Gunther on fame: ‘I would love nobody to know me’
For Gunther, being famous is a necessary evil of his pro wrestling success.
The Ring General joined The Undertaker & Michelle McCool on the latest episode of WWE’s Six Feet Under podcast. During the conversation, Gunther opened up about still being somewhat overwhelmed with the fame his WWE role has brought.
“That’s like something I got to be honest, like I’m still overwhelmed with, not overwhelmed, that’s maybe the wrong word, but like I never cared about fame or anything like that,” he said. “Reality, I would love nobody to know me.”
Gunther said he doesn’t mind interacting with kids and does appreciate the support fans give him. But he thinks people should do something better with their time rather than driving several hours just to meet him.
“It’s like, I appreciate it [the support from fans]. But then I did a meet and greet recently and there was like one person, they said drove like nine hours or something to a meet and greet. And I said to her, I was like, ‘Appreciate it, but never do that again.’ Like, do something with your time that actually benefits you,” Gunther said. “It’s like a waste of time. And I felt like, she looked a bit sad, but I felt like that’s the only responsible thing to say at that point. Like, I don’t know. I feel like if my kid would drive somewhere to see that person, I wish the same message would be transferred [laughs]. 100 percent, like, ‘Please don’t do that.'”
Gunther is a two-time World Heavyweight Champion for WWE. His most recent reign with the title came to an end last weekend at SummerSlam, where CM Punk defeated Gunther to win the title. Seth Rollins then cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to end Punk’s reign just as soon as it began.
Undertaker is a huge fan of Gunther, and he continued to praise him during this podcast, calling him someone who could have been a star in any era of wrestling.
“With you, I always look at it and it’s like you’re right out of central casting as the epitome of what a heel champion should be,” Undertaker said. “Like if I was to think of something in my mind, if I was going to make a movie — yeah, this is what I want right here. And that is one of the highest compliments I could give you, man.”
The full podcast episode can be watched below:
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.