Pleasing Vince McMahon in WWE Was a "Losing Game," Gunther Says

Vince McMahon was WWE's creative figurehead when Gunther became a main roster member in April 2022. In a recent interview, The Ring General made it clear he is happier under the company's new regime.

McMahon initially retired in July 2022 amid misconduct allegations. Since then, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H has consistently booked Gunther in high-profile storylines while overseeing RAW and SmackDown's creative direction.

Gunther appeared on The Undertaker and Michelle McCool's Six Feet Under podcast. Reflecting on McMahon's era, the Austrian said he disliked the idea that one person could have such a big say in his future.

"I feel like there is a little bit of a healthy culture shift in the business now anyway because I feel like Vince [McMahon] was always kinda big on, 'You gotta want it, you gotta give everything for it,' and I always felt like if you invest your whole life into something that can only be decided by one person's decision at the end of the day, that's like a losing game," Gunther stated. [52:38 – 52:59]

The two-time World Heavyweight Champion also revealed he once told a fan she should not have traveled nine hours to see him at a meet-and-greet session.

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Gunther on WWE's sports entertainment approach

WWE was known as a professional wrestling organization before Vince McMahon took over from his father in 1982. Throughout the 1980s, the former WWE Chairman turned the company into a sports entertainment brand rather than a wrestling-only product.

While Gunther is serious about the in-ring aspect of wrestling, he appreciates that WWE still largely revolves around entertainment:

"It's an entertainment product now, and there's roles and stuff like that. That's where wrestling is a little bit weird sometimes, like a middle spot of entertainment but you're still an athlete, so it has both aspects. Just for our own mental health, I would say, that you don't go crazy all the time, it's good to have a balance. Giving your all in both. Giving your all in your private life, but also giving your all at work. Not just work, work, work, work." [53:13 – 53:42]

In the same podcast episode, The Undertaker explained why some WWE matches are not as good as they used to be.

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Please credit Six Feet Under and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.