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Gunther Gets Candid About WWE Creative Direction And Facing Jey Uso At WrestleMania 41

The reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion hasn't exactly been thrilled with the last few months of his career, nor is Gunther overly excited to face Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41.
Rick Ucchino|
GUNTHER to address Damian Priest on Raw
GUNTHER to address Damian Priest on Raw | wwe.com

Gunther has been the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for 200 days, but the Ring General has only recently felt like he's gotten into the groove of his title reign. Just in time for WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.

While speaking to the Daily Mail this week, it's fair to say Gunther didn't express overall exuberance with the direction of his career toward the tail end of 2024.

"I don't think the last few months were ideal for me," Gunther said. "I lost to Cody [Rhodes], and then everything that, that feud with Priest, it didn't allow me to show the best side of me, if that makes sense. But I think now I'm back to my old self, I feel my mojo again."

The Ring General has been one of the more dominate champions in modern WWE history, having held gold for far more days than not since he debuted on the main roster in 2022.

WrestleMania 41 presented Gunther with an opportunity to really cement his legacy with a win over someone like John Cena, Roman Reigns, CM Punk or Seth Rollins. But then Jey Uso shocked the world by winning the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble Match.

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"I'm not interested in wrestling Jey at WrestleMania," Gunther told the Daily Mail. "I was looking for somebody who is one of the last few remaining guys on the roster that I would say are maybe one step ahead of me, and it would have been nice to be in there with one of them, to bring them down one inch and make a step up."

Gunther has wrestled Jey Uso in 13 singles matches since the start of last year, and not once has the former Intercontinental Champion been able to able to walk away with pinfall or submission victory the Ring General.

The reigning World Heavyweight Champion has nothing to gain and everything to lose when they square off again this April. Gunther may not like that he's facing Jey Uso, but it is a creative decision he certainly understands.

"I think if you have somebody like Jey that has such a movement behind him and such support from the audience, you have got to do something with that," Gunther said. "I've got to give it to him, in general, he's a very likable guy, easy to talk to, and very warm to other people, always very friendly and very nice."

Jey Uso's rise from underdog to the main event of WrestleMania reminds Gunther of Daniel Bryan and the Yes Movement ahead of WrestleMania XXX. He calls it a truly special situation that's unfolding ahead of the biggest show of the year.

"And good for him to be in that position right now. I think he deserves that. But... leave me out."

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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