After retiring John Cena at the end of 2025, and then following that up by sending AJ Styles packing the following month, GUNTHER appeared set for a massive year in WWE in 2026.
Nine months into the year however, we can safely say that any momentum built from his “Career Killer” run has vanished, with yet another key match lost on this week’s SmackDown (September 24).
Failing to qualify for the Money in the Bank – and being pinned in the three-way qualifying match to boot – GUNTHER feels like he’s at the very bottom of the pecking order for an Undisputed WWE Title opportunity, and needs some serious rehabilitation to get back on track.
Here are three ways WWE can potentially turn GUNTHER’s year around.
No Danhausen storyline, unless GUNTHER squashes him
First and foremost, GUNTHER should, under no circumstances become the butt of jokes in a comedy feud with Danhausen.
WWE has been having “The Ring General” cross paths with the “Very Nice, Very Evil” star in recent weeks, and it’s all been fairly fun and unserious. But after a near-cursing occurred on Friday’s SmackDown, we’re getting dangerously close to this becoming an actual feud.
If GUNTHER is going to squash Danhausen before a more credible star makes the save then that’s fine, but if the Austrian has to actually start selling the curse there may be no way back for his character.
Retires another legend
The retirements of Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles are all recent enough to where the “Career Killer” moniker still holds weight, but eventually GUNTHER is going to have to get back to the whole retiring legends thing if he wants to retain it.
With Brock Lesnar being put away by Oba Femi rather than GUNTHER, it’s a little harder to see where his next victim is going to come from without dragging more inactive stars back into action like he did with Nick Aldis.
Rey Mysterio is the prime candidate, but, a) it doesn’t appear as if he’s quite ready to hang up his boots, and b) Rey’s son Dominik Mysterio should probably be the one to get that honor over GUNTHER. Regardless, if WWE wants to re-establish GUNTHER, then having him end another career would certainly be the way to do it.
Defeats Sami Zayn for Undisputed WWE Championship
It’s an obvious thing to say, but if WWE wants GUNTHER to be a threat again, they could always just give him the Undisputed WWE Championship.
The title has been swapped around a few times lately, so it wouldn’t feel entirely out of left field. As mentioned however, GUNTHER really does feel the furthest away from being the next WWE Champion than anyone else currently in the hunt for the title – aside from maybe Johnny Gargano – so there would need to be some rehabilitation before GUNTHER gets the gold back.
Simply having him knock off several of the other top contenders en route to a WWE Title shot would do the trick, especially if his wins come with an extra does of aggression to further put over that this is a more focused “Ring General” and not the one who’s suffered loss after loss in 2026.
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