Gunther is the right choice – By Wrestle G

Hello one and all, and welcome back to the place where wrestling column royalty resides — NoDQ.com.

It’s the festive season and I LOVE me some Christmas: the food, the drink, friends, family, and a great big slice of wrestling action as well.

I want to write a couple of articles before the weekend — one WWE-focused and one AEW-focused — so this will be my first little bite-size column. Let’s get stuck right in.

This weekend sees two very different events from the big two promotions. For AEW, they’re making a trip over to the UK for a Collision and Dynamite taping. For WWE, they — and we — celebrate the final match of John Cena. It’s been quite a journey since Cena first made us aware of his intention to step away from in-ring competition. We’ve seen him turn heel and then back again, get R-Truth his job back after his release, become the record holder for championship reigns, finally win the Intercontinental Title, and make a young kid in Belgium almost cry.

It will be intriguing to see, as the years go by, how people reflect on this final retirement run. It’s been a roller coaster for sure. But as we approach the final ever match, we’ve seen Gunther emerge as the opponent for Cena’s last stand. I wrote previously that I wasn’t sure this was the right choice — but as the event has evolved and the card is now finalized, I think WWE ultimately made the right call.

Gunther has been given a strong dose of credibility under the Triple H booking era. He had a record-breaking Intercontinental Championship run and then transitioned seamlessly into a couple of world title reigns. When Gunther takes a loss, it actually means something on the main roster because he has been protected so well.

We all know how good Gunther is between the ropes, and his recent tournament matches have reminded everyone of that — his match with Solo Sikoa being a particular highlight. He has the credibility, but what he hasn’t had is a bona fide, clean win against a top-tier talent. He hasn’t even really had a proper feud: a cup of coffee with Cody, a placeholder role in the Punk/Rollins rivalry, but never that definitive moment where he stands tall over a major star.

Now that Gunther has been chosen for this final match, it has to mean something for him going forward. The next logical step seems to be Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania with another big win. That would set up Gunther as a viable contender to either Cody or Roman in what could be a proper, meaningful feud. If Gunther is being gifted this spot, it must carry weight. It must be reflected in how he’s booked after Cena rides off into the sunset.

If WWE can elevate Gunther from main-eventer to bona fide star off the back of this moment, then choosing him was absolutely the right call.

Another big talking point in recent days has been the placement of the match on the card. The suggestion is that Cena vs. Gunther goes on first — and honestly, I don’t have an issue with that at all. Cena has been very open about wanting the night to belong to the next generation. I can absolutely see Cena taking a seat in the front row afterward, or maybe sitting in on commentary. Maybe we get some backstage skits with him offering advice or critiques. And in the actual main event, I could see him giving his full endorsement to someone like Oba Femi. That aligns with Cena’s stated mission to give back to the business far more than him standing tall in the final shot of the night.

But as always, I want to know what you think. Have you come around to Gunther being the opponent? Do you still feel someone else should have had the honor?

Let me know in the comments below.

I’ll hopefully be back tomorrow with another column covering AEW’s upcoming British tour over the next week.

Until then,

Cheers,
G