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Last night on SmackDown, Gunther went head-to-head with Ricochet in a tough encounter. The Ring General came out on top, winning the Intercontinental Title. While the new titleholder has had one of the longest reigns in modern history as the NXT UK Champion, last night's win was dubbed by commentary as his first major title win in WWE.
Shortly after his win, The Ring General posted a backstage photo with the Intercontinental Championship, titled 'WWE Intercontinental Champion.' Gunther then tweeted three images of himself alongside Ludwig Kaiser captioned, "Berg und Tal!" which translates to "Rollercoaster" or "Riding on a Rollercoaster."
Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser's journey together predates their time in WWE
In 2015, Gunther (as WALTER), Jakobi, Alexander Wolfe, and Ludwig Kaiser (as Axel Dieter Jr.) launched a clothing line named Ringkampf. In September 2016, WALTER, Dieter, and Jakobi, now joined by Timothy Thatcher, officially formed the wrestling stable Ringkampf, frequently appearing in Progress Wrestling and wXw.
The group won championships and garnered a strong reputation, often performing across promotions. In the following years, the members, one by one, got signed by WWE and were brought into NXT. The stable, now known as Imperium, was reformed in NXT UK. Imperium featured WALTER, Marcel Barther (Ludwig Kaiser), Alexander Wolfe, and Fabian Aichner. Imperium continued to wreak havoc and took control of NXT UK, leading to WALTER winning the NXT UK Championship.
WALTER held the title for a whopping 870 days before losing it to Ilja Dragunov at NXT TakeOver 36. Not long after the rebrand to NXT 2.0, WWE called WALTER up to the main roster under the new name Gunther.
He has since reunited with Kaiser. The two continue in their destructive ways as they slowly but surely run through the SmackDown roster.
What are your thoughts on his run on SmackDown so far? Who do you think could be the next to dethrone The Ring General? Do you see him entering the main event scene soon? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below!
