Ilja Dragunov Slams GUNTHER Current WWE Booking After John Cena Retirement

Ilja Dragunov Admits GUNTHER’s Current WWE Booking Falls Short Of His Historic Status

Ilja Dragunov has weighed in on the current booking of his longtime rival and friend, GUNTHER, expressing the same frustration shared by much of the wrestling fanbase over the Ring General’s recent placement on WWE programming.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show—the same appearance where Dragunov opened up about his own decision to leave WWE and debut in AEW—the conversation turned toward GUNTHER’s recent booking. Following a historic run that saw GUNTHER retire John Cena in December by forcing the legendary star to submit, followed by the retirement of AJ Styles, many expected the dominant Austrian star to remain permanently entrenched in the main-event picture.

Instead, GUNTHER transitioned into programs with Danhausen and Finn Balor, and was recently featured on Main Event—a move that sparked widespread fan outrage. Asked for his perspective on his longtime peer’s current standing, Dragunov acknowledged that the booking doesn’t match the lofty standards GUNTHER established:

I guess my feeling is the same feeling that a lot of other people share. If you are the person to retire John Cena, it’s a status that you should keep a certain level of that. For me, he is one of the best and he will be one of the best of all time. He is a dear friend of mine since 2014-15. I know he’s good. I know he will always do good, and whatever he does is going to be awesome. After the standard that he set and how he got portrayed that this is not necessarily the level we’re working at right now.

While Dragunov voiced confidence that GUNTHER will continue to excel regardless of circumstances, his candid remarks highlight the disconnect between the historic milestones GUNTHER achieved over the past year and his current television positioning.