Gunther Needs To Become WWE Intercontinental Champion Now

WWE’s Intercontinental Championship may have a rich history, with several Hall of Famers and legends of the business holding the title in the past, but no matter how much WWE reminds fans of this, the prestige of the belt is currently in the toilet. Every so often, WWE attempts to rectify the poor booking, elevating its stock, but then neglects it again, running it into the ground. That is the case right now, as the title is in one of the worst states it has been in for years. However, when looking at the current SmackDown roster, one name sticks out as someone who can salvage the belt, and he must be crowned sooner rather than later. That man is Gunther. RELATED: 10 Things Fans Forget About Honky Tonk Man's 454-Day Intercontinental Title Run

The Intercontinental Championship Has Had A Terrible Year In WWE

The Intercontinental Championship has been in a poor state for well over a year at this point. In 2021, Big E’s reign didn’t really go anywhere, with this being followed up with Apollo Crews winning the title, only for WWE to completely drop his push, barely featuring him, and having him lose in nearly every non-title match, which made the champion look weak. After several failed midcard title reigns prior to this, Shinsuke Nakamura was crowned as champion, but he was once again poorly booked. Nakamura went missing for weeks on end and hardly defended the title despite being champion for nearly 200 days. This was a complete farce of a reign, and it made the title feel like the most unimportant prize in the company. Sami Zayn picked up the title for a matter of weeks, before losing it to Ricochet. He initially promised to be a great Intercontinental Champion, but he has not been booked strongly at all.

Ricochet has lost several non-title matches, and he was left off the WrestleMania 38 card. In fact, the IC Title hasn’t been defended on a PPV since WrestleMania 37, which just goes to show where it currently stands in terms of WWE’s priorities. Some of his matches have been decent, but Ricochet hasn’t had a memorable feud, not even in the short-term. In the last weeks, he has been at odds with Gunther, and suddenly, the future for the Intercontinental Title could look bright.

Gunther Is Being Booked Well So Far On WWE’s Main Roster

In NXT UK, “Walter” was pushed as one of the most dominant champions in recent memory, and that goes for the entire professional wrestling world. He was a throwback to classic big-man heel champions, holding the NXT UK Title for a record-breaking 870 days. This was a stunning achievement, but in that time, fans wanted him to come over to the US to continue his dominance on a grander stage.

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Walter made his way over to NXT full-time in early 2022, under the NXT 2.0 banner. This new version of NXT didn’t suit him at all, with a lot of fan backlash at his name change to “Gunther.” However, since his debut on the main roster, his booking has been perfect, regardless of whether he is called Walter or Gunther. He has wrestled five matches thus far, and though he hasn’t come up against a major name in singles competition just yet, he is undefeated. It has been a long time since WWE has run with an undefeated storyline, largely due to the reliance on non-finishes and 50/50 booking, but it could be a huge benefit to everyone if they do something like that with Gunther.

Gunther Can Save The Floundering Intercontinental Championship

In terms of WWE’s current roster, the stock of many wrestlers is quite low, but in the case of Gunther, he has a lot of momentum on his side. He looks to have a match with Ricochet for the Intercontinental Title lined up some point soon, and he should dethrone the champ. Despite Ricochet’s talents, WWE is doing nothing with him as champion, so a change is necessary, and Gunther would be the perfect name to crown with the title.

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He could be a long-term champion, dominating the competition. Big men as IC Champion haven’t always worked, due to it being the workhorse title, but Gunther is a tremendous in-ring talent who could live up to that billing. With a reign consisting of show-stealing matches, PPV-worthy feuds, and a long reign, it will help to put over whatever babyface eventually dethrones him. By that point, with the right booking, this could ready Gunther for a main event push, which is a role he is more than suited for. Of course, this is all easier said than done, especially in WWE, but with the right amount of backing, this could salvage the IC Title, which is in dire need of a boost right now.