GUNTHER went from retiring John Cena to a direction that apparently has some people inside WWE scratching their heads.
WrestleVotes on Fightful Select is hearing that there has been a mild sense of frustration and confusion surrounding how GUNTHER has been used on SmackDown lately, especially after the massive momentum WWE gave him coming out of his string of retirement matches. According to sources, questions have started coming from people within creative about where WWE is actually going with The Ring General after moving him to SmackDown.
“In speaking with a source, it was mentioned to us that his current direction has raised questions among those in creative, especially considering the trajectory he was on following his string of retirements and his move to SmackDown.”
That trajectory was hard to miss. GUNTHER was positioned as one of WWE’s most dangerous stars after ending the careers of Goldberg, AJ Styles and ultimately John Cena. Cena’s final match came at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December 2025, where GUNTHER forced him to submit and closed the book on one of the biggest careers in WWE history.
The issue now is what WWE has actually done with GUNTHER since giving him a moment that should have launched him into another major run. Fightful Select states that there is uncertainty over how WWE intends to capitalize on everything GUNTHER built, with some people even questioning whether there was a real plan waiting for him after Cena’s retirement.
“As of this writing, there appears to be some uncertainty regarding how WWE intends to capitalize on the momentum GUNTHER had built in recent months, with some questioning if they truly had a plan for him after he retired John Cena.”
That question has already been hanging over GUNTHER from outside the company as well. John Cena recently addressed criticism that WWE has been wasting GUNTHER since their final match, and admitted that fans questioning his booking may have a point. Cena stopped short of criticizing WWE because he doesn’t know what creative has planned behind closed doors, but he acknowledged that GUNTHER may currently be getting cooled off.
GUNTHER’s SmackDown run has certainly been a strange one compared to where he stood after retiring Cena. He has remained involved on television, but the dominant momentum that came from ending Cena’s career hasn’t translated into the kind of sustained main-event push many expected.
He was also absent from the September 18 episode of SmackDown despite being involved in the Undisputed WWE Championship picture at the time. GUNTHER later explained that absence by revealing that he was spending time in London with his wife, so that particular week had nothing to do with creative.
Still, the bigger question isn’t about one missed episode. WWE handed GUNTHER one of the biggest possible accomplishments by making him the man who ended John Cena’s career, and now even people involved in the creative process are apparently wondering what the payoff was supposed to be. GUNTHER already proved he can carry a world championship program and WWE gave him enormous credibility by letting him retire multiple legends. If the company doesn’t have a clear destination waiting for him after all of that, then the biggest mystery on SmackDown might not be what GUNTHER does next, but whether WWE ever knew the answer in the first place.
What do you think WWE should be doing with GUNTHER after having him retire John Cena? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
