GUNTHER WWE future plans: How can the company revive the momentum of The Ring General?

WWE

To start 2026, GUNTHER was riding high following his victory over John Cena in his final match.

Then, “The Ring General” defeated AJ Styles to retire him as well at WWE Royal Rumble 2026. Despite those wins, GUNTHER now finds himself in a lesser role on Friday Night SmackDown.

A recent report has revealed that some within WWE are mild frustrated and confused with the current direction of GUNTHER right now.

Here are some potential GUNTHER WWE future plans.

Revenge on Cody Rhodes

After retiring John Cena and AJ Styles, GUNTHER went on to defeat Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 42.

Coming off the heels of these major wins, “The Ring General” earned himself a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Facing off with Cody Rhodes, GUNTHER found himself on the losing end due to controversy finishes, such as having his foot underneath the ropes when he lost at WWE Clash In Italy and special referee Sami Zayn costing him a rematch.

GUNTHER getting a measure of revenge on Rhodes should be his current focus to revive his momentum on SmackDown.

Feud with CM Punk

Back at WWE SummerSlam 2025, CM Punk defeated GUNTHER to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

Then more recently, Punk beat GUNTHER and Finn Balor to qualify for the Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match on the September 25 episode of SmackDown.

This made Punk 2-0 against “The Ring General,” which is something that will not sit well with GUNTHER.

After finishing up his feud with Finn Balor, GUNTHER should put his sights on taking out Punk and avenging these previous losses.

Start a new Imperium

When GUNTHER first arrived in WWE, he created his own faction in Imperium.

Alongside Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci, Imperium earned their place as one of the most cohesive stables in the entire company.

However, GUNTHER now finds himself without Kaiser or Vinci at this time.

GUNTHER creating a new Imperium could be the best way to regain a top spot on Friday Night SmackDown moving forward.

Dethrone Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship

GUNTHER has been apart of a busy and robust Undisputed WWE Championship picture on SmackDown in recent months.

As previously mentioned, GUNTHER challenged Cody Rhodes for the title in a rematch, but special guest referee Sami Zayn cost him the victory.

Then, Zayn defeated both Rhodes and GUNTHER to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion at Night of Champions 2026.

“The Ring General” being the one to dethrone Zayn in his second reign would put him right where he wants to be at the top of the blue brand.

Retiring Randy Orton

GUNTHER retiring legends has become one of his main characteristics over the past year.

Over the course of one year, GUNTHER retired Bill Goldberg, AJ Styles and John Cena.

This led many fans to believe “The Ring General” becoming “The Career Killer” would lead to him taking out every legend who was set to hang up their boots.

Feeling like he is in his final run of his career, Randy Orton could become the latest legend for GUNTHER to take out and retire in the near future.

To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!

• wwe
• GUNTHER

Share this article with friends