Gunther to leave WWE after losing title at WrestleMania thanks to major betrayal ending run? Exploring the possibility

Gunther has been the Intercontinental Champion for a long time, but he has received assistance from Imperium throughout his run. He's faced quite a few tough challenges, but at the end of the day, he was still the champion when it mattered, defeating everyone who stepped up to him.

While The Ring General has always shown his unique ability, there's also been an element of tension within his faction, Imperium, when it came to their performances. Although they have helped Gunther, the champion has not always felt that the two Imperium members lived up to his expectations.

He's made it known, criticizing Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci whenever they fell short of wherever they needed to be. He took them to task, and at times, it felt like the faction would break up with him berating them for their lack of performance. It has even created friction within the team, with Ludwig and Vinci not always getting along.

At WrestleMania 40, Gunther's opponent is not yet decided, but the star is going probably be defending his title on one of the two nights. As the star with the longest reign with the Intercontinental title, he has made the championship prestigious once again. However, with the tension within Imperium building for the last year, there's a chance that WrestleMania is where his reign finally ends.

The star has done all that he can do with the title, and there's a chance that tensions finally snap within Imperium, with Ludwig Kaiser betraying him to help whoever challenges him to win the title.

Kaiser has been on the precipice of a push within the company for a long time, always impressing everyone but unable to break through from The Ring General's shadow.

Betraying Gunther in revenge for every time he was berated for what he would think as unjustified reasons makes perfect sense for him as well, as it would identify him as a superstar in his own right and not just as a lackey.

If Gunther lost the Intercontinental title, having held it as long as he's had, it would come as a huge blow, and even he would need time away from the company to reframe his entire existence. Time away would allow him to come back and immediately do one of two things.

He could either take revenge on Ludwig Kaiser for betraying him, and coming back after leaving WWE for a while would give him the element of surprise he would need. Taking time away would put Kaiser at ease, so when he returned, it came out of nowhere.

His leaving would also allow him to then change directions in his career and focus on what would be the next logical step for him - either the WWE Universal title or the World Heavyweight Championship. If he took two to three months away and challenged either title holder, it would take them by surprise when it happened and give the well-rested Gunther the advantage as well.

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Gunther is one of the most indomitable stars in WWE - but his major dream WrestleMania match may not happen

For as long as Gunther has been on the main roster, fans have known who they want him to face - Brock Lesnar.

However, the match has somehow not happened, with the two stars not crossing one another's paths. The only time they were in the same match was when they both competed in the 2023 Royal Rumble.

With WWE apparently excluding Lesnar from their content since the scandal surrounding Janel Grant's lawsuit against Vince McMahon emerged, it has seemed that the star will never compete in the company again unless his name is cleared.

At this time, there's no certainty when that will be, so there's a chance that the match between the two stars never ends up happening.