How Did Gunther Fare Against R-Truth in First Post-John Cena Match on 12/29 WWE Raw?

On December 13, 2025, Gunther competed in one of the most memorable matches in his WWE career. He tapped out John Cena, shocking everyone in attendance at Saturday Night’s Main Event. It didn’t even feel real to most people that Cena was gone from WWE.

He was such an integral part of everything that it was going to be a tremendous loss. Gunther didn’t think that way, though. On Monday Night Raw two nights later, he bragged about tapping Cena out, and then came face-to-face with CM Punk the following week. How was he going to spend his third Monday as the guy who tapped out John Cena?

Gunther Obliterates R-Truth in Statement Match

This year has certainly been a rollercoaster for R-Truth. He has seen his idol, John Cena, go from his friend to his worst enemy. Then, he wrestled him at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The contract controversy and the Ron Killings character switch made headlines over the summer. Then, Cena got tapped out by Gunther. It’s been really rough for R-Truth lately. Hopefully, 2026 will be a better year for him.

To end the year on a high note, he decided to face Gunther in a match on December 29, 2025, Raw. He wanted to redeem Cena’s loss by getting a win of his own. Fans were definitely going to be on his side. Gunther hasn’t been too popular over the past couple of weeks. The match started, and immediately Gunther began to do what he usually does.

Slamming R-Truth to the mat and chopping him in the chest shows that he is angry about the fans turning on him. The best place to take out your aggression if you’re a wrestler is in the wrestling ring. He definitely took that to heart during the match. R-Truth would get some punches in at times. But Gunther responded with even harder strikes.

When he chopped R-Truth a second time, he yelled at the crowd, saying he would give up. That prompted a chorus of boos from the crowd, as they didn’t like seeing R-Truth in pain. Afterwards, R-Truth had the strength to get up, and he started gaining momentum.

He started to shoulder tackle Gunther, even knocking him to the ground at one point. But he got caught with a boot to the face, ending his comeback. Gunther delivered an epic powerbomb, but R-Truth shockingly kicked out. He drove his elbow into R-Truth’s neck and made him tap out from a sleeper hold.