WWE’s Gunther Explains Why He’s ‘Proud’ to Be John Cena’s Final Opponent: ‘He Is the Greatest of All Time’ (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• John Cena will have his last WWE match on Saturday night at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. against two-time world champion Gunther

• Gunther, an Austrian native who debuted with WWE in 2022, tells PEOPLE he’s “proud” to be Cena’s final opponent

• Gunther says “it’s undeniable” that Cena, a 17-time WWE world champion, is “the greatest of all time”

There’s one thing that John Cena has promised WWE fans throughout his historic professional wrestling career: He would “never give up.”

But less than 24 hours out from the final match of Cena’s career, his final opponent is making a promise of his own. He’s going to make Cena tap out for the first time in his career, to end his career.

Advertisement

Former two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther recently caught up with PEOPLE and doubled down on his villainous plan: “It means everything to me to have the opportunity to spoil John Cena’s last match,” Gunther says with a wry smile when asked about the chance to be the record-breaking WWE star’s final in-ring opponent on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Cena, 48, and Gunther, 38, will square off at WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event on Peacock at 8 p.m. ET, live from the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C.

Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty

John Cena

Gunther, a well-traveled professional wrestler who officially made his way to WWE in 2022, is somewhat of a rare bird in the modern professional wrestling industry. A hard-hitting mat technician who goes to lengths to stick to the script, even during the private moments before his media interviews, has long played the role of one of WWE’s top villains.

Advertisement

And while most pro wrestlers lean into their larger-than-life characteristics — the costumes, the pageantry, the over-the-top attitudes — Gunther plays his role as straight as possible. He wears bland, solid-colored wrestling tights, employs few high-flying moves and instead relies on wearing opponents down with elongated holds. And in doing so, Gunther often lulls crowds into becoming sporting event spectators rather than the raucous participators that most other wrestlers try to draw out of them.

The results have been overwhelmingly strong: In the ring, Gunther has put a stranglehold on every championship he sets his sights on, while fans online clamor over his old-school style and the drama that spawns from the legitimate fear that his opponents might actually be reeling from his bone-shattering strength.

“I don’t consider myself a sports entertainer. I consider myself a professional wrestler,” Gunther tells PEOPLE with a stone-solid seriousness on his face — one that probably wouldn’t flinch even if you suddenly clapped in his face.

Advertisement

“Maybe that’s where the distinction is in this whole thing,” Gunther shrugs in his native Austrian accent, trying to pinpoint any comparison at all between him and Cena.

“It’s undeniable: He’s the greatest of all time,” Gunther says about the record-holding 17-time WWE world champion, almost for a second breaking character to share the widely accepted sentiment of appreciation those across the pro wrestling business share for Cena.

But then: “He’s the greatest sports entertainer of all time,” Gunther says, revealing his asterisk. “And that’s how I always saw myself as different.”

Michael Marques/WWE via Getty

Gunther

Wrestling is a sport to Gunther, who holds records for both the longest title reigns in the history of WWE’s storied Intercontinental Championship (666 days) and its former NXT United Kingdom Championship (870). He’s also a two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion — a drip compared to the ocean of championships Cena has filled during his 25-year pro wrestling career.

Advertisement

The opportunity to be Cena’s final opponent has been a widely discussed topic of conversation within the pro wrestling world since the Fast X star announced last July that 2025 would be the final year of his in-ring career. The common rule of law within the pro wrestling business is that when a wrestler retires — especially someone as high-profile as Cena — it’s their duty to lose in their final match to help catapult a new star into the ether, or at least allow their opponent to put up one hell of a fight.

When Cena made his WWE debut as a somewhat unserious, self-absorbed rapper who anointed himself the nickname “The Prototype,” he waltzed down to the ring and challenged former Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle to a match. Angle won the bout, but not easily. And by the end, Angle was grimacing as he walked away from a post-match fight with the young up-and-comer, legitimizing WWE’s next big star.

Whether Gunther fulfills his promise to make Cena “give up” on Saturday night remains to be seen. But the choice by WWE — and Cena — to position Gunther as the “Greatest of All Time’s” final opponent sets out a clear prophecy for “The Ring General” that will be up to him to fulfill.

Advertisement

“Obviously it’s a big deal and I am proud to be in that situation,” Gunther says, revealing a glimpse of the real performer behind the character, as he reflects on how he got to this point of his career. “I came up in Europe and took a different route to WWE than everybody else and I represent a little bit of the new wave of wrestlers to have come into WWE recently. I guess if you compare it like that, it really is a passing of the torch match because it’s two different styles and two completely different generations.”

“It makes me proud to be the guy that got picked for that.”

Read the original article on People