WWE Scrapped Major Plans for GUNTHER Before Cody Rhodes Feud

GUNTHER’s attack on Cody Rhodes after WWE SmackDown suddenly makes a lot more sense — because according to a new report, WWE recently changed major creative plans involving The Ring General.

During the May 1 episode of WWE SmackDown, Cody Rhodes defeated Ricky Saints in Saints’ first main roster match. The celebration didn’t last long. Out of nowhere, GUNTHER attacked Cody from behind, choked him out, and then stood over him holding the Undisputed WWE Championship. The segment immediately fueled talk that WWE was setting up Cody Rhodes vs. GUNTHER for the next major premium live event.

According to Dave Meltzer in the May 8, 2026 Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has been reshuffling several major creative plans over the past few weeks, and GUNTHER’s direction was one of the biggest pivots.

“There have been a lot of WWE changes over the past few weeks when it comes to major direction.”

The report then revealed that WWE is now moving toward Cody Rhodes vs. GUNTHER as the next WWE Championship feud — even though GUNTHER was previously lined up for a program with Roman Reigns.

“While not on Backlash, but certainly on an upcoming PPV, they shot an angle to set up Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther as the next WWE title program.”

Meltzer added that WWE had already started putting pieces in place for GUNTHER vs. Roman Reigns before the sudden switch.

“Gunther had been earmarked for Roman Reigns and there was even an interview shot to start in that direction.”

That makes GUNTHER’s attack on Cody look a lot more important in hindsight. WWE didn’t just tease a future feud on SmackDown — they changed course completely and redirected one of the company’s top stars back into the world title picture. At this point, Cody Rhodes vs. GUNTHER appears firmly positioned as one of WWE’s next major championship rivalries — even if it wasn’t originally supposed to happen this soon.

Do you think WWE made the right move changing GUNTHER’s direction away from Roman Reigns and toward Cody Rhodes? Drop your thoughts and feedback below.