Gunther should not be the one to retire two-time WWE Champion in 2026, it must be Roman Reigns

Gunther received an incredible amount of heat during his appearance on WWE RAW after Saturday Night's Main Event XLII. The Ring General boasted about retiring John Cena by making the legend tap out in his final match, and was eventually sent away by General Manager Adam Pearce.

On his way out, he had interactions with various WWE Superstars, including former two-time WWE Champion AJ Styles. This could have been WWE's way of teasing that Gunther will be the one to retire The Phenomenal One when he eventually calls time on his in-ring career.

However, the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion should not be the one to retire the TNA legend. That spot should instead go to Roman Reigns, and here's why.

Gunther retired two WWE legends in 2025

On two separate editions of Saturday Night's Main Event in 2025, Gunther retired two of WWE's biggest legends. He first sent Goldberg into retirement and then did the same with John Cena in December.

The Ring General now has one of the most decorated resumes in the company, and doesn't need to be the one retiring Styles as well.

Roman Reigns did not have the best 2025, and lost several major bouts

With the OG Bloodline no longer together, Roman Reigns lost several major bouts in 2025. Although he started the year by reclaiming the Ula Fala from Solo Sikoa, things didn't turn out as well for him later on in the year.

Reigns lost his Triple Threat match against CM Punk and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 41 and was betrayed by Paul Heyman. While he won his tag team match with Jey Uso against The Vision at SummerSlam and defeated Bronson Reed at Clash in Paris, he lost two matches in a row right after.

Reed overcame Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel in his home country of Australia, and Reigns went on to lose the Survivor Series WarGames match last month, although he was not the one pinned. These major defeats have seemingly destroyed his invincible aura as the Tribal Chief.

Retiring AJ Styles would give him a major boost

AJ Styles has confirmed that 2026 will be his final year as an in-ring performer, but it isn't clear when his retirement match will take place. The last time AJ Styles and Roman Reigns had a singles match was in 2016, and both stars have come a long way since then.

After missing out on facing John Cena in his retirement tour, Reigns should not repeat the same with Styles. Instead of having Gunther retire another WWE legend, the creative team could try to revive Roman Reigns by having him be The Phenomenal One's final opponent in the company. Defeating Styles in his final match would surely give Reigns a major boost as the OTC, and it is something that he could certainly benefit from.

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Edited by Arsh Das