John Cena will wrestle the final match in his iconic WWE career on December 13 at the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. as part of Saturday Night’s Main Event. That much we know. Ahead of that, there were plenty of questions about who he would compete against and what it would mean for that Superstar and his future.

F4WOnline.com’s Dave Meltzer reported that former world heavyweight champion Gunther will be The Unseen 17’s final opponent (h/t WrestlePurists). The insider added that a tournament will be held, with the winner receiving the honor of competing against Cena in the historic contest.

Considering all that WWE got wrong as part of Cena’s retirement tour, it is almost surprising that it has his final opponent so right. Gunther has become the Darth Vader of WWE, the big bad guy that every babyface has to combat and, more times than not, loses to.

He is an imposing figure who has already ruined one generation’s childhood by retiring Goldberg, ended Jey Uso’s storybook world title reign, and beaten every top opponent who has come his way.

He is a wrestler’s wrestler, a heel the like of which we do not see anymore. He claims to be a ring general, the protector of the sacredness of professional wrestling, and he backs it up.

He is believable and does not need 12 different wrestlers to run interference for him, nor does he need a manager to speak for him. He carries himself with dignity, speaks elegantly and beats people up, with his overwhelming physicality being his greatest asset.

Most importantly, he is a Superstar in this current WWE Universe who can actually benefit from the spotlight and platform that the match presents.

Fans and casuals alike who have turned into NBC for the company’s primetime specials have seen him before. He has retained the world title and, in the aforementioned case of Goldberg, retired one of the greats from the Monday Night Wars.

Cena, though, is on an entirely different level. He is a pop culture star, a guy who has transcended pro wrestling and become an attraction in Hollywood. He is in movies, on TV, and does work in front of and behind the cameras for commercials. People know who he is beyond the sports-entertainment realm and sharing the ring with him will mean something to those who may not know much about the Austrian-born bad guy.

If he can manage to beat Cena and become the guy who retires fans’ favorites, it will be even better.

What better way to announce to the world that Gunther is not just a star of today, but the big, nasty badass who ended two icons’ careers? It would mean even more if it served as a jumping off point for a storyline for the Ring General.

Perhaps a sign of respect from Cena kicks off the gradual babyface turn that sees Gunther ultimately provide opposition for Seth Rollins and The Vision on Raw. Or, maybe, it sets him on a collision course for a match with Cody Rhodes, the one Superstar against whom he has not had as much success against.

Either way, there is a wealth of potential for Gunther to propel forward coming out of his match with Cena, if that is in fact the direction things take, and fans should be excited about the potential for a relatively fresh new face to have the opportunity to combat the biggest star of the last two decades on a stage as large as Saturday Night’s Main Event.