John Cena acknowledged that some of the criticism surrounding Gunther’s current run in WWE may be fair, mainly because of the way Gunther has been booked in recent months.
During a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, the now-retired Cena was asked about the idea that WWE is mishandling Gunther.
“Maybe they currently are.”
Cena made it clear, however, that he is not privy to WWE’s creative plans. As he sees it, the company may just be scaling back Gunther’s exposure for now while it sets up something bigger down the road. Cena added that his job in the final match of his career was to make Gunther look as strong as possible, and that whatever happened after that was out of his hands.
John Cena on the sentiment that WWE is wasting GUNTHER: “Maybe they currently are.” (@BustedOpenRadio) https://t.co/Y5QPyoirff
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) October 5, 2026
Cena faced Gunther in that match on December 13, 2025. Gunther won by forcing the 17-time world champion to tap out.
More recently, on the September 25 episode of SmackDown, CM Punk pinned Gunther in a Triple Threat Match that also involved Finn Bálor. The loss kept Gunther out of the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
On Friday, though, Gunther resurfaced in the Undisputed WWE Championship picture by confronting Sami Zayn alongside other wrestlers, and he also attacked Danhausen backstage. Even so, Gunther has not been announced for Saturday’s Money in the Bank.