Backstage Report On WWE's Current Plans For GUNTHER At WrestleMania 42

Given that he retired Bill Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles in just a six month span, one might expect GUNTHER would be poised for big things come WrestleMania 42. But with only a few weeks to go before the "showcase of the immortals," nothing concrete has emerged for the former World Heavyweight Champion, who hasn't appeared on "Raw" since defeating Dragon Lee two weeks ago.

It turns out that absence may be because the original WrestleMania plan for GUNTHER was tied to that Lee match. Bodyslam+ reports that the original intent behind GUNTHER's victory over Lee was to lead to a feud between GUNTHER and lucha libre legend Rey Mysterio, which would culminate in a match between the two at WrestleMania. However, that match is very much up in the air as Mysterio continues to deal with a rib injury suffered prior to the Royal Rumble, which has kept him out of action since.

What this means for GUNTHER isn't entirely clear. While it was noted that GUNTHER's WrestleMania plans had changed as a result of Mysterio's injury, his Mania plans still seem tied to Mysterio and whether or not the luchador is cleared. As a result, the possibility appears to be on the table that GUNTHER may miss WrestleMania 42.

The 51-year-old Mysterio has not had the easiest last year, missing over seven months in 2025 after suffering a torn groin and ruptured ear drum just a day before he was set to compete at WrestleMania 41. Despite returning in November, Mysterio has continued to deal with health issues, and was absent from the ring for nearly a month between December and January. It's unclear whether this was the rib injury affecting Mysterio, or if he was dealing with another ailment at the time.