Andrew Ravens
According to a report from BodySlam, Gunther was originally planned to enter a program with Rey Mysterio that would have ended in a match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas. Those plans are now in doubt following a rib injury Mysterio sustained in January, and it is currently unclear whether Gunther will compete at the event at all unless Mysterio is cleared in time.
The original creative direction called for the angle to begin after Gunther attacked Dragon Lee on the March 2 episode of WWE Raw. That attack was intended to serve as the inciting incident for a feud with Mysterio, but the injury has thrown that timeline into question. Gunther’s attack on Lee has been his last televised appearance, leaving his WrestleMania status in limbo with the event less than five weeks away.
Mysterio’s injury dates back to a match with Austin Theory on the January 26 edition of Raw, during which he suffered fractured ribs. He did compete in the Royal Rumble match the following Saturday, but has not wrestled since. In the weeks since, Mysterio has been appearing on commentary for AAA on Fox, including this past Saturday’s broadcast of the first part of Rey de Reyes. His ring return timeline has not been publicly confirmed.
WrestleMania 42 takes place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas across two nights on April 18 and 19. The card already features Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship and Randy Orton challenging Cody Rhodes for the WWE title. Gunther, as one of Raw’s top stars and a former World Heavyweight Champion, would be a notable absence from a card of that scale if no opponent could be secured for him.
Whether WWE pivots to an alternate opponent for Gunther or holds out hope for Mysterio to be cleared remains to be seen. With WrestleMania weekend now approaching, a decision will need to be made soon. A name to keep an eye on is LA Knight as a potential replacement for Mysterio, as it would give Gunther a notable name to work with, who also doesn’t have a match lined up yet for Mania.
Given the way WWE has been booking Gunther for nearly a year, with him retiring names like Goldberg, AJ Styles, and John Cena, it seems unthinkable for him not to have a match at WWE’s biggest show of the year.
