GUNTHER and John Cena – the time is now. 

The Never Seen 17 Reasons Why Gunther Can Beat John Cena At Saturday Night’s Main Event

The time is now for GUNTHER and John Cena, Cena’s retirement match, as he steps into the ring with the former PROGRESS Wrestling World Champion, Gunther in the Nation’s Capital, Washington, DC. Gunther and John Cena will be making their mark for different reasons.

The 17-time World Champion is widely regarded as the greatest of all time, but his illustrious career of over 25 years in professional wrestling could come to an end at the hands of the Austrian grappler who we know so well.

Gunther, who wrestled under the name Walter during his time on the PROGRESS Wrestling roster, won WWE’s “The Time Is Now” tournament and earned the opportunity to go up against the icon who defined a whole generation of professional wrestling.

The Ring General and former PROGRESS Wrestling ATLAS champion represents the future, with an impressive track record and an in-ring style that makes a decisive win both believable and meaningful. His history as WALTER in PROGRESS and his dominance on WWE’s main roster show a pattern of stepping up and delivering when the stakes are incredibly high.

In honour of Cena’s record setting 17 World titles, here are 17 reasons why Gunther is the right opponent and also, why he defeat the never seen…17.

1. Gunther knows dominance

Before WWE, Gunther ‘FKA WALTER’ held the PROGRESS World Title for 417 days, he also enjoyed three Atlas Championship reigns, making him the promotion’s defining heavyweight force. That history of thriving as “The MAN” in a promotion suggests he is comfortable carrying the weight of a huge main-event victory over a legend.​

Watch “PROGRESS: Best of Walter” on Hooked on Wrestling TV

2. Elite championship pedigree

Gunther is a former two-time World Heavyweight Champion and the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history; the Austrian is a true top-of-the-card threat rather than a hopeful underdog. That level of success makes a win over Cena in a retirement match feel like the natural next chapter, not an upset.​

3. Gunther earned this spot

Gunther had to fight through the “Last Time Is Now” tournament, besting Je’Von Evans, Carmelo Hayes, Solo Sikoa, and LA Knight to earn this match with John Cena. Were others in contention? Yes, but outlasting a field of current and future stars cemented his right to this match.

4. Gunther retired Goldberg

Gunther is no stranger to retiring legends at Saturday Nights Main Event. Earlier this year, Gunther retired Golberg after a confrontation at Bad Blood and the Monday Night Raw it led to a WWE World Heavyweight title match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Atlanta. What happened? Gunther choked out and ended the career of the Hall of Famer.

5. Born to compete on the biggest stages

From “Hello Wembley” in PROGRESS to headlining major WWE events, Gunther has already shown he can deliver in packed arenas under heavy pressure. Cena’s farewell at Saturday Night’s Main Event is exactly the kind of stage where that big-match experience translates into a composed, clinical performance.​

Watch “PROGRESS Chapter 76: Hello Wembley” on Hooked on Wrestling TV

6. Relentless, punishing offense

Gunther’s repertoire aims to inflict as much pain as possible, his trademark chops and grinding holds systematically target the chest, neck and back over long matches. For a veteran like Cena with years of accumulated wear-and-tear, that stiff, methodical offense is a nightmare if the match lasts more than 10 minutes.​

7. The dangerous submission finisher

Against LA Knight, Gunther finished the match with a cravate submission that visually emulates Cena’s STF, sending a very deliberate message that he can make people tap just as convincingly as Cena did over the years. Teasing a submission finish to Cena’s career gives WWE a powerful hook that will make fans more invested in the match: the long-time standard-bearer forced to quit against the new ring general.​ Will GUNTHER and John Cena end in a submission?

8. An engine built for long, physical matches

Gunther is no stranger to long, gruelling bouts in Europe, NXT UK, and WWE’s main roster, often pushing opponents past their limits. In a retirement match where emotions run high and stamina is tested, his conditioning can outlast Cena’s, especially given Cena’s part-time schedule in recent years.​

9. He is “The Ring General”

Gunther combines imposing size with speed, and precise positioning, constantly cutting the ring in half and forcing opponents into corners and along the ropes. That suits him perfectly against Cena’s explosive, comeback-heavy style because he can shut down the “five moves of doom” rhythm by staying a step ahead and controlling the distance.

10. Gunther makes sense!

Retirement matches in wrestling traditionally end with the legend “doing the honours” to elevate the next up-and-comer, Gunther filling that role emphasises his status as a future pillar and ensures the story of Cena’s final match creates long-term value for WWE.​​

11. A fellow workhorse

Cena built a legacy on reliability, work rate, and carrying the brand; Gunther’s long reign as Intercontinental champion and his consistent match quality place him as Cena’s successor when it comes to the workhorse mentality.

12. Gunther’s international legacy, not just WWE
    Between WXW, PROGRESS, PWG, TNT Extreme Wrestling and WWE, Gunther has a resume spanning Europe, the US, and Japan, including multiple world titles. A retirement-match victory over John Cena neatly caps that global journey and cements him as one of the defining heavyweights of this era.​

Watch Walter v Ilja Dragunov for the PROGRESS Men’s World Title at Chapter 92 on Hooked on Wrestling TV

13. Redemption post-title loss

Gunther entered the tournament after dropping the World Heavyweight Championship to CM Punk at SummerSlam, setting up this retirement match as his route back to the very top of the card. Beating Cena here becomes the defining redemption moment and his golden ticket to re-enter the main-event scene.​ Will GUNTHER and John Cena show total redemption to make GUNTHER a truly megastar?

14. The Ultimate babyface vs. The Dominant force
    
    With John Cena on a farewell tour, being embraced as a beloved veteran, the emotional core of the match is about whether the hero can overcome a seemingly unstoppable force one more time. For that story to resonate long term, the unstoppable force usually remains unrelenting, which favours Gunther winning decisively.​
15. Respecting indie wrestling roots

Positioning a former PROGRESS World and Atlas Champion as the man to close Cena’s story subtly honours the modern independent wrestling scene that helped supply WWE’s current stars. It sends a message that wrestlers who dominated outside WWE, like WALTER did in PROGRESS, can rise to the top once they arrive.​

16. Gunther actually needs it

Gunther has record setting title runs, dominance and a fearsome record throughout his whole career. However, in WWE to reach the upper echelons and achieve legendary status these are the moments a talent like Gunther is built for, he won’t waste it.

17. “I retired John Cena”

Only 1 person gets to say it. Only one person now can do it. Gunther can dine out on retiring John Cena in every promo for the rest of his career. It’s a feather in the cap and he will badly want it. We at PROGRESS would not bet against him. He will always be WALTER to us, but will GUNTHER and John Cena go out truly as Cena’s last match? Will GUNTHER be the one to say he retired John Cena? We certainly think so.

Thanks to Omer Hagomer and Ben Reardon in partnership with WrestleTours.