Gunther faces Cody Rhodes in title match amid momentum concerns

"

Gunther is in a position to win the Undisputed WWE Championship tonight on SmackDown as he faces Cody Rhodes with Sami Zayn as the special referee. Yeah. That’s not happening. Rhodes is one of the many faces on the poster for Night of Champions, WWE’s premium live event taking place next Saturday, where he’s proudly holding the undisputed title. And you can’t have the advertised champion enter Night of Champions without the title. That, and the fact that Rhodes could be in a main event program at SummerSlam with fan favorite Jey Uso, should “Main Event” Jey win the King of the Ring. So, what does that mean for Gunther? In short, it means WWE has dropped the ball with the Austrian oak — again — after what should’ve been a launching pad to the moon. In December, Gunther sent John Cena into retirement with a statement win, making “Mr. Never Give Up” give up. Like Brock Lesnar ending The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania, “The Ring General” was poised to be WWE’s next unstoppable monster. Instead, WWE failed him. How? Let me count the ways. Royal Fumble After tapping out Cena, any match Gunther would’ve lost should’ve been treated as a monumental event, not another beat in a story. Instead, he was the runner-up in the Men’s Royal Rumble for the second time in his career after retiring AJ Styles in another monster-building performance earlier that night. Granted, Gunther was tossed out last by Roman Reigns, who’s no slouch. But instead of putting Gunther in the Rumble, a match he wasn’t going to win, WWE should’ve sat him out and put Brock Lesnar in that spot against Reigns. “The Beast” has enough cachet to absorb the loss without losing his credibility. Gunther, strong as he is, doesn’t yet carry the same aura Lesnar has built over two decades. It’s why losses after wins over Cena and Styles should’ve been few and far between if WWE had hoped to make Gunther even half the attraction that Lesnar’s been. Mania Scramble Heading into WrestleMania 42, Gunther was absent for several weeks in the lead-up to WWE’s biggest show of the year. In fairness, circumstances may have been out of WWE’s control. According to reports, Gunther was supposed to face Rey Mysterio before the legendary luchador had to bow out due to injury, though Mysterio would ultimately make the show. Meanwhile, Seth Rollins languished in Mania purgatory as WWE seemingly held out hope that an injured Bron Breakker would be ready to go for a match against “The Visionary.” When that didn’t happen, WWE threw together a late program with Rollins and Gunther. Talk about taking lemons and making lemonade. Despite the haste, their match quickly became a must-see and was arguably the lone bright spot at this year’s WrestleMania Saturday. While I can appreciate the rough position all parties were in, it doesn’t change the fact that, as a spectator, Gunther came off as an afterthought, not a priority, going into “The Showcase of the Immortals.” Rhodes to Ruins At Crown Jewel in 2024, Gunther and Cody Rhodes had a killer match. But their sequel at May’s Clash In Italy for Rhodes’ WWE championship went about half the time as their match in Saudi Arabia and had none of the excitement at any point. Like Crown Jewel, Gunther lost again, except this time, his foot was under the bottom rope as the referee began to count the pin. But before the ref’s hand hit the mat for a three, Gunther’s leg fell back, making it appear to the official that Rhodes had scored a decisive pin. The controversy wasn’t initially clear to most viewers until replays proved Gunther had a gripe. Still, the pacing and finale were more suitable for SmackDown to set up a bigger showdown at a PLE. Instead, WWE did the reverse: it used the PLE to set up tonight’s match on SmackDown. Could Gunther win the title, Night of Champions poster be damned? I suppose, but nothing about the way WWE has handled him remotely suggests faith that’s going to happen. With Sami Zayn as the special referee, his beefs with both men, especially Rhodes, have me banking on Rhodes keeping his title somehow via shenanigans. Bottom line: I expect to see a triple threat at Night of Champions involving all three men, with Zayn playing the fall guy to keep Gunther strong. If that happens, Gunther will have gone from breaking Cena’s unbreakable will to four losses in key situations in less than six months, a colossal waste of a defining moment for the wrestler and the company.