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Gunther Takes Brutal Shot At Lionel Messi, Compares Him To WWE Star

By Gaurav Singh • Published Jul 18, 2026 08:21 EDT
Gunther Lionel Messi
Gunther takes shot at Lionel Messi (Image via-Instagram/@leomessi and WWE.com)

The Ring General, Gunther compared Lionel Messi to a top WWE star, while taking a shot at the Soccer legend. The star in discussion is Cody Rhodes.

Gunther has been on a warpath with Cody Rhodes for months now. He challenged Cody for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Clash in Italy 2026, but failed to capture the title. The Ring General was defeated by Rhodes in another Undisputed title match on SmackDown. At Night of Champions 2026, Sami Zayn became the new Champion by beating both Cody and Gunther in a triple threat match.

Gunther also attacked Cody Rhodes backstage on RAW a few weeks back, costing him the Undisputed title match against Sami Zayn. This week on SmackDown, The Ring General lost to Cody by DQ, and the rivalry continues. Meanwhile, Rhodes has been compared with Lionel Messi.

In a recent Instagram vlog, Gunther was watching the FIFA World Cup 2026 match between Argentina and Switzerland. Later in the video, The Ring General called Cody Rhodes the Lionel Messi of WWE, taking a brutal shot at Messi.

Gunther took some massive digs at the top WWE Superstar

Before his Undisputed WWE Title match against the top star, Cody Rhodes, Gunther took some shots at Cody during an interview, claiming that he cries about not getting the attention and recognition:

The issue is, if Cody is not on the (media) rounds that are so much fun, then he’s sitting at home worrying, crying a little bit that he doesn’t get the attention that he wants, that he needs. He seems to run on that.”

I’m glad that he was in New York spending the whole day with you guys. I spent the day with my wife here in lovely Cambridge, England, and drank coffee in the city center, and was not thinking for a second, ‘I need to be on some interview to get seen, to get recognition.’”

This weekend on Saturday Night’s Main Event, Gunther and Sami Zayn will take on the team of Cody Rhodes and the current Undisputed Champion, CM Punk, in a tag encounter. It was also announced this week on SmackDown that if The Ring General and Sami win, they will be added to the Cody vs Punk match for the title at SummerSlam.

It will be interesting to see if Gunther and Sami Zayn will be added to the fatal-4-way match for the Undisputed title at SummerSlam.