A WWE decision had a negative impact on Gunther's character, says veteran

Gunther has been a dominant force on the WWE main roster for nearly two and a half years. However, wrestling veteran Vince Russo believes the company's decision to have him lose to a current RAW star hurt his character.

The Ring General held the Intercontinental Championship for 666 days, becoming the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in history. However, he dropped the title to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40 after getting pinned for the first time since joining the main roster. Although Gunther went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship, Russo claimed his loss to Zayn hurt his character.

Speaking on his The Brand podcast, the former WWE head writer revealed that he hated the company's creative decision to have The Ring General lose to the OG Bloodline member:

"I hated the Gunther loss to Sami Zayn, man. I really did. And I believe that that hurt him," he said. [From 22:23 to 22:30]

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Will John Cena end Gunther's World Heavyweight Championship reign? WWE analyst gives his take

Gunther has held the World Heavyweight Championship since SummerSlam 2024. Meanwhile, John Cena returned last Monday on RAW to reveal that he will compete in the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble in the hope of getting a world championship shot at WrestleMania.

Speaking on his Cheap Heat podcast, WWE analyst Peter Rosenberg suggested Cena should dethrone The Ring General if the Leader of the Cenation challenges him:

"If the first thing he's gonna do is have a big run with Gunther, I don't think he should lose the first thing he does. I think that kinda kills the run," he said. [From 35:23 to 35:29]

It would be interesting to see how long Gunther will hold on to the World Heavyweight Championship.

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