On the December 15, 2025 episode of Monday Night Raw, Gunther walked out as a very happy man. By tapping out John Cena, he became public enemy number one to most of the WWE fanbase. He gloated before getting kicked out of the arena by General Manager Adam Pearce.
Afterwards, he met AJ Styles, whom he stared down before getting in his car and doing the “You Can’t See Me” hand gesture popularized by Cena. Since then, Styles has been going after him due to his disrespectful nature to Cena. On the January 5, 2026 Raw, the two literally butted heads.
Gunther was once again gloating, and Styles confronted him. They headbutted each other, with Styles saying Gunther will do nothing after slapping him. Afterwards, a match was confirmed for January 12 in Germany. However, there are reasons to believe that this won’t be a one-off match.
Things are FAR from over between @AJStylesOrg and @Gunther_AUT 👀 pic.twitter.com/Ifba7WmV0f
— WWE (@WWE) January 6, 2026
AJ Styles’ Hatred for Gunther is Much Too Strong
A lot of wrestlers follow a simple rule whenever they conduct business. It’s to always respect the wrestlers that came before you. However, Gunther hasn’t done that at all to Cena. In fact, the disrespect started way further back than at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
He did the same thing with Goldberg back in July’s SNME. Calling him out showed that he had no respect for a man revered in late 1990s and early 2000s WCW. Styles hasn’t said it yet, but it’s clear he’s noticing a pattern. Gunther abused and made fun of Goldberg, and now he did that with Cena.
He has no respect for anyone that paved the way for him to wrestle. The only thing he cares about is beating everyone up. Styles is rightly taking offense to that. If things don’t go his way next Monday, he won’t stop until he beats Gunther.
AJ Styles’ Retirement is Closer than Everyone Thinks
AJ Styles shocked everyone by announcing that 2026 will be his last year wrestling. He has had an amazing decades-long career in TNA, NJPW, and WWE. It makes sense for him to retire at this year’s WrestleMania. That hasn’t been confirmed, but unfortunately, Gunther probably knows that to be a fact.
He’s antagonizing him in order to get that high-profile Mania match. Retiring Goldberg made him happy; retiring Cena made him even more ecstatic. Three wrestlers forced into retirement by him is music to his ears. He isn’t gloating because he hates Cena. Doing this will make Styles take the bait, leading to another retirement match.
Randy Orton was the previous generation’s “legend killer”. It seems like Gunther is readying himself to take on that title. The best way to do that is to set up a Mania match with Styles and get the victory himself.
They Both Know What They are Doing Right Now
Styles and Gunther have been wrestling all over the world for decades. They know how the wrestling business works. That’s why this feud will definitely extend past next week’s match. Styles is currently burning with anger. He sees someone disrespecting the legends that came before him, forcing them into retirement.
With that being said, he realizes he only has months left to wrestle. If he loses next week, there’s no question that he’ll do anything and accept any match stipulation to beat him. Gunther knows that as well, which is why he is being so antagonistic towards him. He sees Styles as a check mark on a checklist, the next person to be retired by him. Drawing out the feud until Mania will give them both what they want. Styles will get a high-profile final match, while Gunther can potentially add to his list of retirements.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
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