GUNTHER did exactly what he said he would do. On December 13, he sent John Cena into retirement. He also sent millions of people to bed unhappy. After gloating about it to open Monday Night Raw, Gunther ran into AJ Styles. Perhaps this is something that will kick off an angle that will build Gunther into becoming the true “Legend Killer.”
Everyone knows who comes to mind when talking about “The Legend Killer.” Randy Orton made an early career putting older performers out to pasture. Individuals like Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley, and plenty others were not safe. Orton enjoyed putting them down one by one and it became one of his best story arcs.
But Gunther is doing it on a whole other level. In 2026 he retired two of the most important names in the last few generations of wrestling. First, he retired Goldberg and let’s be honest - the majority of fans were thanking him for doing us all a favor. However, retiring Cena has generated a new level of heat for Gunther and it is something that should be capitalized on quickly.
Gunther versus Randy Orton makes all the sense
Raw General Manager Adam Pearce was frustrated with Gunther, and kicked him out of the building. While that didn’t make any sense from a creative standpoint because Gunther hadn’t done anything, it creates the opening for Pearce to be so upset that he sends Gunther to SmackDown, where he can get a new look on that roster. Before he does, he should have a violent altercation with AJ Styles, who is also set to retire soon per his own words. It would be an easy way to keep that heat going for weeks to come.
Randy Orton has remained rather silent in recent months. He hasn’t had a match since October 3 and there are no reports of him dealing with an injury. At this point in his career, Orton is a “made man” and the fans are going to get behind him the minute his music hits. Set the stage with Gunther standing in the middle of the ring on SmackDown talking about retiring John Cena. Once he invokes the name of Randy Orton one too many times, the storyline would be off and running.
Randy Orton is coming up on 27 years of in-ring experience. AJ Styles will hit that mark even sooner. Gunther has dispatched two legends in 2025 and he should chase after two more in 2026. Perhaps it is time for him to take the name “The Legend Killer.” At least it will be fun to watch.