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Reigning Intercontinental Champion Gunther has been making history from time to time since his WWE main roster debut in April last year. He is about to conquer another huge milestone in the coming days as champion.
The 35-year-old megastar began his reign of dominance as the Intercontinental Champion by dethroning Ricochet on June 10, 2022. He has defended his title against the likes of Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, and Braun Strowman, among others. On February 9, Gunther reached the milestone of becoming the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of the 21st century by transcending Shelton Benjamin's reign of 244 days.
Gunther has held the Intercontinental Championship for 281 days now. He surpassed Curt Hennig’s 1990 title run and is about to surpass Greg Valentine’s 285 days record from 1985. This would eventually make him the longest-reigning I.C. Champion since Honky Tonk Man’s reign from 1987-88. The WWE Hall of Famer still holds the top spot due to his 454-day reign.
Before his main roster run, Gunther (fka Walter) was the longest-reigning NXT UK Champion. His 870-day run with the gold included wins against Ciampa, Drake Maverick, A-Kid, and many others. It clearly highlights the fact that WWE has huge plans for The Ring General.
Time will tell if The Austrian Bruiser manages to keep his current reign as I.C. Champion intact even after SummerSlam this year. The Biggest Party of the Summer on August 5 could potentially mark his title run to be at 421 days, almost a month less than Honky Tonk Man’s record.
Gunther wanted to make a statement to the WWE Universe with his Intercontinental Championship reign
Currently, a major roadblock is hampering Gunther’s dreams of notching the 300-day mark as the Intercontinental Champion. He is scheduled to fight two competitors, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus, in a bid to retain the gold in his WrestleMania debut.
Sheamus is a huge favorite to complete his Grand Slam achievement in WWE at 'Mania. However, Gunther is adamant about reigning as Intercontinental Champion and making the most of the opportunity week after week. During an appearance on the Cheap Heat podcast, he disclosed more about his mission in WWE.
“When there’s eyes on you, when there’s expectations, that’s what I enjoy as well. I felt like, ‘okay, now it’s on me to make the most out of that and make that title the most prestigious title that can be with me as the title holder.’ That’s my approach about it. I want to leave my own mark in history when it comes to that, and I want people to look back at it in the years to come and be like, ‘Yeah, when that guy was on top, that meant something.” (H/T Yahoo)
The Ring General has left behind some major names to become the most dominant Intercontinental Champion in over 30 years, including Randy Orton, The Rock, and even Cody Rhodes. Besides his historic feats with the gold, he also holds the record for the longest time spent in a Royal Rumble match.
