connecting the dots. Maybe they’re just cooling him off. Maybe they’re putting him away from TV. I don’t know.”
Cena added that his responsibility ended once he did everything he could to elevate GUNTHER during their rivalry. What WWE chooses to do afterward, he said, is entirely up to the creative team.
“What I am gonna do is I’m not gonna challenge the opinion of, ‘Aye, I’m not gonna give this for this guy and you’re gonna forget him.’ This is the work that I need to do for today, and we’re gonna make him look the best we can, and I’m gonna give him as much steam as I can, and what you do with it afterwards, that ain’t my call.”
The comments come as fans continue to debate GUNTHER’s role on SmackDown. Since tapping out Cena in the WWE Hall of Famer’s retirement match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December 2025, GUNTHER has taken some unexpected losses, including being pinned by CM Punk in a Money in the Bank qualifier on the September 25 edition of SmackDown. He’s also been involved in a series of backstage run-ins with Danhausen, a direction that has divided fans online.
Whether WWE is intentionally cooling GUNTHER off or simply setting up his next major storyline remains to be seen. Cena isn’t pretending to know the answer, but he made it clear he isn’t ready to call GUNTHER’s booking a mistake when there’s likely more happening behind the scenes than fans realize.
Do you think WWE has a long-term plan for GUNTHER, or should “The Ring General” already be back in the main event picture? Let us know in the comments below.
