Kevin Nash Criticizes Gunther's Heat After Retiring John Cena

Gunther may have been heckled in the streets with extra security around him, and he may have been loudly booed out of every building he's been in since retiring John Cena, but The Ring General's heat is not impressing WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash.

The two-time World Heavyweight Champion has been receiving white hot heat since tapping out John Cena in Cena's final ever match on December 13. He was pursued by furious fans in the streets of Washington D.C. in the immediate aftermath of that bout, and on the two episodes of Monday Night Raw that have followed, crowds have reserved an almost nuclear level of energy to tell the Austrian how much they despise him.

For his part, Gunther has consistently called John Cena "a little b***h" and arrogantly basked in the glory of his victory at Saturday Night's Main Event.

Kevin Nash seems unimpressed wiith Gunther's heat

Yet, despite the volume and strength of the reactions in arenas to Gunther's promos since he became the first person to make John Cena tap out in over 20 years, former WWE Champion Nash does not seem convinced that the heat is anything special.

Commenting on his podcast 'Kliq This', Nash said, “He doesn’t have real heat. No. No, he doesn’t have real heat. He has manufactured heat. It’s the closest thing that there is to heat on that show, but he doesn’t have heat.

"It’s like last week when he came out, and so, his music plays, and then his graphic plays, then he goes out and cuts a promo and then (Adam) Pearce comes out and tells him to get the f*** out of the building. So, they played his music, played his entrance, gave him a microphone, he cut a promo. But when he got done, it’s time to get the f*** out of the building, because you’re a bad guy and you got heat.”

Kevin Nash also not a fan of CM Punk's recent work

In a perhaps even more startling excerpt from Nash's most recent podcast, the NWO founder claimed that CM Punk is 'done' after his latest match on Monday Night Raw.

"I watched (CM) Punk in the main event of that match last Monday. Number one, if you’re the Heavyweight Champion of the WWE and you wrestle in a t-shirt? Ouch. Number two, his punches looked really slow, he looked slow. I think he’s done. I think Bron (Breakker) should beat him."

In mentioning Bron Breakker, Nash is referring to the World Heavyweight Championship bout that will take place between Punk and Breakker on the January 5 edition of Raw. With Breakker being positioned more and more as the top heel on the Raw brand since he speared Seth Rollins out of The Vision earlier this year, there are many people who believe the first Raw of 2026 will be the coronation of a new World Champion. Big Sexy is among those believers.

There have been reports, however, that have suggested Punk and Breakker will headline one night of WrestleMania this year, with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line. Whether that means the young Steiner will be defending or once again challenging remains to be seen.

As for Gunther, manufactured heat or not, The Ring General is right alongside Breakker on Raw as the brand's biggest monster heel, and has exchanged less than pleasantries with AJ Styles and Punk in the past two weeks.

What that means for his road to WrestleMania is anybody's guess, but it certainly feels as if we will see just how manufactured the two-time World Heavyweight Champion's heat really is during WWE's busiest time of the year.

The Latest On WWE, AEW, & More

Liv Morgan Sends Warning To WWE Women’s Locker Room After Return To The Ring

Major Update On Jacob Fatu's WWE Future Amid Injury Hiatus

John Cena's Advice To Maxxine Dupri Ahead Of WWE Retirement

Major Update On Chris Jericho's AEW Status And WWE Future