Not Sami Zayn, but 38-year-old superstar should challenge Gunther at WrestleMania, says WWE legend

Gunther's WrestleMania 40 opponent will be decided next week on RAW, and Sami Zayn is the favorite by far. However, WWE legend and Hall of Famer Bully Ray thinks that a 38-year-old star should be the one to win the gauntlet match and face Gunther at WrestleMania.

On RAW this past week, Adam Pearce managed to shortlist six opponents to face each other to become the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 40. Those names were Sami Zayn, "Big" Bronson Reed, Ricochet, JD McDonagh, Shinsuke Nakamura, and the 38-year-old former rival of Gunther - Chad Gable.

On Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray said that he wants to see Chad Gable and not Sami Zayn win the Gauntlet match on RAW. While Chad Gable and Gunther technically faced off thrice between late July and early September, their real feud comprised two matches on RAW - with Chad Gable winning one by count out and then losing the next match in a close effort.

The WWE Hall of Famer said:

"Coming out of last night, we have Sami Zayn's storyline of how this is his final opportunity to get to WrestleMania. I think Sami and GUNTHER would be a quality Intercontinental Championship match," Ray said. "However, a part of me wants to see [Chad] Gable-GUNTHER three, because Gable and GUNTHER has been really good. And Gable is that underdog who's come close [to beating GUNTHER]." [H/T WrestlingInc]

Sami Zayn sent a bold message to Gunther

For the former Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, there is a big chip on his shoulder.

He headlined WrestleMania 39 last year on the first night and was a bit disillusioned about not having a path this year. However, that changed quickly after his win over Shinsuke Nakamura on RAW, and he found his path as one of the candidates competing in the Gauntlet match.

On WWE's The Bump, the former Undisputed Tag Team Champion sent a message to Gunther after he laughed in his face.

"He laughed in my face, which is okay. Cool. You are cool. You're a cool guy, that is fine. But it doesn't matter because at that moment I was like 'there it is'. My path [to WrestleMania] just walked right by me and it presented itself. That laugh was the universe telling me 'Here's the moment, here is your guy, there is your path, that is your WrestleMania ticket right there,'" he added. [From 59:40 -1:00:04]

Zayn is certainly a favorite to win, but it isn't going to be an easy task. As with every gauntlet match, the last entrant is the most likely to win.