Gunther is one of the hottest commodities in professional wrestling right now, retiring two of the GOATs – in very different ways – these past couple of months. Because after choking out John Cena in his retirement match, Gunther did indeed end AJ Styles’s career where it all began at the Royal Rumble.
The Legend Killer Randy Orton was one thing, but Triple H and WWE are creating a different monster entirely with Gunther, who has been a rousing success since stepping foot at the E but has truly exploded in to a phenomenon entirely in the last year or two.
A perfect technician in the ring and now a breakout character outside of it as one of the most compelling mic workers with his quick wit, Gunther has the character, the in ring style, and even the look of a world class heel.
And now, all WWE fans can think about is who he will retire next. The answer is quietly becoming pretty evident, too, as Rey Mysterio, like Styles, is a smaller, technical wrestler with a huge pedigree in this business – not even that far off of Cena’s when talking about overall legacy and impact.
Mysterio is 51 and has already become an unspoken part timer. As WWE transition to the future, Mysterio could be ready to hang them up or at least leave the E for other pastures.
Gunther is the perfect guy to get into a brutal feud with Rey both inside and outside the ring, even involving Dominik Mysterio into the equation. That is definitely a feud to keep on your horizon in 2026.
Joe helped manage the pro wrestling site Daily DDT from 2017 to 2019. He has appeared in many wrestling podcasts and has had his work featured by mainstream media sites and professional wrestlers themselves. Joe also covers soccer, writing about Tottenham for Hotspur HQ, Real Madrid for A Trip to Cibeles, and general world football for The Trivela Effect.