While Roman Reigns is away, WWE fans are witnessing the rise of a new potential conqueror

Roman Reigns has only competed in six televised WWE matches in 2023 so far. While many fans have issues with The Tribal Chief's part-time schedule, it cannot be denied that his star power is greater now than ever.

Thanks to Reigns' frequent absences, opportunities have opened up for several superstars on both RAW and SmackDown over the last 18 months. One man who has benefited from that more than most is Gunther, the current Intercontinental Champion.

In May 2022, news broke that Reigns' new WWE contract included significantly fewer dates. A month earlier, Gunther arrived on the main roster after three years in the NXT and NXT UK systems. Fans understandably had concerns about the Austrian potentially struggling to fit in on RAW and SmackDown, but they needn't have worried.

Gunther, formerly known as WALTER, has arguably been WWE's most valuable player from an in-ring perspective since his main roster call-up. The 36-year-old produces Match of the Year contenders on an annual basis. He also has the promo skills and physical presence that wrestling promoters worldwide would want in a top star.

Best of all, in the same way that WWE all-time great Brock Lesnar can work with wrestlers of any size, Gunther can too. Lesnar's battles with AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan are among the most memorable of his career. Similarly, the imposing Gunther is capable of wrestling opponents half his size, such as Ilja Dragunov and Tyler Bate, and nobody looks out of place.

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Could Gunther vs. Roman Reigns really happen?

From Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn to Jey Uso and LA Knight, the WWE Universe has rallied behind several potential Roman Reigns conquerors over the last year. Granted, one man would likely have to turn babyface, but a blockbuster bout between Gunther and The Head of the Table would be a must-see spectacle.

In July, Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta asked Gunther about a possible first-time-ever match against Roman Reigns. Interestingly, the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion did not seem overly enthusiastic about the idea:

"I wouldn't consider Roman as a dream opponent," Gunther said. "I think we are two completely different wrestlers. He's obviously somebody that came up through first of all his family history, but then he got basically developed or trained in the WWE system and got brought up through that."

Gunther is expected to be given a prominent role at WWE's Bash in Berlin event on August 31, 2024. Regardless of whether he faces Reigns at the show or not, The Ring General has cemented his status as a credible Tribal Chief conqueror.

Do you think Gunther is worthy of dethroning Roman Reigns? Let us know in the comments section below.