If the abundance of “NXT” talent featured on John Cena’s dedicated “Saturday Night’s Main Event” card and his 8-hour appearance at Lodestone 2025 say anything, it’s that Cena’s original intentions for final WWE stint were to uplift the in-ring performers of tomorrow. So why is he facing GUNTHER as his final opponent?

No, seriously, why? I get that GUNTHER is a relatively newer talent, but he is not the person that needs the special Cena rub. GUNTHER is a two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in company history. He was the face of “NXT UK —” to the point where people were mourning the possibility of him not transferring over to American “NXT” and the main roster — and he is one of the most dominant performers to grace a WWE ring. He’s not the type of wrestler I imagine Cena had in mind when he was fashioning his retirement tour.

Okay, let’s imagine you’re not the biggest fan of some up-and-comer beating Cena. Let’s say you were one of the people waiting for a historic figure to end Cena’s historic career. Randy Orton, perhaps? Maybe you were waiting for an Adam Copeland return to WWE. A few of you might even have taken “The Final Boss,” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. GUNTHER is a disappointing outcome here too! GUNTHER and Cena have next to no history together, and since we can guess that GUNTHER is going over on Cena come December 13, it is truly a disjointed ending to a literally legendary career.

GUNTHER is a very capable performer — one of the best in WWE. However, when he is neither new enough to benefit from a Cena moment, nor old enough to have a trip down memory lane with, him as Cena’s final opponent is a veritable Dud. You can’t come up with a worse final opponent.

Written by Angeline Phu