Gunther has drawn a clear philosophical line between himself and John Cena ahead of their clash at Saturday Night's Main Event, distinguishing the concept of "sports entertainer" from "professional wrestler."
During an appearance on ESPN's First Take, the Ring General revealed a 20-year grudge against Cena's approach to professional wrestling—one that began when Gunther first started training in the business.
"I remember when I started wrestling like 20 years ago now. I remember that I hated that guy in shorts on that TV week by week and I always thought it doesn't belong in a ring," Gunther explained. "I'm a very big purist. I'm a big traditionalist."
While acknowledging Cena's accomplishments, Gunther made sure to frame them within his own hierarchy of wrestling excellence.
John Cena is definitely the greatest sports entertainer of all time. But I'm the greatest professional wrestler there right now. So that's going to be the conflict," Gunther stated.
Sports Entertainment vs. Professional Wrestling
The distinction matters deeply to Gunther, who has built his career on traditional in-ring excellence rather than the entertainment-focused approach that defined Cena's era. For him, this match represents more than a farewell—it's a battle between two fundamentally different wrestling philosophies.
Despite his harsh words, Gunther has limited personal interaction with the 17-time world champion. Their relationship exists almost entirely through opposing ideologies rather than personal connection.
I can only speak for myself. I haven't really.. I shook hands twice with him. I didn't really have any interactions with him otherwise," Gunther admitted.
The clash of wrestling philosophies takes center stage December 13 at Saturday Night's Main Event when Cena faces Gunther in his final match.
