Former champion to return after 145 days and cost Gunther his title at Fastlane 2023? Exploring potential swerve

Last week on RAW, Gunther celebrated becoming the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time. In doing so, he beat The Honky Tonk Man's record of 454 days.

However, there is a chance Gunther could lose his title at Fastlane on Saturday, October 7. Given how the story is progressing on RAW, there is a huge chance that Tommaso Ciampa will face the Intercontinental Champion. If this match happens, it could mark the return of a 36-year-old WWE Superstar.

The star in question is Ciampa's former teammate, Johnny Gargano, who was last seen on the May 15 edition of RAW. Considering the IC Champion has his Imperium members by his side, Gargano could return at Fastlane to support his friend. He could also potentially help him win the IC title, which could lead to a rivalry between the DIY and Imperium.

Look who just shut down all of Tony Khan's critics! More HERE.

While this speculative angle would be a good fresh feud for WWE, there is also a chance WWE might not go with it. If the Stamford-based promotion has to reunite DIY, it would potentially be for them to chase the Tag Team Championship.

Also, despite how it looks, it seems as if Gable's quest to become IC Champion has not ended yet.

Gunther has no interest in working with WWE legend

After all that Gunther achieved as Intercontinental Champion, it is hard to argue he is not the greatest champion in the title's history. The only man who could potentially come close to being compared with the Austrian is The Honky Tonk Man, who held the record for being the longest-reigning IC Champion before Gunther.

Recently, Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta asked The Ring General if he would be interested in working with Tonk Man. Given the stature of the former WWE Superstar, one would have expected the Austrian to show some interest. However, he denied the opportunity. The Imperium leader said:

"No. It's a great accomplishment, but I'm gonna use that to build my legacy more on top of that. Just getting started."

Check out the video below:

While Gunther has his reasons, it will be interesting to see when he works with other WWE legends like Brock Lesnar. Ever since the duo squared off at Royal Rumble, fans have been wanting to see the leader of Imperium and Lesnar face each other in a singles match.

About the author

Varun is a Golf and WWE journalist for Sportskeeda with over 4 years of work experience in his bag. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he worked for many sites, including EssentiallySports, FanSided, Khel Now, Get Football, and a few others.

Varun is a fan of golfer Scottie Scheffler due to the latter’s mindset, and he admires Roman Reigns’ ability to keep moving forward in life regardless of any obstacles. As a purist golf fan, he would love to compete at the Masters if given the opportunity, but is also happy with LIV Golf driving more eyeballs towards the sport. If he could go back in time and be a manager for someone in the WWE, it would have been Big Show.

Varun’s mantra for writing factually correct feature articles is thorough verification. Another key element in his writing is staying updated with both sports through the official websites of pro wrestling and Golf. He has had the privilege of interviewing MMA legend Greg Jackson in his career so far.

Varun likes to spend his free time reading or writing poetry and fiction. He also plans to learn and play golf in his spare time.

Know More

Edited by Neda Ali