GUNTHER makes history

In the history of the Intercontinental Championship, only four men have held the storied title for a full calendar year. But now a new face is about to be added to the IC title’s version of Mount Rushmore.

This weekend, GUNTHER joins Don Muraco, Randy Savage, Pedro Morales, and the Honky Tonk Man as the only wrestlers to go a full 365 days in possession of one of WWE’s most iconic titles.

Since winning the gold last June, GUNTHER has chopped down Hall of Famers and former world champions. More importantly, he may have dodged a bullet known as Vince McMahon.

Last summer, rumor had it that McMahon had soured on the new champ and was planning to bury him. Despite denials from his Imperium teammate Ludwig Kaiser, the rumors persisted.

But when Triple H was named head of WWE creative following McMahon’s (brief) departure due to scandal, the man formerly known as WALTER had space to flourish. And flourish he has.

At Clash at the Castle, GUNTHER stole the show with a celebrated encounter against Sheamus. Together, the two continued to raise the Austrian’s stock with epic rematches at various live events, including an episode of SmackDown.

Speaking of the blue brand, it was there that GUNTHER showcased his pulverizing skills in front of a network audience, wowing them with exhilarating bouts typically reserved for premium live events. After moving to Raw, GUNTHER continued that level of excellence with a recent hard-hitting victory over Kevin Owens.

Yet, GUNTHER’S most significant achievement is as a miracle worker, having resurrected the Intercontinental title from the dead.

Once the second-most prestigious championship in WWE and often viewed as a stepping stone to the World crown, the Intercontinental Championship had become a laughingstock. Since 2000, over a hundred title reigns have lasted less than one hundred days, including over thirty runs under thirty days.

But thanks to Triple H’s creative genius and GUNTHER’S magnificence on the mat, the title is enjoying a renaissance, and The Ring General shows no signs of slowing down.

With the fifth longest IC reign of all time, GUNTHER is less than three months away from breaking the all-time mark of 453 days set by the Honky Tonk Man in 1988.

And with WWE putting more emphasis on longer sovereignties, GUNTHER is not only a lock to smash that record, but he’s also likely to give ring announcer Samantha Irvin a bad case of laryngitis as she continues to growl what’s become her signature call...