GUNTHER’s current run on WWE SmackDown has reportedly become a source of internal debate, with questions being raised among members of WWE’s creative team about where his character is headed next. The claim comes from a WrestleVotes report published via Fightful Select and was subsequently relayed by both F4W Online and eWrestlingNews.
According to the report, the concerns center on GUNTHER’s trajectory following his victory over AJ Styles at WWE Royal Rumble 2026, a match that ended in Styles’ retirement. That win was positioned as a major milestone, part of a string of retirement victories that had built significant momentum for GUNTHER heading into his move to SmackDown. However, sources cited in the report indicate that WWE has struggled to find a clear follow-up direction for him since that match, leaving his current booking without an obvious next step.
Both outlets frame the situation as one of internal uncertainty rather than any confirmed shift in how WWE views GUNTHER as a performer. The reporting does not specify a particular storyline, opponent, or title program that creative has settled on, nor does it indicate any dissatisfaction with GUNTHER himself. Instead, the questions appear to focus on how to capitalize on the momentum generated by the Styles retirement match and his broader run of high-profile victories.
GUNTHER’s move from WWE Raw to SmackDown followed a period widely regarded as one of the most dominant stretches of his career, built in large part on a series of matches that ended opponents’ active in-ring runs. The Royal Rumble 2026 win over Styles was the most recent and highest-profile of those victories, making the reported lack of a defined follow-up notable given how significant that result was positioned to be at the time.
Neither WWE nor GUNTHER has publicly commented on the report. As with any creative planning discussed before matches or storylines are officially announced, WWE’s direction for him could change by the time it is reflected on SmackDown programming. For now, the report indicates only that discussions and questions have taken place internally, not that any resolution or new angle has been finalized.
The situation will likely become clearer in the coming weeks as WWE books new SmackDown storylines and potential opponents for GUNTHER. Until an official angle is revealed on television, the full picture of his next move remains unconfirmed beyond what has been reported regarding internal uncertainty.
