Gunther To Defend Intercontinental Title On Next Week's WWE Raw
If the Ring General can get past Chad Gable, he will make history.
Gunther's path to becoming the longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion in company history will hit an Olympic roadblock next week when he defends his title against Chad Gable on Raw.
As of Monday, the Ring General was 11 days shy of breaking Honky Tonk Man's 35-year-old record title reign of 454 days. Should he defeat Gable next week, he very likely would then go on to topple that record a few days later.
Last week on Raw, Gable became the first person to defeat Gunther on the main roster, winning their Intercontinental Championship match by count-out. On Monday, the IC champ acknowledged the accomplishment, downplayed it, and then said all Gable did was succeed in pissing Gunther off and getting his full attention.
Does @WWEGable have @Gunther_AUT's number?#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/OexRYoMEmp
— WWE (@WWE) August 29, 2023
Gunther has easily been WWE's most successful mid-card champion in quite some time, revitalizing the Intercontinental Championship as a highly sought-after prize. His feud with Gable has boosted both men, as fans have rallied behind the Olympian and taken to loudly booing Gunther while he delivers his sermons from atop the announce desk.
It's a bit surprising that the IC title match was announced for Raw rather than this Saturday's Payback PLE, which only has six official matches. It certainly is deserving of a spot. However, Gunther/Gable could easily main-event Raw next week, which would be reflective of the hard work of both men.