John Cena has responded to criticism over WWE’s handling of GUNTHER following the end of his own legendary in-ring career.
GUNTHER forced John Cena to submit in the final match of his career at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December 2025, earning himself the nickname “The Career Killer.”
The Ring General followed that victory by retiring AJ Styles in similar fashion at the 2026 Royal Rumble. However, some fans have since criticised WWE for failing to capitalise on GUNTHER’s momentum, despite his recent involvement in the Undisputed WWE Championship picture on SmackDown.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Cena acknowledged those complaints but explained that what WWE chose to do with GUNTHER after their match was beyond his control.
“I know there’s sentiment out there that, ‘Man, they’re wasting GUNTHER,’” Cena said. “Maybe, currently, they are. But I don’t see the view from the penthouse. I’m not in those meetings where they’re just looking at the white board, connecting the dots.”
John Cena Discusses His Role In Elevating GUNTHER
John Cena explained that his responsibility was to make GUNTHER look as strong as possible during their match, rather than worry about how WWE would book him afterwards.
“What I am going to do is I’m not going to challenge the opinion of like, ‘Hey, I’m not going to give this for this guy and you’re going to forget him.’ This is the work I need to do for today, and we’re going to make him look the best we can, and I’m going to give him as much steam as I can and what you do with it afterward, it ain’t my call.”
Cena also once again defended the controversial finish to his retirement match. Throughout his WWE career, Cena became synonymous with the phrase “Never Give Up,” making the decision to have him submit to GUNTHER particularly significant.
However, Cena believes tapping out was a “great way” to cap his character’s trajectory. The 17-time world champion also pointed to fans still discussing the finish months later as evidence of the lasting impact of his final match.
