During Gunther’s first few years on WWE’s main roster, he did almost nothing but win, especially when it was shown on television. The big Austrian was showcased as a monster heel, and more often than not, he beat people down in dominant fashion. When he did lose, it felt like a huge deal, or at least it used to. Now it feels like a random Friday, and WWE fans are doing a lot of complaining to the point where John Cena was asked about it.
Cena, of course, recently retired, and notably took a loss to Gunther in his last match. In the weeks that followed, Gunther had almost nuclear heat with WWE crowds as he repeatedly referenced making the beloved former champion tap out. Most fans, myself included, assumed WWE would take that heat and turn it into a world championship run, but that didn’t happen. In fact, for no clear reason, Triple H and the writers decided to start having Gunther lose on television and at PLEs consistently for the first time in his entire main roster run.
Since the start of June, Gunther has lost 8 of his 11 televised matches. Yes, many have involved outside interference and other shenanigans that have protected him in theory, but collectively, those losses have not protected him at all. They’ve completely stolen his aura and any momentum he had from retiring not only Cena but also AJ Styles and Goldberg. Fans have been screaming about the booking on social media, and Cena finally weighed in this week during a conversation on Busted Open Radio.
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.
Look, John Cena is a company guy, and he’s also maybe the most media trained WWE superstar of all-time. He’s always really thoughtful with his words. So, I know this isn’t exactly the type of diatribe Rikishi would delivered on his radio show, but for Cena to even admit they “maybe” are wasting Gunther’s potential, that tells you all you need to hear. He’s basically saying he agrees with the assessment as a fan but wants to give grace that maybe something bigger is being planned.
And something bigger should be planned. Gunther is a generational heel. He is maybe the most skilled big man ever to step foot in a WWE ring, and the fact that he’s currently on an extended losing streak is crazy. I’m not saying he needs to be at the top of the main event scene like Roman Reigns for his entire career, but they at least need to keep him warm so he has the aura whenever he returns to the main event scene.
I’m sure WWE is going to right the ship with Gunther at some point, but in my opinion, they should consider doing it immediately. He’s just too good and has too much potential to be eating pins in a triple threat match instead of Finn Bálor. He’s just too good to be losing to Cody Rhodes multiple times in big spots during the same calendar year. He's too good to be feuding with a comedy character like Danhausen (no shade at Danhausen). He’s just too good to feel like he’s being wasted and presented as less than.
