Last year Gunther faced off against John Cena in Cena’s final match, and The Ring General did the unthinkable when he made the 17 time champion tap out. Naturally fans thought that Gunther’s career was set to hit a whole new level following the match, but his booking has been questionable throughout 2026.
While talking about Gunther’s current WWE status on the Ariel Helwani Show, Ilja Dragunov praised Gunther while acknowledging that how he’s being booked right now isn’t the level many assumed he would be at.
“I guess my feeling is the same as a lot of other people’s. If you’re the person who retires John Cena, there’s a certain standard of depth that you should maintain, in my opinion. For me, he is one of the best, and he will be one of the best of all time.
He is a dear friend of mine. We’ve known each other for a long time, maybe since 2014 or 2015. We’re dear friends, and I want to see him succeed. I know he’s good, I know he’ll always do well, and whatever he does is going to be awesome.
But I can certainly imagine that, after the standard he set and the way he was portrayed, what we’re seeing right now isn’t necessarily the same level he’s been working at.”