John Cena will wrestle the final match in his WWE career on December 13 as part of Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington D.C. That much we know.
Ahead of that, there were plenty of questions about who he would compete against and what it would mean for that Superstar and his future.
We now appear to have the answer.
F4WOnline.com’s Dave Meltzer reported former world heavyweight champion Gunther will be The Unseen 17’s final opponent. The insider added that a tournament will be held, with the winner receiving the honor of competing against Cena in the historic match.
Considering all that WWE has got wrong as part of Cena’s retirement tour, it is almost surprising that it has his final opponent so right. Gunther has become the Darth Vader of WWE, the big bad guy every babyface has to combat and, more times than not, loses to.
He is an imposing figure who has already ruined one generation’s childhood by retiring Goldberg, ended Jey Uso’s storybook world title reign and beaten every top opponent who has crossed his path.
The Austrian is a wrestler’s wrestler, a heel the like of which we do not see anymore. He claims to be a ring general, the protector of the sacredness of professional wrestling, and he backs it up.
Gunther does not need 12 different wrestlers to run interference for him, nor does he need a manager to speak for him. He carries himself with dignity, speaks elegantly and beats people up, with his physicality being his greatest asset.
Most importantly, he is a Superstar within WWE who can benefit from the spotlight that the match presents.
Fans who have tuned into the company’s prime-time specials have seen him before. He has retained the world title and retired one of the greats from the Monday Night Wars.
However, Cena is on an entirely different level. He is a pop culture star, a man who has transcended pro wrestling and become an attraction in Hollywood. He is in movies, on TV, and does work in front of and behind the cameras for commercials.
People know who he is beyond the sports-entertainment realm, and sharing the ring with him will mean something to those who may not know much about Gunther.
If he can defeat Cena and become the guy who retires fans’ favorites, it will be even better.
What better way to announce to the world that The Ring General is not just a star of today, but also the badass who ended the careers of two icons? It would mean even more if it served as a jumping-off point for a storyline for Gunther.
Perhaps a sign of respect from Cena kicks off the gradual babyface turn that sees Gunther provide opposition for Seth Rollins and The Vision on Raw. Or maybe it sets him on a collision course with Cody Rhodes.
Either way, there is a wealth of potential for the 38-year-old coming out of his match with Cena, if that is the direction things go in.
And fans should be excited about the potential for a relatively new face to have the opportunity to combat the biggest star of the last two decades on a stage as large as Saturday Night’s Main Event.