"He had his time" - Gunther reveals he isn't interested in on-screen interaction with 70-year-old WWE Hall of Famer

Intercontinental Champion Gunther does not believe an on-screen interaction with a 70-year-old WWE Hall of Famer would benefit anyone involved.

Gunther defended the Intercontinental Championship against Drew McIntyre last night at WWE SummerSlam in Detroit. McIntyre gave The Ring General everything he could handle, but it still wasn't enough. The leader of Imperium picked up the pinfall victory to retain the title after connecting with a Powerbomb on The Scottish Warrior.

The 35-year-old is approaching The Honky Tonk Man's record as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion. In a recent interview with Metro UK, Gunther was asked if he would like to have a moment with the legend on screen. The Intercontinental Champion didn't seem fond of the idea and claimed that the interaction wouldn't benefit anyone.

"No, I don't think so. I think he [The Honky Tonk Man] had his time, he's still got the record — it's not broken, we will see what happens. I think I operate on a different level than him when it comes to what we do in the ring. I think my presentation's very different, and also how I carry myself. I think it would just not be a good fit. I don't think anybody would benefit from that," said Gunther. [H/T: Metro UK]

Gunther breaks character to praise former rival on WWE RAW

Gunther has asserted his dominance on WWE RAW since his arrival but recently broke character to praise a former foe.

Matt Riddle was involved in a storyline with Imperium leading up to the premium live event. He battled Gunther in a non-title match on the July 17 edition of RAW but came up short.

The Original Bro followed that up with a loss to Imperium's Ludwig Kaiser on last week's episode of the red brand and also was eliminated during the Slim Jim Battle Royal last night at WWE SummerSlam.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling in an exclusive interview, the Intercontinental Champion praised Matt Riddle and noted that he is a unique threat due to his UFC background.

"Of course it does, and always has been. I wrestled Riddle on the indies a bunch of times before we had a match in WWE, and it was always more physical, more scrappy. He's a very skilled grappler and he's a fantastic striker, so it's always a different challenge to be in the ring with him." [From 14:50 – 15:15]

You can check out the full interview in the video below:

The Austrian star is heading toward comfortably breaking The Honky Tonk Man's record as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion unless someone is able to dethrone him.

It will be interesting to see which superstar steps up to the champion next on WWE RAW in the weeks ahead.

Who do you think should be next in line for a shot at the Intercontinental Championship? Sound off in the comments section below.