Gunther's WWE spot under scrutiny if Goldberg beats him, veteran says (Exclusive)

Gunther will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Goldberg at Saturday Night's Main Event on July 12. According to former WWE writer Vince Russo, a defeat for The Ring General would lead to serious questions about his position in the company.

After a dominant first two years on WWE's main roster, Gunther lost the Intercontinental Championship to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania XL in 2024. This year, the Austrian suffered another major defeat when he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41. He later recaptured the title in a rematch on the June 9 episode of RAW.

Russo spoke about Gunther's booking with host Dr. Chris Featherstone on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo. The veteran writer made it clear that the RAW star cannot afford to lose at Saturday Night's Main Event.

"If it's me, I would be looking out for Gunther," Russo said. "I mean, bro, you can't have a loss to Jey, a loss to Sami, and now a loss to Goldberg. At that point, why is this guy even on the roster if he's gonna lose to everybody?" [3:32 – 3:49]

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Watch the video above to hear Russo's thoughts on whether Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton's controversy led to Ludwig Kaiser receiving backstage heat.

Vince Russo on the logic behind Goldberg beating Gunther

In the same episode, Vince Russo addressed the possibility of Seth Rollins leaving Saturday Night's Main Event as World Heavyweight Champion. If that happens, he thinks Goldberg could defeat Gunther before losing to Money in the Bank holder Rollins in an impromptu match.

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Although he would not agree with that booking, Russo believes WWE's higher-ups want to create memorable moments on Saturday Night's Main Event:

"I'll tell you why, maybe, because are they looking at Saturday Night's Main Event? 'It's Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC. We've got to do something big.'" [4:35 – 4:47]

Goldberg has not wrestled since losing to Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber 2022. Regardless of the outcome, the 58-year-old plans to retire from in-ring competition after Saturday Night's Main Event.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart