Sports · Other Sports · 34 mins ago
GUNTHER Loses WWE Dark Match After Opting Out of Saudi Arabia Trip
GUNTHER opted out of traveling to Riyadh for WWE’s Crown Jewel event, and a planned match with Finn Balor did not happen.
Hours later, he lost a non-televised match before Raw to Trick Williams.
The loss stood out because GUNTHER had not previously lost a WWE dark match, according to Bryan Alvarez.
Dave Meltzer and Alvarez said the timing raised the possibility that WWE was punishing GUNTHER, but they could not confirm that.
Meltzer said dark matches often end with a win for the fan-favorite wrestler, though top stars are usually protected.
Meltzer said WWE’s approach to talent declining Saudi trips has become stricter in recent years, sometimes requiring changes to a wrestler’s push or title status.
The available information does not say what WWE will do next.
GUNTHER lost cleanly to Trick Williams in a WWE dark match after the November 9 episode of RAW.
The loss came after GUNTHER reportedly opted out of traveling to Riyadh for Crown Jewel 2026.
WWE had reportedly considered a Crown Jewel match between GUNTHER and Finn Bálor, but it did not happen.
Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez said the clean loss was unusual for GUNTHER, but they could not confirm it was connected to his decision not to travel.
GUNTHER was reportedly concerned about the safety of traveling to Saudi Arabia amid an ongoing regional conflict.
- Who
- GUNTHER lost to Trick Williams.
- What
- GUNTHER was pinned cleanly in a WWE dark match.
- When
- After the November 9 episode of RAW.
- Where
- At RAW; the articles do not state the venue.
- Why
- The reason for the loss is not confirmed. GUNTHER reportedly opted out of traveling to Saudi Arabia over safety concerns.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
WWE reportedly considered a match between GUNTHER and Finn Bálor for the event.
GUNTHER reportedly opted out of traveling to Riyadh for Crown Jewel.
GUNTHER lost cleanly to Trick Williams in a dark match after RAW.
Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the loss and whether it could be connected to GUNTHER opting out of the trip.
- Opponent
- Trick Williams
- Match result
- GUNTHER lost by pinfall
- Event
- Dark match after the November 9 episode of RAW
- Saudi event
- Crown Jewel 2026 in Riyadh
- Proposed opponent
- Finn Bálor
4 sources
Gunther Suffers Rare Clean WWE Defeat After Reportedly Refusing Saudi Arabia Trip
WOL: Gunther Refuses Saudi Arabia Trip, Then Loses to Trick Williams — Coincidence?
Dave Meltzer Comments On GUNTHER Losing WWE Dark Match After Turning Down Crown Jewel
What people are saying
It is possible...it's absolutely possible. Because in a dark match, the babyface does go over. That's the rule. I mean, usually with a guy at the level of GUNTHER, they'll do a run-in and a DQ...cause they protect the top guys in these type of matches. So there's probably something to this.
Originally, if you said no, you said no and all was understood.
Well, to the best of my knowledge, Gunther has never, until tonight, lost a dark match, a singles dark match, by anything other than DQ. And he has only lost one house show in his entire career on the main roster. So I would say that one way or the other, this is unusual, that he would lose his dark match clean to Trick Williams.
Posts on X
Trick Williams pinned Gunther clean after RAW ended tonight in the dark match. 😳