5 Intense contenders for Gunther's Intercontinental Championship in 2023

Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship reign continues. The Ring General defeated The Miz in their rematch from Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 on WWE RAW tonight. The A-Lister put up a great fight but failed to dethrone Imperium’s main man for the prestigious title.

Gunther has had a spectacular 2023 when it came to Intercontinental Championship defenses. The Austrian encountered some incredibly tough challenges but put them all away in the ultimate display of grit and resilience.

These five superstars turned out to be the toughest challengers to the Ring General’s legendary title run:

#5. Tommaso Ciampa and Imperium reignited their rivalry from NXT

Tommaso Ciampa and Gunther had a heated feud in Triple H’s era of NXT. The Sicilian Psychopath and the Ring General had an incredible match on Night 1 of NXT Stand & Deliver.

The former Walter retained the NXT UK Championship against the DIY star.

Both men brought their feud to the main roster in 2023. Ciampa faced Gunther for his Intercontinental Championship on the October 10 episode of WWE RAW. Both matches put on a classic. The post-match angle saw the reunion of DIY.

#4. The Miz has held the Intercontinental Championship on eight different occasions

The Miz is one of the most accomplished WWE Superstars on the roster today. He’s only one of the two two-time Grand Slam Champions in company history. He’s also held the Intercontinental Championship on eight different occasions in the past.

The A-Lister had a great feud with the Ring General over the title in the lead-up to Survivor Series: WarGames. Miz, however, failed to win the championship at the November 25 Premium Live Event. He also was unable to win the rematch tonight on WWE RAW.

#3. Bronson Reed brought the fight to former Walter

Bronson Reed is arguably one of the best rehires of Triple H after Vice McMahon stepped down as WWE’s head booker. The big man gets the crowd on their favorite every time he delivers his patented Tsunami finisher on his opponents.

Reed also gave the Austrian one of his toughest matches for the Intercontinental Championship. The two powerhouses collided on the October 16, 2023, episode of WWE RAW. Both men went back and forth for over 12 minutes in arguably one of the best matches on the red brand this year.

#2. Drew McIntyre had a five-star classic over the Intercontinental Championship

Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, and Gunther had a five-star triple-threat match at WrestleMania 39. The three men rattled each other with stiff strikes. The Ring General emerged as the winner after a great fight at the SoFi Stadium.

The Scottish Warrior made his comeback at Money in the Bank 2023. He challenged the Ring General for the Intercontinental Championship. Both men met for the title at SummerSlam 2023. The champion retained his title after a brutal battle.

#1. Chad Gable defeated Gunther via count-out

Chad Gable is one of the few men to pick up a win over Gunther. The Alpha Academy star survived the Ring General for five minutes. He won the match via count-out, but the title didn’t change hands due to the nature of the win.

They met again for the Intercontinental Championship two weeks later at the SeptSeptember 423, episode of WWE RAW. Master Gable came incredibly close to beating his arch-rival, but the champion recuperated and scored the win after a great match.

Who would you like to see challenge Gunther next for the WWE Intercontinental Championship?