Who will be the “right” person to defeat Gunther?
Gunther might be the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in the history of WWE, but it remains unsure if he could defend his championship with the same length as what Roman Reigns currently has. I see Gunther as an indestructible force in terms of technical aspects of wrestling but who is this worthy opponent for him to be dethroned in his Intercontinental championship reign. He created the “secondary” championship as a main event-worthy especially that the Undisputed WWE champion only appears once in a blue moon whenever he wanted to. This is why before the World Heavyweight championship was reintroduced, the Intercontinental Championship was slated as the temporary main championship for SmackDown brand to fill the gap that was left by the unification of both WWE and Universal championship at WrestleMania 38. Undoubtedly, Gunther delivered it well for almost a year prior to their transfer as part of RAW roster which some of his matches garnered 5-star ratings from veteran pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer. Here are some of the current wrestlers in WWE who might defeat Gunther and claim the Intercontinental title:
Chad Gable
Chad already proven himself as the greatest rival since Gunther’s main roster debut. They already had 2 blockbuster one-on-one matches on RAW wherein everything ended with Gable standing tall. The good thing about those “defeats” by Gunther was that it did not damage his character as the “Ring General”. While Chad Gable garnered victory after their match, Gunther was still shocked on how competitive and good Gable was inside the ring. Gunther felt like Chad Gable is his kryptonite and it’s still observed until this day highlighting on how Triple H books Gable on their 2 matches and his role as the leader of Alpha Academy. It only takes good timing and strong booking consistency for Chad Gable to be one of the biggest superstars in this generation.
The Miz
When it comes to bringing the legacy of the Intercontinental championship in the modern era, it is The Miz who brought it to prestige. I am a fan of The Miz as a champ especially when he had a feud with the likes of Bryan Danielson and Dolph Ziggler. His compelling storytelling in his promos is the reason for being a great champion, and it also added to the great matches that he had, especially in 2016 where he was a part of Smackdown brand. The Miz is aspiring to be a 9-time Intercontinental champion together with Chris Jericho if he had the chance to beat Gunther at Survivor Series. During the past episode of RAW, they had a great exchange on the microphone where I applaud The Miz for being a better babyface than he was before. I always looked forward for the heel version of The Miz but when that promo happened this past week, he just broke my expectations. So as Gunther’s promo performance, he also proved to the world why he is a future Hall of Famer and known as the greatest Intercontinental champion of all time for generations to come.
Bronson Reed
Bronson Reed also has Gunther’s number in having a chance of claiming the Intercontinental championship. With his size, power, and athleticism he has the chance to beat Gunther inside the squared circle. In addition, Triple H booked him as a path of destruction whenever he goes and regularly squashes wrestlers in the ring. His participation in the elimination chamber match, which I commend his work, proved to the WWE Universe that he’s ready for more bigger matches in his WWE career and it will elevate more if he’s the one to defeat Gunther.
Solo Sikoa
Another man that causes path of destruction from The Bloodline’s enforcer. No one could stop Solo Sikoa now especially that he defeated John Cena at WWE Crown Jewel PLE in Saudi Arabia. By winning the Intercontinental championship, I think that the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns will be prouder than ever before, especially that Jey Uso left The Bloodline and with that he is not needed anymore in the Island of Relevancy. Although both Solo Sikoa and Gunther are from different brands, this might still be possible if Gunther’s reign stretches until the next WWE Draft and will coincidentally cross their paths one more time.
Ilja Dragunov
As of now, this person is the least possible of them all. Ilja Dragunov was the one who ended the long reign of Gunther as WWE United Kingdom champion during his time in NXT. It was a hard-hitting match when they met each other in the squared circle at the last TakeOver event. Although, Dragunov is still spending his time in NXT as a great contender, it will not take long if he will be called up to the main roster and probably cross paths again with Gunther. If Triple H will book Dragunov as a strong contender when he’ll be called up on either RAW or Smackdown, then he will be worthy to defeat Gunther and take his Intercontinental championship.
As of this writing, Gunther is now heading to Survivor Series as Intercontinental champion by confronting The Miz. I still think Gunther will walk out of Allstate Arena as champion, but I am also looking forward to The Miz getting his 9th reign as Intercontinental champion but not this time yet. Although the odds are still in favor of Gunther, I doubt that The Miz will get his revenge anytime soon. Additionally, The Miz might still exceed his performance as a babyface to see something new from the post-McMahon era of WWE creative direction. The right person for me to defeat Gunther and lose his Intercontinental championship is Chad Gable. With his undeniable talent and underrated charisma, I am sure that he will bring Alpha Academy to the top.