Gunther Says Backstage Environment on John Cena’s Retirement Night Was More Intense Than WrestleMania

Gunther has said that it strangely felt more intense than WrestleMania on the day of John Cena's final match in WWE last December.

Gunther Says Backstage Environment on John Cena’s Retirement Night Was More Intense Than WrestleMania

Gunther and John Cena at SNME (via- WWE)

Gunther became the most hated wrestler in WWE the night he made John Cena tap out last December at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Almost three months removed from that gut-wrenching moment for the fans, how does ‘The Ring General’ feel about it?

“Oh! I feel fantastic,” was the response that came out of Gunther’s mouth after being asked so by Cody Rhodes on the latest episode of What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast.

The erstwhile Walter went on to affirm that the backstage ambience for Cena’s wrestling swansong was strangely more intense than that of a WrestleMania. Gunther then explained why he catches himself in such moments. The 38-year-old brought up that he’s never made it a secret that he wasn’t very high on WWE in his early 20s.

He was more inclined toward Japanese and independent wrestling circuits, as they complemented his style, as opposed to the sports entertainment hub that WWE has historically been. Gunther also admitted that he didn’t exactly live through the prime years of John Cena in WWE. The former leader of Imperium would keep up with WWE by reading results here and there.

Having never experienced such partisan crowd reactions for a feud he was involved in, the Vienna-born wrestler felt like he was caught in the midst of an emotional storm. ‘The Career Killer’ said it was great to pull the rug on everybody for his own benefit.

Despite the obvious backlash from a section of the fans regarding Cena being booked to lose his final match, the majority, in hindsight, sided with the notion of Gunther winning as the right call.

‘The Cenation Leader’ himself called it a perfect ending to his WWE career. The 17-time world champion thought it was poetic due to the polarizing fan reactions it evoked, which was a major highlight of his entire wrestling journey. Cena giving up to Gunther did wonders for the latter, as the Hollywood mogul hadn’t submitted in a match since Kurt Angle at No Way Out 2004.

How far does Gunther want to reach in WWE?

Since adding the gigantic John Cena feather to his cap, Gunther has shown AJ Styles the door as well. ‘The Ring General’ has retired two of the most beloved wrestlers on the face of this planet in a span of less than two months.

With this year’s WrestleMania within touching distance, there’s nothing concrete in place for him, which sounds bonkers because the fans would expect WWE to figure out his creative direction months in advance after his career-ending wins over Cena and Styles.

Gunther
Gunther [via- WWE]

WrestleVotes Radio via Fightful Select noted that there are currently three options for Gunther to work with at WrestleMania. They include Brock Lesnar, Oba Femi, and Rey Mysterio. And as tempting as those showdowns with Lesnar and Femi sound, the Austrian is seemingly headed toward a feud with Mysterio. The fans witnessed the annihilation of one of Mysterio’s disciples, Dragon Lee, on Raw this past Monday.

‘The Terminator’ ripped Lee’s mask off in a cheap tactic. It would likely lead to the ‘Master of 619’ confronting the ‘Ring General’ sooner rather than later to stand up for the Lucha Libre tradition. Also, in another excerpt from Gunther’s aforementioned conversation with Cody Rhodes, the former NXT UK Champion revealed the position he wants to attain in WWE.

‘The Career Killer’ yearned for having the stroke of handpicking his opponents and having great matches with the likes of Ilja Dragunov, Bron Breakker, Oba Femi, and so many more. Gunther said he wants to contribute in that way should he reach a Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar level of standing in the company one day.

‘The Ring General’ spoke candidly about not having the urge to reach the mountaintop in WWE and make everyone look up to him. He’s hellbent on continuing wrestling at the highest level with his peers and giving it back to the business that way only.

Gunther divulged that he admires people like Rhodes sometimes because they are capable of doing what he’s not which is interacting with the fans and the media beyond a certain limit. It’s just not his cup of tea, emphasized the Austrian. At last, the erstwhile Walter stressed that he indeed wants to be in a top spot in WWE, but with a different role and responsibility that he described.

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