WWE was ‘blindsided’ by fan reaction to John Cena vs. Gunther finish
WWE was not expecting the negative reaction fans had to the finish of John Cena vs. Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez addressed the company being “blindsided” by the response on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.
Meltzer said on the show:
“There are many people in WWE who did not agree with that decision, but the guy in charge did it. The one thing I can say is, even though they may say something different publicly, they were blindsided by that reaction.”
“The idea that like we did it, we knew it was going to get heat, just the price we pay. When they were all chanting and (Triple H) went ‘Ah, I thought’d be louder,’ that was a defense mechanism.”
“I don’t want to say there was no discussion of a reaction, but I was told there was no discussion of a reaction.”
Alvarez then added:
“Here’s the thing. I don’t think it would have gotten that reaction if John Cena would have just passed out in that sleeper hold. They got that reaction because for 20 years people have been sold on Never Give Up.”
Earlier in the conversation, Meltzer also discussed how the reaction to Gunther on WWE Raw could be viewed as a point in favor of the decision to have him win.
“The Gunther reaction was really impressive. If you want to argue that the decision was the right decision, that reaction he got tonight was a good argument because he was really hated and he played it up well.”
“This is not anything we can judge for six months or so,” he added.
The full episode of Wrestling Observer Radio is available for subscribers here.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.