After winning his high-profile match against a retiring John Cena, Gunther quickly became the most hated man within the WWE Universe.
The match featured plenty of false finishes, with Cena appearing on the verge of going on out on a win with his trademark Attitude Adjustment finisher. However, Gunther wore down his opponent, applying repeated sleeper holds until Cena finally smirked and tapped out to signal the end of his career.
That finish appeared to surprise many fans in attendance, as cameras captured looks of shock and disbelief on many faces. The final result also quickly made several individuals unpopular, including WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Gunther.
WWE Star Gunther Sends Strong Message on Retiring John Cena at SNME
There were “F*** you Gunther” chants during the match, but the aftermath included more backlash. A fan video surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) showing Gunther’s exit from the venue.
As he made his way to the bus, fans outside the arena hit him with more “F*** you Gunther” chants, boos, and jeers. According to the X post, it required extra security so he could get onto the bus safely.
He ultimately boarded the bus unharmed and was most likely pleased with the reaction he generated, possibly solidifying him as a top heel now.
The event also featured fans berating Triple H, as they hit him with the “You f***ed up” chants during his way to the ring to celebrate Cena after his final match.
Those chants continued during the aftershow, with Triple H firing back that he thought the crowd would’ve been louder. It was clear that, overall, fans didn’t expect to see Cena go out on a loss, let alone submit, which runs counter to his “Never Give Up” slogan.
For Gunther, this seems to set up a significant moment for him, where he could stand in the ring to open “Monday Night Raw” and withstand lengthy chants or booing from fans. A similar situation happened to Roman Reigns years ago, which helped pave the way for him to become a despised superstar and then a fan-favorite.
Most likely, this set up a major storyline for Gunther moving forward as he can now say he’s retired legends Goldberg and John Cena in the same year.
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