Roman Reigns came into the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble with a one-track mind, and he accomplished exactly what he had set out to do. What he probably did not expect, however, was to gain the notice of the “Career Killer.”
In the final stages of the battle, The Ring General continually attempted to put The Tribal Chief to sleep with his famous Sleeper Hold, trying to get Reigns to submit. The Tribal Chief, however, refused to give up, countering by knocking Gunther’s head into the turnbuckle before sending him over the top rope to win the match. Since his entrance into the main roster of WWE in early 2022, Gunther has been notoriously hard to beat, facing few opponents who are truly capable of giving him a challenge.
During the post-Rumble recap, Gunther confessed that AJ Styles had tested him to the limits earlier in the match but was pleased to have come in second. He also called Roman Reigns an “obstacle,” which indicates that their feud is not over yet. With Reigns now having won the 2026 Royal Rumble, he has qualified himself to compete in the main event of WrestleMania 42. Gunther, on the other hand, is still enjoying his season as the “Career Killer” having retired legends such as Bill Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles in just seven months.
As you could imagine, when I walked out there, AJ [Styles] had taken it out of me, and making it to the last two with Roman Reigns — for the first time with Roman in the ring — my way leads to the World Heavyweight Championship or the WWE Championship, so I assume it won’t be the last of it. We’ll see. [Roman Reigns] is definitely an obstacle,” Gunther said as quoted by ITR wrestling
