Add as a preferred source on Google Gunther could have worked through two of the biggest rivalries of his WWE career in 2026. Instead, WWE changed course on plans that would have pitted him against Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
According to Self Made Pro, on a recent episode of Self Made Sessions, the “Ring General” was originally lined up to face Reigns in the late spring or early summer. From there, he was set to move into a match against Lesnar at SummerSlam.
“Gunther was supposed to face Brock at SummerSlam, and Gunther was supposed to face Roman in the late spring/early summer. For whatever reason, that got changed, so that switched up a lot of creative.”
The reason behind the change hasn’t been revealed, but the shakeup led to major shifts in the storylines of three of WWE’s top stars.
Lesnar ended up returning to his rivalry with Oba Femi. After losing to the Nigerian star at WrestleMania 42, the Beast Incarnate won the rematch at Clash in Italy. The two are now set for a rubber match at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell Match. Reigns, meanwhile, will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins.
Gunther’s path ended up looking completely different as well. He entered the Undisputed WWE Championship picture, only to lose to Cody Rhodes at Clash in Italy and come up short again at Night of Champions, where Sami Zayn walked away with the title in a Triple Threat Match.
The Austrian is currently locked in a heated rivalry with Nick Aldis. On the most recent Friday Night SmackDown, Gunther hit the General Manager with a series of sleeper holds, building anticipation for a possible match at SummerSlam — though nothing has been officially announced yet.
In other words, WWE’s original plans got completely reshuffled, leaving Gunther out of both of the major rivalries that had been lined up for him.