Gunther Teases a Heartbreaking Cena Retirement Moment That Will Stun Fans
WWE star Gunther will face John Cena in what could be Cena’s final match, but the Austrian powerhouse isn’t promising a fairy-tinish ending. He’s signaling that fans should brace themselves for a moment that might shatter their expectations.
In an interview with Variety ahead of the showdown, Gunther described the upcoming match as a day when fans will gather with immense admiration for Cena, only to have their hopes gently, then dramatically, dashed. “It’s going to be a great day where everybody’s going to tune in and show up and bring all the love for John Cena,” Gunther said. “But at the end, they’re going to get their hearts broken. So I’m looking forward to that.”
Cena has been on what many call a retirement tour since the start of 2025, with his final bout scheduled for this week’s Saturday Night’s Main Event on Peacock, emanating from Washington, DC’s Capital One Arena.
Gunther earned the right to challenge Cena by winning the Last Time Is Now Tournament, which pitted him against a roster of WWE stars including Je’Von Evans, Carmelo Hayes, Solo Sikoa, and LA Knight. When asked which match he enjoyed the most, Gunther highlighted his clash with Sikoa, describing it as a “heavyweight” affair and praising Sikoa’s performance.
Curiously, this isn’t Gunther’s first high-stakes retirement bout this year. Earlier, he went toe-to-toe with WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg in another retirement match. Yet Gunther insists the pressure of these marquee moments never intimidates him.
“I know what I can do, and I know I can rely on that. It’s never negative pressure. It’s always very positive pressure.”
During a recent appearance on Monday Night Raw, Gunther asserted that he would not only defeat Cena, but defeat him by submission. “He has been beaten before many times. He had a long career, it’s normal. But he hasn’t been submitted in what, over 20 years? So I think that spices the whole thing up a little bit.”
Catch Saturday Night’s Main Event live on Peacock at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on December 13.
