AJ Styles suffered a contentious defeat to former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther during last week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, igniting debate among fans. Following the match, Gunther addressed the outcome on social media with a pointed one-word statement.
Gunther, who previously secured a submission win against John Cena in the latter’s final WWE match, has continued to antagonize Cena and his notable adversaries, including AJ Styles and CM Punk. The confrontation between Gunther and Styles escalated after an intense in-ring altercation, culminating in Styles delivering a slap to Gunther, which led to their official match.
The match ended in controversy when Gunther pinned AJ Styles after delivering a low blow. At one moment, Styles appeared to make Gunther submit, but the referee failed to notice the tap-out, allowing the result to stand. Gunther emphasized his dominance by posting a clip of the match on Instagram accompanied by the single word:
“Ringgeneral!” Gunther
AJ Styles Discusses John Cena’s Unforeseen Trouble Over Special Introduction
During John Cena’s retirement tour in 2025, he crossed paths with AJ Styles for a final match at the Crown Jewel event. Cena had prepared a special introduction for Styles, adding an emotional moment to their encounter. However, this introduction led to unexpected complications for Cena behind the scenes.
On The Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast, Styles revealed the details of the incident. He recounted his surprise during the event and explained:
“I hear ‘The definition of Total Nonstop Action,’ and I was like, is he talking about me?…That was really cool. And he got into trouble a little bit for that whole thing. I didn’t know that Bullet Club was gonna be in there. If you watch my reaction, I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa!’” AJ Styles
The two veterans first clashed in the ring in 2016, with Styles, a former TNA star, besting Cena on several occasions. Cena, however, reclaimed glory by beating Styles at the 2017 Royal Rumble, capturing his 16th WWE World Championship.
Impact and Future Moments in WWE’s Evolving Rivalries
The controversial finish to the match between Gunther and AJ Styles has stirred uncertainty among fans and heightened tensions between the wrestlers involved. Gunther’s rising dominance and bold social media presence may signal continued clashes with WWE’s top performers like Styles and CM Punk. Meanwhile, the underlying history between Styles and John Cena adds emotional weight to ongoing storylines, especially given Cena’s recent retirement and past rivalries.
As WWE continues to build on these tensions, viewers can expect further developments that explore unresolved conflicts and new challenges in the wrestling landscape.
